How to Stop a Dog From Barking at Houseguests

For this West LA dog training session we worked with 1 year-old Australian Shepherd Nami, training a dog to stop barking at houseguests.

Australian Shepherds are a working breed, which means that they have a lot of energy and an independent problem-solving streak. These traits are why they excel when herding other animals, but can cause some issues with a live in a home as a companion. But you dont have to be a professional Australian Shepherd dog trainer to teach a dog to stop barking.

We spent the first portion of the session going over a number of fundamentals, as well as some exercise hacks and ways to motivate Nami to do the things her guardians ask her to do. It’s very common for humans to do things that confuse their dog, or in some cases, communicate the exact opposite of what they intend.

But in this case, Nami’s guardians are pretty advanced when it comes to dog husbandry. It’s always great to work with knowledgeable dog guardians who have already put in a lot of hard work. They actually had a number of solutions in place, a few of them just needed to be adjusted a little bit and built upon.

A great example of this is scent games. The guardians had already practiced leaving treats in various locations in their home. Scent games are an awesome way to stilumate dogs using their nose. I was able to capture a little footage of Naomi doing this version of a scent game; searching for treats hidden around the house.

Many people are unaware of how much energy is drained by dogs when they are engaged in sniffing activities. Not only does this drain energy, it builds the dog’s confidence as they are solving a problem on their own. Additionally this activity is a great way to distract the dog away from things such as a new visitor in the home.

How to train a dog to stop barking at houseguests

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I went over a number of suggestions to stop this dog from barking when people visit her home. Many people feel the best way to stop dog barking is to correct or punish the dog. But as one of LA’s dog behavior experts, I have found that it is far more productive to create a positive association through staged set ups.

I pulled up my camera and handed it to the guardians so that I could share tips to stop a dog from barking at people who visit the home. If you have a dog that likes to bark at visitors, you should definitely check out the free positive dog training video below.

This secret to stopping dogs from barking at people who visit your home are easy to do, but it does take a little bit of advanced planning. This is what I meant earlier by creating a staged set up. By being mibndful of the location and other elements, you can set a dog up for success. If you follow these easy tips, you can train your dog to stop barking at guests easily.

It’s going to take some time and practice, but I know Nami’s guardians are equal to the task. She is lucky to have such dedicated guardians.

We wrapped up this in-home West LA dog training session by recording a roadmap to success summary video that you can check out below.