That's the point I was trying to make. Well trained dogs, will alert their owners to potential danger (in this case intruders), by making a noise. More importantly, a noise, which is likley to frighten the intruder away. In the worst case scenario, they might jump up, and nip at your clothing. But once they start biting your limbs. That's when things have got out of control, and something needs to be done.johnsouthwales wrote:yes, the better trained usually results in that. the best of trained dogs are likely to be startled and have a turn, and that can't be the owners fault.
say for example, a dog is laying down or just sniffing around the garden as they do. maybe, a dog gets used to the postie who comes through the gate as usual. maybe, just maybe, the postie did something different. after delivering next door, the postie decided not to go down the path but to make a short cut and step over a wall making a noise or brushed against a bush inbetween, startling the dog. the dog won't know who it is and thinks it's an intruder, so it's obvious the dog is going to do something whether it's a jack russell or an alsation. maybe it wasn't the regular postie who took the short cut. that's hardly the fault of the owner or the dog.
mst dogs are under control. howver much it's under control, it's going to bark at the letterbox, bark at this, bark at that. that is how they are. they probably been doing it all the time.
when a dog bites all the time, that is where things have to be looked at. some people don't go into a property because the dog barks and they don't like the dog barking. who's at fault there? the owner, the dog or the person who is visting?
town dogs are different to city dogs. and town dogs are different to village dogs. like people i suppose.
the case against the postie who severed an arm was an extreme case i agree. those dogs were bred for security, not social dogs, and they had the pack instinct in them. in that circumstance, rm would be right in requesting a safe way to deliver. but everybody will have to be treated the same way. if you request to one, you have to request to all. there is no middle ground or picking and choosing who or where. it would be ideal to pick out the most extreme to start, but why should everyone else have to suffer cos of a few? of course people like to be protected.
least forgetting a tiny pekingnese could be as likely to bite a little bit if it esacaped from the kitchen while housewife opens the door to go into the garden, and in the meantime, the posty is coming up the path. chances are a small dog will go back into the kitchen than be confronted by a pair of size nines walking up the path. but the potential is there.
it would be good to have postboxes by a gate. as blue terrier knows, germany have had theirs like that for decades. same as most of europe because they like to be private people and dont like people entering their land. bit like them usa post boxes. i can't see it happening in this country. one reason will be that the mail will be robbed, as europeans have more respect for other peoples things, or at least used to.
Dogs are (as several people have already said) pack animals. And as such, they will defer to the Dominant Male. Or with Humans, if the owner is femail, Dominant Female. If the Pack Leader (Dominant Male/Female), imposes a no biting rule, and deals effectively with intruders. Then the Dog(s) won't interfere. How do you think that Shepards manage to use dogs to herd Sheep. When Sheep are potential Prey?
LOL