PLEASE help! Barking when people come to house

My lab has always been a bit of a growler/barker when people come to the house. Unfortunately my pup has now started copying him and we have a complete riot when people come in the house. The plumber came this morning and both of them were barking (Jago, lab, was in his crate) and the pup was running between the crate and the plumber. How can I calm this down?!

I had a similar problem but the other way round. My first dog was fine with people coming into the house, perhaps a bit boisterous, over-friendly & excited, but on the whole he loves making friends with new people & quickly settles down when he's said hello. The 2nd dog, a rescue, was far more nervous with new people & will bark at strangers. Then the first dog also started barking.......

The way I handled it was to avoid strangers coming to the house for a while. The only people that came to the house were my friends that the dogs already knew from going out on walks. I invited them round for tea & cake, as a thank you for helping me. I would leave a tin of treats by the front door & the friend would ask the dogs to sit & then give them a treat. They would do this again when they came into the sitting room & ask the dogs to sit. Then we'd just chat for a bit & they would calmly leave.

It's not a quick process but both dogs have now learned that visitors are pleasant things (they get treats!) but only if they sit first.

Another thing you can do is to desensitise the dogs to the doorbell if that is a trigger.

Failing that, can you put the dogs in another room with a stair gate, so they can see the visitors but not jump all over them? Again ask the visitors to give the dogs a treat when trhey are quiet or sitting/lying down?

Good advice. And maybe teach a "QUIET!" command, too.

I don't mind my dogs barking a bit from a security point of view, but if I say enough, that is enough, and I'll tell them to go and lie down.

Good advice from wilbar, Ollie is the same and he is a a bit of a problem when strangers have to enter the house.

I have just purchased a book called the cautious canine and it is brilliant they mention the treats at the door and if you have people coming you know get them too throw treats as well so the dog associates all people as good.

For the barking bit the advice is when dog barks at door even if no one there or just hearing a noise and reacting call dog back to a place with a treat to a place you are happy with it stops them barking immediately and teaches them the door is your domain. I have had the opportunity to do this with Ollie twice and both times it has worked well.

My first real test will come on Monday we have someone coming to replace our thermostat for the heating Gorden will be here too so I can really put the training into place.

I have two obstacles to overcome though the barking at the door and getting him to be happy allowing a stranger into the house without too much nonsense.