Australia Post is asking Aussies to please secure their pooches after it saw a rise in dog attacks on innocent posties and delivery drivers across the country.
According to Australia Post’s new awareness campaign, more than 1000 posties are involved in dog attacks every year. Over 300 receiving targeted in these incidents require medical attention.
Turns out a dog’s bite is worse than their bark.
Australia Post provide employees with training on dog safety. But it reckons owners should really be doing their part too.
It recommends placing your dog in a separate room or putting it on a leash when the postie arrives. You can als0 give them a toy or treat to distract them while you’re signing for your latest online shopping haul.
Dog trainer Chris Loverseed from Positive K9 Training agrees. He told PEDESTRIAN.TV “it’s all about responsible dog ownership.”
“If a dog has shown aggressive behaviour towards visitors to the home, don’t leave them out unrestrained.” he said.
So why do dogs attack posties in the first place? Loverseed says there’s no simple answer.
“Posties and delivery people are at high risk because they are frequent visitors to the home.”
“If a dog hasn’t been exposed to the postie before the age of 16 weeks, during what’s known as the critical socialisation period for puppies, they might develop fear or aggression towards them that can be hard to undo,” he said.
If your dog is being aggressive towards the postie, Chris recommends going back to the basics of dog training. “Mastering basic commands like ‘go to bed’ and ‘stay’ are going to be very helpful if your dog has issues with visitors.”
“You might then feel ready to move on to interaction with a visitor with your dog on a leash – create a safe situation where you know the dog’s behaviour isn’t going to escalate.”
Keep those puppies on a leash, Australia. We need our posties in full health!
