Friday, September 24, 2010

Mailman Syndrome, what is it ?

found on the web





Mailman Syndrome

Mailmen, paper boys, garbage men, they’re all the same. What I call mailman syndrome is when a person appears at your door daily/weekly and drives your dog berserk! Why does your dog act like that?
It's times like this, that you wish you had a cat!

Most dogs do not start out doing this, but it is a learned behavior that can develop over time and get worse with each day. Why? Because the dog is being rewarded in some way! Always remember that dogs do what works for them.

When the Minister took his vacation, he would ask my son to take over his paper route while gone. The papers had to be delivered around 5 am, so that meant I was the driver! Let me tell ya, it ain’t easy to get a tween up at 4:30 AM to get ready for the daily 5 AM delivery, but who says no to a Minister? Since I didn’t want to end up in hell, we did it!

Back in the day, (Okay, okay, only about 10 years ago!) the paper had to be put in the exact spot that the customer wanted it, unlike today where everyone has a paper box on the street. On the Minister's route there was one customer that had a German Shepherd and this dog would go nuts inside the home as I approached. (yes, I helped deliver the papers) He would start at the front of the home and follow me, running window to window through the home to the back door where the customer wanted their paper placed. The dog sounded like Cujo, and I feared he wanted one of my body parts! Thankfully, I never found out if that was indeed his intention!
(How annoying for the people that lived there that had to listen to this mad dog every day at five AM all for the love of a newspaper that carried only the local news with a total number of pages being  5!)

Oh, but I digress, so back to the question, why do dogs act like this? Some breeds do this more than others because of the job they were bred to do, but any dog can come down with Mailman Syndrome at anytime .

Scenario: The mailman comes every day to deliver your mail and Fido starts to bark a little bit, the mailman then drives away from the property. Next day, mailman comes back; Fido barks a little more, mailman drives away. This repeats on a daily basis and suddenly Fido is baring teeth when he hears the mail truck coming up the road! In some cases Fido starts doing this to everyone who comes on or near the property.

 If you think about how one trains a dog, each command is repeated on a daily basis. Repetition, that is the common element in these two scenarios, training and mailman syndrome, both happen everyday.

However, when you teach your dog a command and the dog listens he is rewarded with praise or a treat, but what is the reward a dog gets that keeps him barking at the mailman day after day? After all, he’s not getting praise or a food reward.

Remember what I said above? Dogs do what works for them. The reward with the mailman is that when Fido barks, eventually the mailman leaves the property! This is the dog’s reward. He starts out warning the owner and the intruder by giving a few barks, but over time, he believes his actions of barking and lunging made the mailman leave. Fido does not know that the mailman was going to leave anyway once the mail delivery was completed. Viola`! For Fido, mission accomplished!

Although this may not be a harmful situation in the beginning, it can escalate into one if the dog starts to view everyone who comes on or near the property as an intruder that needs to be chased away. So if Aunt Harriet is coming for tea and the dog is trying to chase her away, but Aunt Harriet continues to approach, the dog may bite her. In this situation, the dog is suddenly not being rewarded as the intruder is continuing to advance forward toward the dog. This leaves an uncertain dog only two choices, fight or flight.

So, what do you do about it? How do you stop the dog from going after the mailman in an aggressive manner? For this you may want to enlist the help of your mail person or other daily delivery  person.


It’s five A.M. and I am asleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. (Okay, okay, Reese’s candy)

“Woof, Woof.” says a 170 lb Chance.

“Shush, Chance.” I growl.

“Woof, Woof, Woof!” more deep barks advance from Chance’s throat.


“Chance! Shush!” I growl a bit louder to let him know I really mean business.


“Arf ,arf, arf.” Casey chimes in, and at that moment, I realize in my sleepy haze that it is Monday!


So, just as my little four year old friend Connor would say, from my lips spill these words, “Awright, Awright, awready! Come on, wet’s go. Huwwy, huwwy!” to both Chance and Casey as they are making a bee line toward the front door.


The other dogs just lie there with heads slightly raised watching as this early Monday episode plays out yet again.


I admit, I grumble a little hoping I will be able to get back to sleep for at least another hour before the alarm shouts at me to get up for work.


I make my way down the hall in careful tip toe movements over each dog that lay in my path, as Casey and Chance charge right atop of them to get through.



I sleepily open the den door which leads to the front door of the house and I hear it more clearly now.


Beep, beep, beep,. EERRR ERRRRER,. Crank, psssst, slosh, squeak and clunk! Another load goes in and the engine revs as the brakes squeak to the sound of metal on metal when the truck comes to a stop in front of my house.


I open the front door, and in my sad state of early morning attire I wave and say, “Good morning!” to the garbage man who is at this time standing at my gate as Chance and Casey whiz past me out the front door.
They are barking and running at him wildly. Casey’s tail is spinning in a circle like a batter warming up at home plate.


The Garbage man waves back at me. “Good morning.” He says cheerfully. (oh sure, he’s been up and has coffee under his belt!)
As I stand there in my doorway I can only imagine what I must look like in my smiley face Joe boxer pants and scraggly old tee shirt, but I really don’t care!
So as one garbage man empties my trash cans, the other stands at my front gate giving Casey and Chance treats that only a dog can enjoy. They are in heaven, standing there with tails wagging as they wait patiently for this new friend to plop yet another gift into their open mouths. They move even closer to the gate to get one last pat on the head before their friend departs in his truck, then watch him closely as he makes his next stop at the neighbor’s house.

Whoa! What just happened here? A garbage truck is loud, intrusive, and goes away if a dog barks at it long enough!

Yep you guessed it! This garbage man, in his interest to meet Chance, as most homes don’t brew dogs this big ‘round here, decided that the way he could show Chance he meant no harm, was to  one day show up with treats! The rest as they say is history!

In the beginning of the treat escapade Chance did not trust him, he  did not take the treat from this man who stood at the gate, but as time passed and for every treat Chance gathered up after the man left, his trust began to grow and he now started to view this once intruding person as a friend and as someone who treated him well. Not even the noise of the truck kept him barking in angst! And Casey? Heck, he was just along for the sweet ride as he loves everyone and was soon taken in by this stranger as well. Me? I have learned that getting a normal morning’s sleep on Monday morning is most impossible, but the barking is less. they no longer carry on before , during and long after the garbage man has left my home front. Now there are a few gentle woofs to tell me, "our friend is here" to be let out of the house and that's it.

Suffice it to say that the Grottini dogs now give their friendly neighborhood garbage men a Christmas card and bonus! After all, it costs money to constantly treat a dog as big as Chance!

If every delivery person would do this, many dogs would start being more delighted to see them and their bark would be one of delight instead of angst.  I must say, I have also noticed a UPS man that does the same when a delivery has to be made here.

So even though Chance barks a little when he hears the truck coming up the street, he barks for me to get up and let him out so he can happily greet the garbage man and not to tear off a limb!

If you find that your dog does this same type of thing, especially if it is fence aggression toward any neighbor who passes, stick a bag of biscuits in a mailbox  and ask them to gently toss the dog a biscuit each time they walk by. This should keep your dog from acting out and if you do it from the very minute you get the dog, that type of aggression may never start. Of course you want to keep the treats small or low in fat so your dog doesn’t blow up like a balloon and become unhealthy. Don’t be surprised if the dog does not take a treat at first, this is normal; just have the people toss it gently in the yard so the dog knows the gesture is there and eventually the dog will eat it.  Ever hear that old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child?"  Well same goes for a dog. In some cases , you just can't do it alone.

Of course if you hate your neighbors or your mailman, then let the dogs bark away!


Until next time, happy training!








Saturday, September 11, 2010

September 11, 2010 Nine years later




Sorry folks not into dog talk today. Except for this lovely tribute video to the dogs that worked 9-11-01. click here You'll have to get through a short commercial first.
So it is the nine year anniversary of the attack on the US, and there is no peace and we are no closer to achieving it. We have a sicko claiming to be a Pastor that wants to publicly burn the Koran in the hopes that by doing so he can bargain with the Muslims not to build a mosque near ground zero in NY. (Something that the people of NY should decide, not the rest of the world). And we have people burning sites where Muslims are building in other states. Why? Well while the attack itself was hate driven, I believe that most are doing the above out of pain and fear grown from a wound that cannot heal not only because of the horrific events, but also because the person behind them is walking free, possibly plotting a future attack. Of course, then in the mix there is plain stupidity and the need to have 15 minutes of fame which I believe this Pastor  wanted and we gave it to him. Unfortunately, there are others who will seek their 15 minutes by doing something just as stupid.



Everyone remembers where they were that day, that hour, that moment, when the towers were struck, when the Pentagon was hit and where so many heroic civilians took the power of attack away from their terrorists on flight 93. I hold dear in my heart the tragic memories just as I salute the memories of the fallen hero’s. Nine Years is dedicated to those families who lost, those heroes, those everyday people who saved many, many lives on that solemn day.

Nine Years

Morose somber settles across the land

As reflections of destruction forced our hand

A day that took our daughters and sons,

And left our children without their moms.

Fathers were lost, and hero’s were found

Upon countless sections of hallowed ground



Bless those who suffer these losses so deep

With no peace to be found, in silence they weep

Let others understand, be compassionate, and true

To those civilians and hero’s who died for you.



Scars are forever and we will forever recall

Those that that plummeted to their death,

And those that heeded the call

Healing is unresolved with no reason in sight

Reach deep inside and your faith hold tight






Monday, September 6, 2010

Do Dogs Grieve?



Generally I do not like it when people attach human emotions to their dog, especially in instances where humans claim the dog has the forethought to piss on the floor just to spite the owner! This borders on the ridiculous and gives a dog too much credit. If they really did know what spite was, they could do a lot more damage than just piss on the floor to irritate you!

So the question arises, do dogs grieve? Well, putting it in perspective and looking at dog behaviors, I believe they do, but we may notice it more in a certain type of dog. We know dogs suffer from separation anxiety which is seen when an owner leaves them alone and they cry, bark, or become destructive. This does not happen out of spite, it happens out of anxiety at being alone. Dogs that suffer this are more likely to grieve outwardly with the passing of an owner or a pet companion.
When people grieve we tend not to eat well, not sleep well or we sleep more, we feel a bit ill, and lose interest in things we once enjoyed. I believe that dogs go through the same or similar symptoms. You can take Fido for a walk and he’ll go but he may not get as excited as he normally does.

There was a study done by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in 1996 which found that thirty six percent of dogs that lost a companion dog ate less, and that eleven percent stopped eating all together for a period of time. Sixty three percent vocalized more than normal or they became quiet and distant, and some started to cling to a person in the home more often.

I do believe when the time comes that my two females, mother and daughter, will grieve the other’s loss as that is how inseparable they are. These girls can’t even be in separate rooms of the house without crying for each other. Their mother daughter relationship is sometimes amazing to me.

When one of two dogs dies questions for the owner arise. Should another dog be brought into the home to try and stop the grieving process? Should it be a puppy? Should it be an older dog? Since this question is asked often I thought it would be nice to go through some pros and cons.

I personally would prefer to let the dog go through the grieving process but continue to do special things with the dog more often. I believe they need this process just as humans do. However if you don’t see them picking up a bit after extra attention and activities, then it is time to visit your vet as the dog may need some medication to help.

So what would be the pros and cons to bringing in another dog right away and what age dog should you bring in?


Bringing in a puppy: Pro: would be if your older dog accepts the young dog and they get along wonderfully thus somewhat ending the grieving process. The con: this scenario rarely happens! Generally the puppy has such a high activity level that they end up annoying the older dog.


Adopting an older dog: Pro: An older dog of similar age with the same activity level may work as they may respect each other. The con: if it does not work you may find some terrible battles happening. In some instances an older dog brought into the home at this time may see your dog as being weak, and this can lead to some heavy duty fighting to take over the house and reign as the top dog, thus making the one you were trying to help petrified to move in its own home.

What to do, what to do? That is the question!

Bringing in a puppy

It’s tricky to say the least. I have always said it is so much easier to bring a puppy into an already established pack of dogs, or to a home that has a dog already. Puppies can be put in their place much easier by an established dog with little repercussion. However should you decide to go this route there are things you need to do to make the transition easier for the older dog. As well, this does not necessarily mean the grieving dog will stop grieving.


Start training the puppy in commands as soon as you get it home so the older dog is able to see you have the younger one under control and doesn’t have to worry about it.

Don’t allow the pup to jump all over the older dog (as in the above picture!). Older dogs have aches, pains, and sore joints, and a pup jumping on them is going to hurt. A hurting dog will lash out. This could quickly end any possible friendship.

Supervise play and stop it when the pup seems to be getting too wild with the older dog or when the older dog shows exhaustion.
Never leave them in the room together unattended. The potential for something happening is too great. If you cannot supervise the pup, put the pup in a crate so both dogs can get proper rest and both remain safe from harm.

Remember to view the new puppy as you would a human toddler being around your older dog, if you are vigilant, things should go fine. (Toddlers & pups jump on, pull tails, tug ears, yell, etc.)

Adopting an older dog

Should you decide to go the older dog route be prepared for some possible tension as there are some rules to this as well and an older dog may be a bit harder to control.

Have them meet on neutral ground a few times and take them each for a long walk together before you bring the dog home. This lets both dogs see that good things happen when they are together.

Pick up all toys, bones, beds, food dishes that belong to your established dog and put them away before you bring an older do into the home. (leave a few water dishes out in several places) This tells your dog that there are no items to protect which can lead to fighting. Keep them away until you see how the dogs get along inside the home. This can vary drastically from they way they behave on neutral territory and can seemingly change overnight.

Walk them daily and train them daily even if they already know the basic commands. By doing this you are being consistent in what you expect and setting yourself up as the leader of the pack which takes this decision away from both dogs thereby putting them at an even status in the family.

If you see that things are not working as you planned, be honest with yourself, find a home for the new dog as hard as it may be. Your older dog deserves the right and dignity to live out its senior years in peace.

When picking out either an older dog or a puppy try to do a temperament test on them before bringing them into the family as it may make things easier in the long run. To see what is involved in a temperament test click here.

Below, a couple of friends share what they observed in their own dogs which just proves to me that dogs do grieve. I would love to here your stories /comments as well. Until next time, paw pump!

Evelyn: I had a shepherd growing up, she never had a litter and was Mom to all our kittens. She was especially attached to one in particular. The kitten died. She searched all over for her. I got up one day, she had dug her up and was laying with her. My Dad kept burying her. She kept digging her up. It was so sad. He finally had to bury the kitten down the road!
 
Audrey: we had 2 golden’s, you remember them Sal, Ashley and Buddy. Ashley was never the same after buddy died, and although a lot younger, she died soon after. :(