Mail Mad Morgan

[Shirley]

Hi all
I really hope that you have some ideas to help me sort out Morgan.  When he was little I made (although I didn't realise it then) a huge mistake :? .  Every time the mail came I'd open the door and let Morgan go and fetch the letters.  We have a glass screen between the hall and the porch - down either side of the inside door, so Morgan can see when the post comes through the door.  We toddled along with this routine fine up until the past month or so.  All of a sudden he has become obsessed  :twisted:   :twisted:   :twisted: .  When he hears the letter box he starts barking like mad and scrambling to get through the door to get to the mail first.  The thing is, he never chews it or runs off with it, he just wants to be first there at the door to get it.  Over the past few days I've just left him in the kitchen while I've gone to get it but sometimes he's already at the door when the postman delivers the mail so he's in the middle of his 'dance'  :?  before I've had a chance to get him out of the way.  It's not a problem to lock him in the kitchen while I collect it but if I can I'd like to cure him of the obsession.  I wondered if the collar that Colin had for Jimmy would be of any use  :?:
Any ideas gratefully received.
Shirley  :wink:                    

[PennyB]

Don't know if you know how to use training discs. My trainer showed me how to use them to stop Ruby trying to fly through the door 1st. Most of the time now I can get her to sit and wait. They are simple to use but have to be used properly to prevent being overused and then having no effect at all.

Sometimes can work better than collars as collars are often last resort to some severe problems and the dog works out when he/she's not wearing them and so carries on with behaviour.                    

[Jane S]

Have you thought about fixing one of those secure mail boxes outside your porch, then Morgan wouldn't have anything to get over-excited about. Just a thought - avoiding the problem is one way of dealing with it if all else fails :wink:                    

[markjcage]

We have the same problem with Daisy.
She goes nuts when she hears the postman, or someone putting junkmail through the door.
She scrabbles on the laminate, then leaps for the door.
We wasted money on one of those 'catch the post' baskets.
This merely holds the post nicely whilst Daisy tears it through the bars.
We don't mind her chewing the brown envelopes, it's the stuff from Amazon, etc we don't like being ruined!

She also growls at ALL postmen, ALL neighbours and people wearing fluorescent jackets.

We are planning on getting an outside post box...                    

[Colin]

Shirley, you can get an outside mail box from Argos online. It's not the classiest looking one I've seen, but with shopping opportunities rather limited where you live it might be of some use. Although the Aboistop collar would probably put a stop to Morgan barking, Jane is probably right with her prevention rather than cure theory. A mailbox would be half the price too !                    

[Mike]

That made me laugh Mark - my Daisy is exactly the same, must be a blue roan-called-Daisy thing  :mrgreen:                    

[Shirley]

Hi all
Thanks for the replies.  The basket wouldn't work for me either Mark, as the letter box is at the bottom of the door  :?   I'll probably go with the outside box - had a look at the one in Argos and it's not too bad - I'll find somewhere to hide it!
Morgan doesn't mind the postman actually.  He is highly suspicious of men with moustaches though  
Thanks again everyone                      

[markjcage]

Daisy is antagonistic towards:

postmen
the neighbours
fluorescent jackets
old people
people in hats
terriers
pigeons
squirrels
people with sticks
people with sunglasses
c-a-t's

We saw an old woman with a stick, a hat, sunglasses, a brightly-coloured jacket and a terrier the other day, oh dear!

Still, it was her bl**dy dog that attcked Daisy when she was a puppy and made her antagonistic towards most of the above!