Training scheme in bid to bring about postie and dogs truce

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POSTMEN in Burton and South Derbyshire are to be given dog training sessions in a bid to cut down on the number of attacks.

The Royal Mail has enlisted the help of the Dogs Trust, with staff to be taught how to handle a dog attack situation and how they can avoid being injured.

While it has long been a cliché that a dog is a postman’s worst enemy, the partnership has formed in a response to growing concern about attacks during rounds.

Royal Mail bosses have trialled various methods to combat the problem in recent years.

The company spent £100,000 on an awareness campaign and providing staff with ‘posting pegs’ to stop their fingers being bitten through the letterbox, and although attack numbers across the DE postcode area fell last year – seven postmen were bitten - it is still seen as a major issue.

The sessions are set to be rolled out across delivery offices in the region, with postmen to be taught to recognise when an attack might be imminent through a dog’s body language and how to keep injuries to a minimum if one does strike.

Robert Kelly, head of safety programmes for the Royal Mail in Derbyshire, said: “Last year there were seven dog attacks on delivery staff in the DE area. We want to do everything possible to reduce this number as even one dog attack on our people is one dog attack too many.

“We very much welcome the support of the Dogs Trust in helping us achieve this. It’s also vital that we raise awareness of the problems our postmen face daily when delivering the mail and we are appealing to all dog owners to work with us to help keep animals under control when the postman calls.”

Lynn Barber, head of canine behaviour and training at the Dogs Trust, said: “It should be remembered that dogs often behave in a negative way through fear rather than outright aggression.

“The key is to learn how to deal with this behaviour from the start. I am really pleased to be part of this initiative in order to help the poor postal workers who have to go through unnecessary stress and the dogs who just need to be understood.”