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Hi Malia,
Thanks for bringing this interesting case! It’s always a conundrum to help busy parents find simple solutions when they are sleep deprived and dealing with a new baby. I like your idea of managing access and agree that’s the simplest. If they wanted to do something else simple and if the postal worker/delivery person is amenable, they could put a covered plastic container inside the mailbox with a note to “Toss me a Treat and I’ll Learn To Love You!” -signed, Fido. If they were sitting outside (with the baby even!) during mail delivery times, they could explain further and model how to throw the food. The worker might think it was fun – a nice thing to look forward to each day. You could further explain to the client that classical conditioning (Mail Delivery Person = Treats) is the reason this will work and that the dog doesn’t have to do anything. Even if the dog barks a time or two in the beginning, it will change to a happy bark and then finally to quiet if they are consistent at it.
Keep us ???? posted! ???? (pun intended!)