We have a two year old mutt we got at a shelter when he was a puppy. We’re not sure of his lineage, but we know he has some chow (his tongue is mottled blue) and maybe some shepherd or pit bull.
He is a very friendly dog…perhaps a bit too friendly. He will not bark at strangers or when someone comes to the door.
Yesterday, an incident occurred that frightened us. Ivyladd was taking a nap (he had been fighting a stomach bug for a few days) and had left the front door unlocked. I was at work and the kidlets were at school. While Ivylad was asleep, his sister came over, walked in the house, and left a package for us on the kitchen table. Our dog did not bark at this “intruder.” Whether this was because he knows her or because he doesn’t normally bark, we don’t know. But it’s very disconcerting that someone can walk into our house and our dog does not alert us.
Is there a way we can train our dog to bark when someone comes to the door?
I thought barking at strangers came naturally to dogs, but I guess not.
Our dog barks when someone knocks or rings the bell, but not when someone just walks in. Luckily (so far) the only people who just walk in are people we know.
Does he bark in response to some other stimulus? If so, there may be a way apply that stimuli to instill a kind of Pavlovian association with someone opening the door (or doorbell/door knock, etc.).
Not really hard to do, but it takes some patience and a willing friend.
Have your friend stand outside and ring the doorbell as many times as it takes. Stand in front of the dog and act like you’re really afraid. Jump up and down, scream, cower, run around in circles-- act like a total nut every time you hear it, in other words. The dog should bark, if for no other reason than because you’re confusing the hell out of them. When he does, give him a treat. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I trained my dogs in this fashion to bark whenever they hear the smoke-detector go off. I strongly suggest that everyone who owns a dog do the same thing. It could save your life someday.
My next door neighbors have apparently trained their dog to bark by leaving him alone in their back yard and ignoring him. He is now the best barker in the world.
