Jack Haskins: Stopping your dogs from barking at mail carrier

DEAR OLD TRAINER: We have two dogs, Cora, a 4-year old Lab mix, and Sam, a 2-year old Weimaraner mix. Since we moved to a new house they bark at the mailman and won’t stop. Their tails are wagging and after the mailman passes they go back to sleep as if nothing happened. Is this a problem? If so, how do I stop it?

A: Sam and Cora are having fun. Dogs are ingenious when it comes to inventing games, and barking at the mailman has all the elements dogs love. They track his arrival from the barks of their dog buddies in other yards, get to act tough and pretend they are protecting you, then have a good laugh at how they scared the mailman.

Not to make light of the subject because the Postal Service estimates that 3,000 letter carriers are bitten each year. Many by dogs.

To stop the barking, be ready at the time you expect the mailman. Allow them a warning bark, then grasp them by the muzzle and say, “no barking.” Do it each time they bark. Be firm in your command and pet them and love on them when they stop. Remember, in their minds they are protecting you.

Your goal is not to stop them from barking. That’s natural and you want them to warn you and protect the house, so make sure you praise them when they bark AND when they stop.

Another way to handle it is to do what I did with my pack. I checked with the mailman to make sure it was OK with him, gave him a box of treats, and I open the gate when he arrives so he can give each dog a milk bone.

Now they enjoy his arrival even more, but it’s kind of sad to see them innocently waiting in vain on Sunday.

DEAR OLD TRAINER: You mentioned in a column last month that you and your dogs “practice every day.” Could you explain that a little more? Do you hold training sessions every day, and do you recommend that?

A: I practice with my dogs every day, but only hold training sessions if I see laziness developing or when teaching a new command.

Like a great musician, a dog needs work every day. Rolling Stones picker Keith Richard says if he misses one day of practice he loses two days of skill.

I work training in as a part of every activity I do with my pack, including the daily walk. We have fun the entire time, but I snap off commands throughout the walk. I have them turn left and right, stop, start, hold, come to me, whatever comes to mind.

All my dogs know different tricks and I work those into the routine so each one gets a chance to show off.

If I see a lapse of attention I make that dog – or maybe all the dogs – sit while I bore them with a lecture.

The point of practice is to increase their skills and decrease their reaction times. It may be a total of only five or ten minutes, but we practice every day.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Jack Haskins: Stopping your dogs from barking at mail carrier."