“Does your dog bite?” “Does he have teeth?” The truth is that any dog, given the proper set of circumstances, can and will bite.
I know better than to say my dogs would "never". I've learned through the years to NEVER say "never". Though I believe my dogs are safe and my mail carrier drives around in a car, things happen. Maybe the article of mail is to large for my box or is registered and requires a signature so the carrier (in a friendly gesture) decides to bring it up to my door. They're doing me a favor so it would be wrong of me to return the favor with a dog bite.
It's all of our responsibility as dog owners to take steps to avoid any bad situation like this. It's not only for the safety of the mail carrier but for the safety of YOUR dog!
So what do you do?
The US Postal Service recently suggested that we make sure our pets are in separate rooms with closed doors before accepting mail from a carrier at our front doors. While this is a good suggestion it doesn't help to teach the dog anything and could create a negative experience. However, if you can't control the dog this is probably the path you should take.
Yelling at the dog is not the answer.
Leaving your young child to hold on to the dog is not the answer.
I've found that usually obedience training and what is referred to as "conditioning" is the ticket. Make the mail carrier's visits a positive experience. Start when your dog is a little puppy and it will last his/her lifetime. How do you make it a positive experience? Talk to your mail carrier and enlist his/her help and have a positive attitude about seeing the mail carrier yourself. Let the mail carrier toss a ball or praise the "good puppy" for wagging it's tail. Give him/her a scratch or pat. It's the simple little things that actually count. (BTW: I do not advocate any stranger giving your dog a treat - more on this another day.) If your mail carrier is not a dog lover and does not want to participate in the positive training experience, than it falls on you alone. It's your responsibility, not the mail carrier's responsibility. You praise the dog. You give it a treat. You maintain a happy & positive attitude. While training/conditioning your dog, it's advisable to keep him/her on a leash.
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And a little advice to the mailman who is plagued by viscous dogs on their route; when all else fails, take a page out of the history book. (See article linked below.)
[May 27, 1963 St. Joseph Gazette: Mailman's Problem Solved in Short by German Shepherd]
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