Help!

Our 3 year old Westie has recently started to attack the mail (viciously!) and if she is in the garden when the postman comes, she runs for his ankles. She also does this with any other unknown visitors to our home. How can I train her not to do this. I think she would actually bite them or their clothing at least if I let her get to them.

You're on dangerous ground here I'm afraid.... get a mailbox on your gate so yoour poor postie doesn't have to get attacked, and a bell, and lock your gate :(

Don't you think I can train her to stop doing this instead? I live in a tenemant flat and Jenny has the freedom of our big back garden and she is friendly with all the neighbours and children around about - it is only strangers she has started to attack. I would hate to have to keep her on a lead all the time.

Maybe introduce your dog to the postman?? You hold her and keep her calm while the post man slowlt comes and says hello?? Sorry cant be any more help.

I might try to introduce her to the postie - don't know how he would feel but I can only ask.

You do have potentially a big problem here Jane - even if you do introduce her to your postman and she's ok with him, what when he changes shift or route and you get a different postie?

The Post Office take a very very dim view of nasty dogs and will take action. I think you have no choice other than to keep your girl away from any strangers and under full control until you have dealt with the problem.

I wish you luck - but feel the postie is just one person - you have a problem with your girl - not your postman.

Pam n the boys

Possibly... the problem is that she could easily be taken away and pts if she does any serious damage... do you know when this started, did something trigger it?

She only started to do this recently - no trigger that we know of. She has recently been spoeyed but was doing this prior to that anyway. She is a friendly wee dog otherwise - just suddenly extremely territorial.

The trouble is, terriers are renowned for attacking ankles - after all, they have been specifically bred for umpteen generations to attack things on the ground (rats etc). Once this innate behaviour surfaces you'll have great problems suppressing it again.

Prevention is better than cure in this case - you're going to have to make sure she cannot get access to the postie and other strangers, or you may well find yourself in court.

Thanks to all of you so far for your remarks - I wonder if the clicker training thing would help?

Jane,

Something happened to change your terrier's behaviour. If she is out in the garden by herself at times- even for a few minutes -- I expect someone scared her, perhaps untentionally, or worse intentionally tormented her or tried to hurt her. If she's fine with the people she knows and therefore trusts, but is now untrustworthy with strangers, there must be a reason.

This is not a situation for clicker training. I would consult a dog behaviourist to see what you can do. I expect at some point you will need willing "strangers" to help you train her out of this behaviour - and this needs to be done exactly right and with people who are not going to sue you (like the postman, for example.) You may have to accept that she will never be completely trustworthy with strangers again and take measures to keep her out of their way.

Also, I assume you have checked her out with your vet? She may have something physically wrong and is somehow still able to contain her new aggressive response with friends, but not strangers.

Stacey

Terriers are not renowned for attacking ankles. And ankle attacks have nothing to do with attacking thinks on the ground, like rats. It's tough for any dog to attack anything that is not on the ground, as canines are lacking in the wings department.

If a small dog bites a standing human being, what part of their anatomy do you think they are going to be able to reach with ease?

Attacking people - any part of them -- is NOT an innate terrier behaviour. Amongst other reasons, they were not bred for protection work. And they were bred to work with and for humans, not bite them.

Stacey

Terriers are renowned for attacking ankles around here - you only have to ask the guy at the kennels who has been bitten by more terriers than anything else.

Tell me where "here" is and the kennels you mention and if it's anywhere around me I'll make sure never to board my terrier in the kennel. Your "guy at the kennels" sounds like he may have a problem with understanding how to handle dogs. Either that, or he looks and smells like a large rat.

The point is that if they are going to bite a small dog is more likely to bite an ankle. It has nothing to do with ratting. Terriers are not any more likely to bite than other breeds if they are not provoked. To imply that terriers are known biters is wrong.

I think the problem with some small breed, including small terrier owners, is that when there is a problem that comes up, like aggression, owners are more likely to downplay the severity. They do not take the same measures as they would with a GSD or Rottie, for example, that showed the same type of aggressive behaviour. Theory being that a small dog can't cause too much damage. Not only is that not always true, but the size of the law suit will be just a large.

Stacey

Calm down Stacey - I like terriers, too, you know! However the fact is that many never get out of the 'chase-and-bite-anything-that-moves' influence of their inheritance. They were designed as vermin-catchers. Vermin move fast. Therefore the dog has to react fast. It's not a criticism.
:)

Okay, I'm calm. :-)

i must agree with stacey....terriers are called terrorist 's over ''here''.....they were certainly not bred for tractability the way some breeds were but more for predatory behavoir driven by a couple hundred years of paranoia over bubonic plague in the case of the some........the only solution is training with a remote collar.,clickers are more for shaping behavoir.you must have a'' muscle memory''that corrosponds with your voice so you can stop her and make her come back.,you must be able to dictate the dynamic.........she has something we call ''mailman syndrome'' it is more fear motivated than anything and it takes time to develop.[most dogs that bite are between 2-4,three is the average]...sometimes we don't see the little red flags.......but the mail man becomes don quixote's windmill or her percieved enemy....and she is succesfull at chasing him away everytime he comes thus reinforcing it....

I was stating hearsay that the guy at the kennels has been bitten by more terriers than anything else - perhaps he boards more terriers than anything else? :rolleyes:

After doing lot of reading i would agree that your dog has probably had a bad experience to bring this on . I would suggest starting with socialisation as if he were a pup getting him used to people again and see if it helps. I would also recommend introducing him to the postman as i read it can be the uniform of a postman that can start a dog off or even the fact that he is putting envolopes into the dogs terroritry. If this is the case then introducing to the postman and getting him used to him - it should then not matter if a different postman arrives.
All is worth a go !
Good luck

Hiya
I think your best bet is to introduce him to the postman. My husband is a postie, he carries doggy treats with him so most of the dogs on his round think hes wonderful lol.
Penny

Is the Westie likely to be on her own in the garden when postie comes? It's just that, whatever her nature or training, if this is the case you are leaving her to make her own choice and really it is best if the owner is there to guide and give a command or call in or away.

My dog fortunately loves the post coming because I have taught her to pick up the post and she gets a reward and a game for bringing it to me, if you can get her associating the post itself with good things that may help just a little. I agree clicker training wouldn't really help unless set up with a specific training programme in mind, and then it would help. Clickers are used for behavioural and training problems but you don't want to be clicking the wrong behaviour by mistake :)

I agree getting her to meet postie may be a good start, it depends on many things, but is worth a go.

good luck

Lindsay

If you cant stop your dog doing this , then in all honesty you re going to hve to keep her inside . The postie has every right to refuse to deliver to you and you have a duty to stop our dog attacking/biting any person . I certainly wouldnt be happy to be attacked by a dog for no reason

Lindsay,

My sister's Cairn loves the postman, Federal Express .. anyone in a uniform that looks like he or she could be delivering something. Her dog will lay down flat if on a walk at the very sight of a mail truck, refusing to move until he meets the postman. Reason? Her regular postman always carries dog treats - smart man.

Stacey

I agree Stacey - very smart man!!! ;) The Cairn sounds very sweet!

Lindsay

Hi
My Westie LOVES my postie. He gets very excited when he see's or hears him approaching. I only have to mention the posties name and my dog jumps up at the window looking for him or sits at the gate wagging his tail. I swear he loves him more than me. By the way he also carries treats with him.
Budmag