Tips to Stop a Dog From Nipping and Barking at Houseguests

For this Omaha dog behavior training session we worked with Jordy, a 2 year-old Australian Shepherd. Jordy’s guardian wanted to learn how to stop a dog from nipping and barking at houseguests. We shared a number of tips on how to introduce a territorial dog to people in a positive way.

Knowing that Jordy likes to bark at guests, I arranged for his guardian to make sure that he was away from the windows so that I could set up a calm greeting. I have come up with a really effective way to stop dogs from getting upset when people visit.

It’s not unusual for dogs to act territorial around their home. Some dogs nip at guests who move while other dogs bark when strangers are at their door. Obviously, no one wants a dog who acts aggressive to friends and other people who visit their home.

Why is My Dog Nipping at Visitors

Dogs may nip at visitors for a variety of reasons, such as excitement, distress, fear, or a protective instinct. Puppies, for instance, often nip as part of their playful exploration of the world around them. Distress can also lead to nipping; a dog might nip if they’re feeling anxious, frustrated, bored, in pain, or if they have trust issues.

Fear is another common reason; a dog may nip if they’re intimidated by strangers or a crowd, or if they feel the need to assert dominance and alert their pack about an unfamiliar presence. Additionally, dogs might nip to protect their home if they perceive a threat from visitors.

To modify this behavior, observe your dog’s body language carefully. A dog that is loose and wiggly may be expressing playfulness, whereas a stiff and cautious dog might be anxious or fearful.

Tips to Stop a Dog From Nipping and Barking at Houseguests

From my experience as Omaha’s resident dog behavior expert, I have found that the secret to stopping dogs from barking or nipping at guests is to create a positive association with them. That starts with the greeting. Well that, and a lot of really good, high-value dog treats.

To get some additional tips on how to stop a dog from barking or nipping houseguests, check out the free positive dog training video below.

As demonstrated in the video above, there’s a few effective methods for fostering positive interactions between your dog and your guests that we recommend. One excellent approach is to teach your dog a fun exercise, such as hand targeting. This exercise involves your dog learning to touch their nose to your hand or a specific target, which can be both engaging and rewarding for them.

Adding fun exercises, like hand targeting, to your routine can help your dog interact better with guests. This makes visits more enjoyable for everyone.

How to Stop Dogs from Being Reactive to Guests

It was great to see how well Jordy responded to this technique to stop dogs from being reactive to guests. The great thing about this positive dog training exercise is that anyone can do it. You don’t have to be a professional Australian Shepherd dog trainer to do it.

We covered a number of other dog behavior tips in this in-home Omaha dog training session. To help the guardians remember them all, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can watch below.