There are aversive methods for dealing with barking that I'm sure others here will tell you about. There are some positive methods that you could try first. Two things come to mind-
First, Thank Him for barking and alerting you and tell him "That's enough! I've got it now" (or whatever words you choose). You could even give him a treat at this point to distract him.
At the same time, try teaching a "quiet" command. It goes like this at my house: "Quiet!" One second of silence? "Good boy! Nice Quiet!" Still quiet while he listens to me? "Good boy! You are so smart! Nice quiet!" Still quiet? "You are so good, lets get a treat!" Barks while I'm talking? "UH - UH! No barking! Quiet please!" Did he listen for 1 second? "good boy!", etc. I gradually extend the length of time that I expect him to be quiet before praising and before treating. This works well for us.
What many positive trainers recommend is teaching an alternate behavior. They say (& it is so true) that it's difficult to teach what you don't want, but relatively easy to teach what you do want. So, think about what you'd prefer he do when someone comes to the door. Want him to run to a certain spot and lay down? Then teach that. If you want some help on how to teach that, let us know. |