What do you do with your dog when..

[Dekka]

Perhaps it comes from me living in California- very much near Oakland, which is a gang-run city, but it makes no difference whether I asked someone to come to my front door or not, to me. I italicized someone because- sure, I ordered pizza and it's going to be delivered- but I have NO IDEA what the delivery person is like. Is he/she a shady character? I don't know this, therefore, my dog will answer the door with me. He is an excellent judge of character and if- for any reason- his hackles were to go up or he were to let me know that this person was not 'cool' the door would be slammed in their face and the lock would be turned.

In this day and age, no one is 100% safe, if a delivery person is afraid of dogs, they shouldn't get a job that requires them to go to people's homes.

And hey- they should be thankful Bella doesn't answer the door with me.

So if a delivery person starts out ok with dogs, but gets bit a couple of times, and get nervous they should quit their jobs? I think that is unfair. If it is that bad why not go to the pizza place instead of having it delivered. Or be talking on the phone as you answer the door. (I hear that is a bigger detterent) If the person is carrying a gun, they can shoot your dog pretty easily anyway.

If its say a appliance delivery. Call the company and ask for the names of the delivery people. At least then you will know that they are the 'real' delivery people.

 

[Zoom]

I put Sawyer on a sit/stay about 10 feet behind me, or I just let him come up and stand next to me. He doesn't bolt and he's a pretty good judge of character. If someone asks me to put him away, I would have to just look around and ask "where"? I live in a studio and don't own a crate. A down/stay is the best anyone's getting.

As far as the pizza delivery goes, well my apartment sucks to get into after 5pm anyway so I usually go pick it up. But when I worked pizza delivery, there were a few houses that made me pretty nervous to walk up to. One lady had this evil little terrier-type dog that kept charging and nipping and she kept telling me to just keep walking, he's not going to hurt me. I finally stopped walking and asked if she would at least pick up her dog or something, because I don't like having my pants ripped up.

 

[Fruit bat]

I just wish people wouldn't ring the bell.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

So if a delivery person starts out ok with dogs, but gets bit a couple of times, and get nervous they should quit their jobs? I think that is unfair. If it is that bad why not go to the pizza place instead of having it delivered. Or be talking on the phone as you answer the door. (I hear that is a bigger detterent) If the person is carrying a gun, they can shoot your dog pretty easily anyway.

If its say a appliance delivery. Call the company and ask for the names of the delivery people. At least then you will know that they are the 'real' delivery people.

It's unfair for me to have to lock my dogs up because of their fear due to someone else's dogs. I know my dogs and I know, that unless someone poses a danger, the person on the other side of the door isn't going to get anything but a wag of the tail and snuffles from Banzai if I release him from his stay.

Most delivery places charge to deliver- I'm paying for that service. It's not an option for them. And I tip pretty **** well. I also happen to let anyone that I DO know is coming that I will have at least one dog lose in the house. That is the limit of the expectations for myself though.

 

[Dekka]

It's unfair for me to have to lock my dogs up because of their fear due to someone else's dogs. I know my dogs and I know, that unless someone poses a danger, the person on the other side of the door isn't going to get anything but a wag of the tail and snuffles from Banzai if I release him from his stay.

Most delivery places charge to deliver- I'm paying for that service. It's not an option for them. And I tip pretty **** well. I also happen to let anyone that I DO know is coming that I will have at least one dog lose in the house. That is the limit of the expectations for myself though.

Why is it unfair to put your dogs in a room for 3 min, due to someone you have hired to come deliver something. I guess I am just more sensitive to people's fears. I used to deliver papers. I LOVE dogs. I was chased many time by people's dogs. I was only doing my job, but I had to deal with fear, which I don't think is right. The delivery person only has your word you can train your dog. SOOO many people said "oh he's freindly" as the dog snarls and grabs at my shoes. Or starts calling them frantically, to no avail. If a person has a genuine fear of your dog, why force them to endure it?

Getting bit by a dog, should not be a normal hazard of delivering stuff. (and I know your dog won't bite, but they don't know that, and many people's dogs do.)

 

[ToscasMom]

Thanks for all this input everybody! I think if I knew some of these suggestions before the small incident, I would have done it differently. I have to be a little fair to the guy on face value. When he came in he told me that some people he had delivered to had some very mean dogs and he was bitten before. So once again, those irresponsible people make it hard for the rest of us. I think though, I handled it to make him feel better but I wasn't smart at all. The next time this happens, if it is someone I have invited or expected to deliver something and they have an irrational fear that makes them refuse to enter, I will meet the person outside the door and do the transation, with my dog clearly watching thru the glass door. Or, as Coop said, Pass the money thru the crack and tell them to leave the item on the porch. Everyone else will have to either understand that my dog sits nearby, or don't bother coming here.

I was clearly not smart in a world where there are whackjobs everywhere. The scarey thing is I didn't even realize it till it was pointed out to me by somebody else. It won't happen again.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Why is it unfair to put your dogs in a room for 3 min, due to someone you have hired to come deliver something. I guess I am just more sensitive to people's fears. I used to deliver papers. I LOVE dogs. I was chased many time by people's dogs. I was only doing my job, but I had to deal with fear, which I don't think is right. The delivery person only has your word you can train your dog. SOOO many people said "oh he's freindly" as the dog snarls and grabs at my shoes. Or starts calling them frantically, to no avail. If a person has a genuine fear of your dog, why force them to endure it?

Getting bit by a dog, should not be a normal hazard of delivering stuff. (and I know your dog won't bite, but they don't know that, and many people's dogs do.)

Yet again- irresponsible people ruin it for everyone else.

If I opened the door and the pizza dude said, hey, I'm kinda afraid of dogs, can be back up a little? I would definitely do that. I would put him in a sit/stay a couple feet back from the door. But where I live, and in this day and time, I will NOT answer the door, whether I am expecting someone or not, without my dog. You can't change that, sorry.

 

[Aussie Red]

TM that is the way I feel. I never trust anyone unknown to me at the door. Sure they may have a fear of dogs but on the other hand I may have an intelligence that tells me not all people are good. In a city the size that I live in how do I know that the pizza delivery guy was not car jacked by a weirdo and that he is not coming to harm me ? Paranoid ? hummm happens all the time here. With the amount of home invasions, and what not it never pays to let ones guard down that is how people become victims. My dogs bite and I will do nothing to stop that. If they were " nice" I would find a mean one. ACD's do not like those they do not know and are non trusting of strangers much like myself.
I am 100 % in control of my dogs at all times but believe me if someone made the wrong move it would be game on.
Kahlua although only here now for 4 months is as nasty to unknown people as Whiskey is. She has decided she loves me and owns me too so it is double team time here for someone wanting to hurt me.

 

[Romy]

I tell you, if I had known that a dog would be the ticket to getting rid of those pesky JW's, I would have gotten one long ago.

Lol!

Anyway, having been broken into while house sitting, and then saved by my aunt's GSD this is kind of a touchy subject.

On one hand, I totally understand legitimate delivery folk's fear of dogs. There are a lot of stupid drugged out messed up people in our town who own dogs but do nothing to train them. NOTHING! Delivery folks DO have every reason to expect someone to put their dogs away if they are expected to walk to the door and change money. Especially if they were invited by the homeowner. Sorry, but I wouldn't want someone's ill trained zero-socialized 90 lb. dog to charge through the door and rip my face off while delivering a pizza, and I wouldn't trust any of you people's word that you could control your dog if I didn't know you. If you are uncomfortable with that, and the delivery person is uncomfortable with your dog then believe me they will be more than happy to take payment through a cracked door and leave your stuff on the porch.

That being said, if a stranger knocks on my door there is no way I will open it, not even WITH a dog next to me. Two nights ago some guys were running down our street shooting at each other, and a couple of weeks ago my friend Amy was walking her schnauzer, and they got chased by a naked masturbating man. That was only a mile from our house. So yes, protect yourselves, but please be nice to the delivery folks. There is nothing wrong with giving money through a cracked door.

One cool trick my husband learned from a little old lady at the hospital:

Her house was broken into by a couple (she actually lives 4 blocks from us). She held up her hands and wheezed in her cute little old lady voice, "please go easy on meee. I have H-I-V." She said they turned around and left without taking a thing. Might work on a pervert too if the need ever arose.

 

[Kiwii]

Wow. This thread is amazing. I've never thought about this and I live in a very dangerous place. =/ All I can rely on sometimes IS food delivery. But this never had happened to me before. But LOL you can ask the service to send a delivery man that's not afriad of dogs =D (ex pizza store?)

But to think of it, it kind of worries me now. Tiger is always scared of strangers whether they come in or we're walking in the park. He would probably just sniff their shoes and scurry back into the apartment living room.

Anyway to help him improve his fear towards others?

 

[Doberluv]

If you are uncomfortable with that, and the delivery person is uncomfortable with your dog then believe me they will be more than happy to take payment through a cracked door and leave your stuff on the porch.

It's imperative to get hold of the pizza first, then slip them their money through the cracked door.

 

[Brattina88]

^ agree!!

 

[Miakoda]

I didn't read to many of the posts, but I'll post my own

I ALWAYS put my dogs up whether it be in their kennels or in a room behind a closed door. Not because I'm worried about them biting the pizza guy, hell they love him, but because all it takes is a loose cat or dog streaking down the street & an open door (aka invitation to pursue) for my dog to be gone.

I'm huge on responsibility.

 

[ToscasMom]

Well I'm ROFL here. you are not going to believe this. Somebody in another thread mentioned chinese garlic sauce so I got a hankering and ordered Chinese. So guess who delivered it? The same guy! He said he does the pizza place on weekends and the chinese place during the week. ROFL. I get a phone call and Tosca is in the back fenced in. It's him out in front inquiring about the dog. LMAO. I told him she was contained out back and he STILL wouldn't come in. I had to go outside and get the chinese. I said to him, wow you are REALLY afraid of dogs. He said he is mortified ever since he got attacked by someone's dog on delivery. Poor SOB.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Poor guy. ^