How to Stop a Dog From Barking at the Door

Although owners appreciate the protective function dogs provide, it's bothersome when visitors trigger a frenzy of barking at the door. You reward your dog when you open the door and the dog gets to smell or greet the visitor, so you must retrain the dog's behavior by rewarding a different behavior.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog treats

1. Set up a training scenario with a friend. The worst time to train a dog to stop barking is when someone is actually at the door and you feel compelled to answer it, which rewards the dog's curiosity.

2. Use a leash when you begin to train your dog to stop barking at the door. You must not allow the dog to lunge at the door. Signal your friend to knock at the door.

3. Ignore the knock at the door. Maintain eye contact with your dog and give your dog a treat. This teaches the dog to come to you rather than the door.

4. Repeat the false alarm with the help of your cohort, only this time with the doorbell. As with the knock, ignore the door and summon the dog to you with a treat.

5. Increase the lag time between the knock at the door or the ringing of the doorbell and the dispersal of the treat. This mimics real life situations, where you won't give the dog the treat immediately.

6. Continue to reward the dog every second or third time someone comes to the door with a treat. This is called operant conditioning and reinforces the learning more strongly than providing a reward every time.

Resources

• Dog