Would Cesar Millan Make A Good UPS Man?

[mrvngrdns]

As a fan of the show, Dog Whisperer, and a retired UPS rural route driver, I always get a kick out of some of Cesar's interactions with dogs, and they way he fearlessly approaches them. He sometimes uses psychological methods with mean dogs that I realize that I unconsciously used as I delivered packages over the years. Things such as assertiveness, avoiding eye to eye contact, and of course not running away. I was only bitten twice in 30 years, both by very small dogs. However, I did give proper respect to Pit Bulls, Great Danes, Doberman's etc., and wouldn't get out of the package car in those situations.

 

[trplnkl]

As a fan of the show, Dog Whisperer, and a retired UPS rural route driver, I always get a kick out of some of Cesar's interactions with dogs, and they way he fearlessly approaches them. He sometimes uses psychological methods with mean dogs that I realize that I unconsciously used as I delivered packages over the years. Things such as assertiveness, avoiding eye to eye contact, and of course not running away. I was only bitten twice in 30 years, both by very small dogs. However, I did give proper respect to Pit Bulls, Great Danes, Doberman's etc., and wouldn't get out of the package car in those situations.

I've never seen the program you are talking about but find the question interesting, although not getting dog bit is only a small part of the job, I do understand what you are getting at.
I'm guessing that assertiveness means to not act as if you are afraid of the dog and merely going on about your delivery. I try to act as if the dog was MY dog, I talk to them and try to get them to come to me. If they won't come to me, I sternly tell them to hush and go lay down, it works quite a bit of the time.
The eye to eye contact thing is something that I do, I have stared down more than one great dane or rottweiler, never tried it with a mean acting pitbull though. I do want to say that I use caution when doing this as it does not always work either.
I've never ran away from a dog, but have backed up from many.

 

[rod]

never trust a little dog-- kick first - ask questions later ( the home owner always assumes it's YOUR fault if their mutt bites you anyway)

 

[trplnkl]

never trust a little dog-- kick first - ask questions later ( the home owner always assumes it's YOUR fault if their mutt bites you anyway)

Can't argue on that Rod.

 

[satellitedriver]

never trust a little dog-- kick first - ask questions later ( the home owner always assumes it's YOUR fault if their mutt bites you anyway)

Just like most men/boys I have known. The little ones are the meanest.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

As far as dogs are concerned, I think he'd fit in pretty well. On the other hand, he's not in the best of shape, so I'd have to give a thumbs down on Cesar joining our ranks.

 

[705red]

If there is a dog out, i will beep the horn several times and wait for the customer to come out. If they do not i will leave a delivery notice stating that their dog was out and i will retry tomorrow, not putting myself in a position to get in to a dog fight again.

 

[dilligaf]

I have watched Dog Whisperer before. In fact I have trained my boxers based on his methodology. He has a very good sense about how to train and handle dogs. I, too, use the same methods in dealing with dogs on rte. For the most part they work very well.

It is important to know when to not push the issue though. I leave info notices in mail baxes when I can't get to the door or even to the fence.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I have found that if I am assertive but not aggressive with dogs they generally don't give me a problem. Single-worded commands in a deep, calm voice seem to work best. If all else fails I generally put the pkg in a DR bag and tie it out of the reach of the dog and leave a notice in the mailbox. I also put "DOG" in the remarks column in the DIAD.

 

[mattwtrs]

If you have time pretend to be reaching down for a rock to use if the dog comes closer. Any dog that has been hit by a flying rock will turn & run. I only had 1 dog bite in 20 years of delivery and it was from a St. Bernard!

 

[chev]

Just like most men/boys I have known. The little ones are the meanest.

Yep. They have "little dog" complex.
I was bitten twice in two years and both were little nippers. Didn't break the skin but got the blood boiling.
Pomeranian = kickball

 

[stevetheupsguy]

I delivered to a house with 2 Border Collies. One was nice and one growled all the time but stayed back a ways. The distance from the street to the front door was about 50 feet, tops. One day as I was delivering I saw the growling Border Collie and made my stance. As I walked toward the door the dog runs toward me, bites my shin and keeps going. This all happened so fast, I didn't even realize I had been bitten. Thought the dog crashed into my leg. I quickly left the pkg, rang the bell and alerted the homeowner of the situation. I called my supe and reported the incident. The homeowner was nice enough to bandage me up and give me ice. Who'd of ever thought I'd be the victim of a run by biting?

Moral of this story is, all dogs bite, given differing circumstances. The one that doesn't bite today, may very well bite tomorrow. Be careful, assertive and smart. Use the diad as your ever protective shield. If you don't feel safe, don't deliver that pkg.

 

[rod]

If you have time pretend to be reaching down for a rock to use if the dog comes closer. Any dog that has been hit by a flying rock will turn & run. I only had 1 dog bite in 20 years of delivery and it was from a St. Bernard!

Why pretend? I always kept a hand full of rocks on the dash of the pkg car. I would grab a few on the way out the door if I knew the situation might call for it. Beaning them with a DIAD was great but getting in a few good hits with a golf ball sized rock was neat too.

 

[BLACKBOX]

We all should have a number to reach Cesar Milan at. UPS could pay him a percentage for every time a driver encounters a dangerous situation with a dog. We could call a designated 800 number and get real-time advice.

 

[diesel96]

Ceaser gives great insight on cannine behavior. Especially, focusing in on pack behavior and establishing a pack leader mentality. I suggest if you have a questionable aggressive small to medium size dog on route, I use to keep an ole' racket ball racket in the cab and bring it with me to complete the delivery until you and the dog have an understanding who's in charge. If you encounter a larger breed, just leave a note on the mailbox or with a nieghbor. It's just not worth it unless Ceaser wants to shoot an episode for his TV show. He did shoot a story with a postal worker recently however.