{"id":9889,"date":"2023-02-08T12:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/blog\/uncategorized\/how-to-stop-dog-barking-at-visitors-6-easy-steps\/"},"modified":"2023-05-09T15:51:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T15:51:40","slug":"how-to-stop-dog-barking-at-visitors-6-easy-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/en-us\/blog\/puppy-behavior\/barking-and-aggression\/how-to-stop-dog-barking-at-visitors-6-easy-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop your Dog Barking at Visitors: 6 Easy Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some dogs make great doorbells but a dog barking at visitors isn\u2019t exactly always welcomed is it? Whether your dog is barking because they\u2019re feeling territorial or because they\u2019re social butterflies that go giddy with excitement, you probably want to learn how to stop your dog from barking at visitors; never fear we\u2019ve got you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pup driving you barking mad? Try our app today! <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In this article, we\u2019ll be exploring why dogs bark at visitors, the steps you can take to stop your dog from barking at visitors, and our top tips to prevent your dog from barking at visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Barking at visitors is a typical training issue that can be easily fixed. Learn how to prevent barking in the Zigzag puppy training app. There\u2019s a team of professional dog trainers waiting to talk to you in our in-app chat, so you can ask them all your dog-related questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Hanny Naibaho<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why do dogs bark at visitors?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dogs bark at visitors for many different reasons, they might feel afraid or anxious about someone new in their territory. They might just be excited at the prospect of a new person to get some fuss from. Whatever their reason for barking it usually gets a reaction from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why not visit our app for more training tips? <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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How to stop dog barking at visitors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To stop your dog from barking at visitors, first find out what the underlying cause is behind the barking, then create a training plan so that your dog starts to feel differently about guests, and can learn what a more appropriate behavior is for greeting visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Find out why your dog is barking at visitors <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Look at your dog\u2019s body language <\/a>to find out if your dog is being territorial and displaying \u2018keep away or else\u2019 behavior, is fearful or scared so wants the scary thing to go away, or if they get overstimulated when guests come over and don\u2019t know what to do, except bark!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Teach your dog to go to a mat <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the easiest ways we can get a dog to stop barking at visitors is to teach them to go to their bed<\/a> or mat when a visitor comes over. The best way to do this is to teach them that the doorbell or door knocking becomes a cue for them to go to their mat. 
Use positive reinforcement training <\/a>with treats and rewards<\/a> to teach them this, and use a cue like \u2018ok\u2019 or \u2018free\u2019 to release them off their bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Be prepared to put the work in with training<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It takes time to train a dog to stay calmly on their bed when visitors arrive. You’ll be setting up pretend scenarios while training, so you might have a doorbell recording that you can play on your phone, that cues your dog to go to their mat, but they probably won’t stay on there for very long to begin with, so remember to be patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Give your dog something else to do <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using food toys like a stuffed Kong, a nice chew, or a puzzle toy can help your dog stay on their bed for longer, and help them to stay calm when visitors arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Reward your dog when they’re calm and quiet <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dogs do what they find rewarding, and if that is self-rewarding because they enjoy barking<\/a>, or because barking gets them attention or affection, we need to reward other more appropriate behaviors like not barking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Read our article on how to calm a puppy down<\/a> for more help with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Ask your dog for other behaviors other than barking <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your dog barks because they want to interact with your guests, then ask them for some basic obedience cues<\/a> to teach them there are other things to do that will get you that longed-for attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


How about your dog sits<\/a> as a way of saying \u2018please can you stroke me\u2019, that\u2019d be much better for our ears than them barking their heads off, right?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Baptist Standaert<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Top tips to make sure your dog doesn\u2019t bark at visitors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of other things you can do to make sure your dog doesn\u2019t bark at visitors. Here are our top tips<\/p>\n\n\n\n