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Germany's postmen bite back armed with canine psychology
(Filed: 03/08/2003)
Deutsche Post bosses claim attacks by dogs have fallen by a third, reports Jo McAllister in Bonn
They
can be the bane of the postman's life, making the short trip from garden
gate to letterbox a frightening and, potentially, painful experience. But now the postal service in Germany claims to have brought the problem of dogs attacking its staff under control by offering workers courses in canine psychology. Deutsche
Post says that the courses have reduced dog attacks by a third and follow
other bizarre attempts to reduce the problem which all failed miserably.
In one, the postal service pushed for legislation to
force the owners of dangerous dogs to put up small electrified fences. This
was dropped when one postman in Hamburg needed hospital treatment after blundering
into one such fence and then being bitten by the owner's rottweiler anyway. Another
plan to issue postmen with "contra spray" - a CS gas for use on dogs - was
shelved when staff complained that they often found themselves being bitten
as they struggled to find the spray, remove the cap, aim and fire it. In
Bavaria, there was a report of how a postman, knocked to the ground by a
playful dog, was gassed when the animal trod on the canister, spraying the
postman and frightening the dog, which then bit him. Reinforced
trousers also proved useless because they made postmen easier to catch and
unable to leap fences. Staff also said that they were unhappy with tough
legal action against the owners of dangerous dogs as bringing the court cases
after the event did not stop the problem. However, after
the introduction of the dog psychology courses, the number of attacks has
dropped by 1,000 a year to just over 2,000. Deutsche Post has sent nearly
all of its 80,000 postmen and women on the animal psychology and psychoanalytical
courses. Friedrich Buttgereit, of Deutsche Post, said:
"People often see this issue as a subject for jokes but it's no laughing
matter." He added that dog attacks led to the loss of more than 12,000 working
days a year. Rolf Schulz of the Berlin postal division
said that he had found the course a great help. "It gave me a real insight
into how dogs behave and what causes them to bite." The
seminars, which last for one day and are followed by several evening sessions,
are taught to groups of 10 and are led by animal psychiatrists who bring
a dog into the classroom for the postmen to work with. The
classes include theory and practical elements, such as demonstrations on
why it is not possible to cycle faster than a dog can run and how to hand
the mail to a person walking their dog on a lead without being bitten. Stefan Biegier, a dog trainer, said: "We also show the postmen dog expressions and teach them to watch for the danger signs." The
postmen are taught how to keep a check on their own body language and facial
expressions to help prevent an attack, as well as to mask their fear, move
slowly and speak in a soothing voice to calm aggressive dogs. Monica
Siebert, of Deutsche Post headquarters in Bonn, said: "Of course, the courses
can't guarantee 100 per cent protection against biting dogs and we still
have some way to go, but even our most timid posties are learning how to
turn barking dogs into whimpering puppies. "In the theory
section we pass on tips like making sure that the dog owners are aware of
the time the mail will be delivered. German postmen are extremely punctual.
You can set your watch by them, and if a person knows their mail will be
delivered at a certain time they can make sure the dog is tied up or at least
indoors." She added: "It's a war of minds. The postman
thinks, 'I come here every day and go very quickly - surely the dog understands
this'. But the dog thinks, 'This fellow is on my territory and I must teach
him a lesson he won't forget'." Mr Buttgereit said:
"We do demand damages from the dog owners after an attack, which can be as
much as €2,870 even for a pair of torn trousers because of the mental anguish
involved. But by the time the legal fees are paid there is not much left." Another
Deutsche Post spokesman added: "Police dog handlers have also been teaching
us self-defence. If all else fails, at least we can defend ourselves."
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