Hey Woofa’s,

With all of, Sydney, New South Wales in some form of lockdown right now, where are we turning to for shopping?

On-line shopping has skyrocketed since covid-19 lockdowns started!

I know Dean and I, who didn’t really shop too much on line, have turned to on-line shopping!

We can no longer go to the actual shops to buy what we need, besides groceries, so the only other option is – online!

Now have you thought about the process AFTER you’ve gone to checkout and paid?

Besides receiving a receipt for your purchase, what happens next?  How does it arrive at your door?

That’s right, a Postal Service Person delivers it right to your door step.

We literally just had one arrive as I was typing this!!!!

What’s this got to do with dogs I hear you ask?

Well it appears some of our dogs aren’t too nice to our friendly Postal Service People a.k.a Posties.

We saw a story on one of our News Programs, A Current Affair, a few weeks ago.  Our Posties need our help in making sure our dogs aren’t hindering their safety.

POSTIES CAMPAIGN AGAINST UNRULY DOGS!

As you can see this is not a negative banning dogs type of story.  Our posties just want to do their jobs and they want to be kept safe doing so.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

1. Understand Your Dog’s Behaviour! –  Your dog might be doing the instinctual thing by ‘guarding their territory’ or ‘guarding you’, when someone comes to the door.  That’s fine for you, but not for the Postie delivering your goods.
2. Know What Sets Your Dog Off! – As in the video, is it the beep of the parcel machine, is it the wheels of the Postie bike, or is it just that someone else is here?  Billy HATES wheels, mainly skateboard wheels.  We know this so there’s no way we would let him out the front when we know a delivery is coming, even on a lead.  It sets a scene for failure.
3. How Safe Is Your Dog?  – Just because YOU know your dog is safe and won’t hurt the Postie, doesn’t mean the Postie coming to your house knows this.  They could’ve had heaps of owners say their dogs are safe but it hasn’t turned out that way.
4. Don’t Allow Your Dog To Be A Bully – It doesn’t matter the size of the dog, it’s the behaviour that matters.  And our dog’s behaviour is on us.

HOW CAN WE HELP KEEP OUR POSTIES AND OUR DOGS SAFE?

1. We all get emails and texts informing us when a delivery is being made.  If your dog doesn’t like unknown people coming to the door, put them out the back.  If your dog lunges at the screen door, put them on a lead.  If your dog has free run of the front yard restrict them to the back until the delivery is over.
2. It’s about YOUR DOG’s behaviour when someone new comes to the property.  You may need to think about desensitising them to The Postie and the tools they use.  Good dog trainers will show you healthy ways to do this.
3. If you want positive reinforcement (and your Postie is up for it) leave dog treats at the letter box so your Postie has them ready for your dog.  Tell your dog to sit, and the Postie gives them a treat.  (This will not work if your dog lunges aggressively at the Postie, you’ll need to start with a different kind of training first)
4. Know that some people are genuinely scared of dogs, you can have the kindest of dogs and they are still scared.  Do not force your dog onto The Postie (or anyone for that matter if they are scared).

Our Delivery Men and Women are just trying to do their jobs, it’s up to us as responsible dog owners to allow them to do it safely.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Our Aussie Posties (all Postal People and Food Delivery People) are finding it hard to do their jobs because of unruly dogs.

As responsible dog owners, it’s up to us to make sure they are safe from our dogs.

Set a good example and modify your dog’s behaviour when it comes to our Aussie Posties.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOUR DOG TREATS THE POSTIE?