Dogs prove time and time again that they are our best companions in life. And whether we like it or not, animals have a guarding instinct, though some dogs might be more reactive than others. When someone invades your dog's territory, be it a mailman or a random stranger, the dog's natural response is to protect its property, often resulting in frequent behaviors such as barking, growling, or lunging at the door or window.

Your dog's reactive behavior at the delivery person is reinforced when the mailman leaves, as your pet believes that its frantic actions scared away the intruder. Due to dogs' habitual nature, this behavior of reinforcement becomes a habit, resulting in your dog likely acting the same way in the future.

Surely, no one wants to get to this situation of a dog attack, and both sides can improve their chances of friendship.

Starting early is crucial for this type of training. One of the options is to consider placing a tasty treat your dog loves in your mailbox and instructing your mailman to deliver it to your dog every morning. This will foster positive associations between your pet and the mailman. In this way, your pup will develop affection for the mailman and look forward to seeing him each day.

If you didn’t get to start early, the process of changing your dog's behavior will be longer and more difficult but not impossible. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that this behavior of attacking a mailman has already become habitual. After rehearsing it over and over again with a successful outcome, it now has become a reflex. So to reverse it, first of all, you will have to stop it. Instead of letting your dog out to scare off the mailman, begin keeping your pet in the farthest room of your home when it's time for mail delivery. This way, you will prevent this habit, which is a start.

In order to establish a positive bond between your dog and the mailman, you will need to follow a few steps. Initially, you should determine a safe distance where your dog remains calm in response to the mailman's truck noises. Next, you will have to systematically expose your dog to the mailman while gradually decreasing the distance. Finally, you will need to alter your dog's emotional response toward the mailman.

Anything is possible with patience and love, so if your dog is not too happy to see the mailman or any delivery person, maybe it is time to take this matter into your own hands and change it for the better.