How to Stop a Dog Barking at the Postman
How often your beautiful morning dreams have been ruined by the loud barks of the neighbor’s dog? The answer is probably too many times, unless you have one of the dog breeds that bark the least. Not only is a barking dog a nuisance for the postman, garbage collectors or the delivery boy, it is also a headache for neighbors. If you have a dog who barks at the postman and every other passerby or if you are planning on adopting a dog soon then it is very important that you should know the tricks that will stop your dog’s barking. Keep reading this oneHOWTO article to find out how to stop a dog barking at postman.
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Command your dog to stop barking
While obedience training your dog or puppy, use one specific command which should make your dog stop barking. This command can be ‘Enough’ or ‘Quiet’ or anything else that works for you. Make sure that the dog knows you are the leader and teach him to stop barking the moment they hear the specific command. After training if your dog is barking at the postman or any other people then this command will make him quite him instantly.
Positive association with postman
When a postman or any other person approaches your home, your dog perceives him as a threat and starts barking. If you want to stop this then make your dog associate the postman with a positive experience. For this you can try the following experiment.
Keep a box of best quality treats handy. Whenever the postman comes, tell him that you are training your dog and ask him to approach slowly towards it. Hold the dog leash tightly while the postman is approaching. Ask the postman to hold out a treat in his hand and offer it to your dog as a reward when it stops barking. If your postman is uncomfortable feeding with his hand then ask him to throw the treat at your dog’s paw. This will make your dog associate the postman with a positive thing i.e. treats. So, the next time he approaches your home, your dog will be eagerly waiting for his treat instead of being threatened by him. Don’t forget to keep a box of treats at your porch or near the gate so that your postman can take one with him while he enters your premise.
If your postman refuses to help you with this experiment (they have lots of work to do) then ask your friend or an acquaintance to pose as postman and help you.
Dog Collar
If you have one of those dogs which won’t stop barking at postman even though you have tried all other methods then the only remaining option is barking correction collar. This collar is actually a device which is worn around dog’s neck. Whenever the dog barks it passes a mild current. This will make your dog understand that barking is an unpleasant activity. So, he will think twice before doing it again. However, for your dog's safety and well-being, at oneHOWTO we strongly disapprove of this method and advise you to take your dog to a professional trainer so you can deal humanely with the issue.
Note: Never leave your dog alone at home with the barking correction collar on his neck.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Stop a Dog Barking at the Postman, we recommend you visit our Pets category.
