Dog barking is a big problem to the family -- who never get enough sleep because of the noise. And an even bigger problem to the mail man, the meter reader, the door-to-door salesman, and the delivery guy. You have probably heard of stories where a dog barks and chases these people away -- sometimes even bites them. So have you ever wondered why dogs seem to hate seeing these people in uniforms?
Maybe it is not just about their uniforms, but seeing these unfamiliar people enter your private property. Your dog doesn’t know these people, that is why she may see them as threats to your safety and security. Upon sensing the potential danger of this situation, your dog gets upset and then tries to drive these threats away by showing aggression and barking at them. Dogs will never understand the reasons why these men in uniforms need to enter your lot. That is why you can never blame them if they keep on barking at these people every time they come.
But how come your dog manages to stay calm if your neighbors -- not in their uniforms -- enter your lot to come visit? What is it really about uniforms that your dog can’t seem to tolerate? Maybe because your dog feels that you’ve already introduced these people to her before. And that anyone in uniform is a stranger to her -- and to you. Why would you introduce -- let’s just say the mail man -- to your dog if you, yourself, aren't acquainted with him? Unusual, isn’t it?
Another probable reason why your dog barks at someone in uniform is that she is anxious and afraid of the situation of having them around. If that’s the case, then some dog training will help your dog to stay calm during these stressful events. The key to this kind of training is to gradually expose her to people she doesn’t know or to situations that she’s unfamiliar with. This is what you call desensitization. Walk your dog around the neighborhood and observe how she reacts to the strangers she meets and also to uniformed men walking around or going into someone else’s lot.
You could also take your dog to parks where most -- if not everyone -- are strangers to her. Do your trainings there. If she’s starting to become more and more comfortable having strangers around, you should try training her closer and closer to groups of people unfamiliar to her.
One more trick to stop this dog barking is to get your dog’s attention away from these people in uniform. You could give her treats to snack on or toys to play with to get her to sit and not mind the mail man doing his work. Make sure you have trained her well to obey your commands even in overwhelming situations. Get her to stay calm and show her that you’ve got the whole situation under control.
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