You do realize that dogs bark to communicate, right? It's going to bark whether they get training or not because they see someone in their property and alerting their owner. That's what dogs do.

I have a German Shepard and a Boxer and they don't bark at everyone.

You've heard of "watch dogs," right? If a dog is protective of their owner and their home, they're going to bark. I can't fathom any desire to teach a dog not to do this.

If your dogs don't bark, it means they are perfectly content to just let whatever happens happens. That's actually a kind of disturbing trait to train into a dog. Those are the kind of dogs that lead to the FMLs that say things like "Today my house was robbed while my dog just sat in the kitchen wagging his tail at the robbers."

That's what I'm thinking too! My dad is a Postal Worker and he's been majorly injured for reasons just like this.

We have a Chihauhau and a Springer. The Chihauhau rarely goes out and only has a few teeth left so I doubt she could hurt someone. Our Springer is a sweetheart, she's all bark but no bite. Whoever she goes out she wears a bark collar and the remote is always by someone's side. There are no protruding branches in our driveway. None. We trim them regularly.

Unfortunately chi's can be known to be aggressive (I have one and she is the sweetest thing in the world, but can look very scary when she feels threatened), and I have been bitten by a terrier before while on route, so if the dogs are in the yard barking at him, he is not going to risk it as he doesn't know the dogs. But based on what you have said regarding the branches, it just sounds like your mailman is lazy (which unfortunately is a common occurrence with mailmen)

Don't you just hate people like your mailman? A chihuahua is NOT threatening!

How would a fence make him feel safer? He'd still have to walk up the driveway (with the trees and barking dogs) to deliver the mail. Edit: I just realized that OP's mailbox may be at the front of their yard and not attached to the house. Still, if this was the case, the trees in the drive way wouldn't be an issue. Maybe I'm still really sleepy, but I don't see how a fence would help.

the dogs may have access to the driveway when they're outside. a fence could fix that.

We have a Chihauhau who has a few teeth left and a lovable Springer

A "love-able springer." LMAO. If it has a mouth, it can bite. Chihuahuas are one of the top breeds to bite, it doesn't matter the tooth count. If the dogs are barking, they are instructed to NOT deliver the mail. You need to train and control your dogs properly, rather than being a judgmental owner who thinks their dogs wouldn't dare hurt someone. Do you realize how often people say that to these carriers? If you want your mail, control your dogs and clean up your driveway.

Even if the dogs aren't barking, if the dogs are out in the yard (even leashed) and you need to walk past them to get to the mailbox or front door, we are told to hold the mail. I've been bitten twice. One was a chocolate lab with mental issues that I startled when I walked fast into the business I was delivering to (I blame circumstances, and the owner took immediate action to remove the dog) another business I was bitten by a small little shit (jumped up and bit me on the knee), I am unsure what made him bite me, but it wasn't the bite that pissed me off, it was the owner telling me how sweet and docile the dog was and that I must have done something. My point is, even if your dog is the sweetest thing in the world, you never know how they will react to every person or animal, so you can not say that your dog would never bite/attack anyone. By the sounds of the fml though, the dogs were barking from inside the house. That would make this a non issue.

Wow. Feisty

^^ maybe that's what the mailman thinks. Lol

Uhhhhh. Who cares if the dog looks "scary". They are mail carriers who are paid to deliver mail to entire neighbourhoods.. Neighbourhoods which I can guarantee will have more than one or two big "scary" dogs. If they are scared of dogs or any household pet, then maybe they should re-think their career. However, it is not their job to put themselves in danger and if the dog is tied out front and they have to walk past the dogs, then I don't blame them for not wanting to deliver mail.. But if the dogs are inside, then this part of the fml should be a non-issue.

No matter what the circumstances the cause for getting bitten is your self or the dogs owners. Dogs were literally bread to be "mans best friend" as it were so they won't just attack randomly, most likely it is due to the way you approach them it doesn't matter if your in a rush or not, they will bark at you, whether or not they do anything else is up to you. The only other reason a dog would be hostile is if It had sickness issues or if it had an abusive owner. Personally I find man to be more threatening that dogs

She trims the trees

I agree ^-^ even if the dog rips his throat out he should totally deliver that package...