If your dog gets overly excited when a guest is in your home, give him a time out. Put him in his crate in a back room away from the noise and confusion. Give him something to chew on, or at least a few treats, when you put him in his crate. This time out is not punishment; he's done nothing wrong.
Use treats and a gentle voice to lead your dog away from the area. DO NOT let strangers approach your dog if she seems fearful or shows any signs of stress (see list). In fact, it's a good rule of thumb to avoid letting strangers approach your dog in general. Instead, always let HER approach THEM.
According to Mikkel Becker, a pet trainer who writes for Vetstreet.com, that's normal K-9 behavior. Your dog just wants to see who is there and say hello. You need to teach them to calm down. You want them to learn that the only way they'll get attention and get petted by your guests is for them to sit down.
Dogs bark at people for a variety of different reasons, whether because they are excited, frustrated that they can't greet the person, or even worried or uncomfortable about another's presence. If your dog is barking while in your front yard, they may feel protective of their home or be warning others to stay away.
Territorial/Protective: When a person or an animal comes into an area your dog considers their territory, that often triggers excessive barking. As the threat gets closer, the barking often gets louder. Your dog will look alert and even aggressive during this type of barking.
The best way of treating aggression towards strangers is to prevent it by socializing your dog when they are young, exposing your dog to lots of different situations and people in a safe, controlled environment, and teaching your dog that strangers are not a threat to you or him.
When a dog barks at strangers, it is generally an arousal response as a way to communicate an alert, a way to show fear, or as an act of protection. This bark can be reinforced by your behavior, by other dogs barking, or can even be self-reinforced as dogs will wind themselves up.
Although your dog might not ever learn to love all people or want to greet everyone they meet, with training most can learn to be more comfortable around people, which can help you go out in public with your pet.
It's never too late to socialize an adult dog. If your woof lacks experience in the world, take them outside and get started today.
Trainers typically recommend healthy dogs who bark at strangers to go through something called 'desensitization training'. This practice breaks down fear by repeatedly exposing them to their fears in a controlled setting and engineering positive associations with the once-negative situation.
Barking is normal dog behavior and puppies won't grow out of it, but you can take positive steps to reduce it and teach your dog alternative ways to communicate. Barking can be a really important tool to learn what scares your dog or makes them uncomfortable.
You can teach “quiet” by rewarding the dog with a treat between barks. You want to be clear that you are rewarding the quiet, not a bark, so use a marker — a clicker or your voice saying “yes” — at the quiet moment. Start by rewarding a quiet moment, then reward for longer and longer periods of quiet.
Once your dog starts barking in the presence of a stranger, let them bark a few times. Then, gently hold their muzzle and say, “Quiet.” Avoid shouting, as that produces negative reinforcement. Take your hands off their muzzle. If they remain quiet, reward them with a treat.
A lack of proper socialization as a puppy is another reason some dogs fear strangers. Puppies that don't have a chance to meet a wide variety of people are more likely to develop a fear of people they don't know. Dogs with a history of abuse may also be afraid of strangers.
Dogs use aggression to defend themselves from a perceived threat and to protect their valued resources. They also use aggression when they are fearful to try to get the thing that scares them to move away. Most dogs give off warning signals before they actually bite. These warning signals are good.