It’s gotten to the point that you dread someone coming over. Maybe you have them text you first. That’s because you know if someone knocks on your door, your dog is going to go crazy and start barking like mad. Why does your dog bark every time someone knocks on the door? Are they ever going to grow out of this?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this frustrating behavior from your dog. Most importantly, we’ll fill you in on exactly how you can stop it from ever happening again. That will be nice, won’t it? Of course! So without further ado, let’s get started on our article “How to Stop Dog From Barking When Someone Knocks on Door.”

How to Stop Dog Barking When Someone Knocks on Door

To stop your dog barking when someone knocks on the door:

1. Practice a command you’ll use (like sit, stay, or quiet).
2. Have a family member knock on your door and wait to be let in, just like a visitor would. If possible, have them exit through a different door or the garage.
3. Reward your dog when they stay quiet during the knocking with pets, praise, and treats. This helps them make positive associations with not barking.
4. Keep repeating this until your dog becomes desensitized to someone knocking on the door. Be patient.

This should go a long ways with getting your dog to stop barking when someone knocks on your door, but you still need to address why they felt the need to do so in the first place. If you don’t, the issue will just show itself at other times and you’ll have to deal with those too.

Your dog felt like this was an okay or necessary response to someone knocking because they feel the need to protect you, themselves, and the home from this unknown person. And why would they feel it’s necessary to do that? Because your dog is not respecting your ability to decide who’s safe to come to the home, that’s why.

And that’s ultimately rooted in your dog not believing in your ability to lead them. You’ve probably heard before that dogs were pack animals in the wild, and that’s no different today. So when your dog acts like this, they’re essentially telling you that they don’t think you’re up to the job of leading the family pack.

But don’t worry, you haven’t failed — this is a very common issue. In fact, you’ll find it in more homes with dogs than not. And it’s also easily corrected, provided you have the correct instructions to follow.

Once you’ve shown your dog that you are not just their pack leader — but a capable and effective one — your dog will stop barking when someone’s knocking at the door, and they’ll also stop the many other related behavioral issues you’re having (or will be soon).

You’ll have an obedient, loving dog and all that weight and worry off your shoulders. And your dog will be better off too, because you’ve freed them of all the stress and anxiety that pack leader issues cause them. Everyone wins. Sounds terrific, doesn’t it?

“Sure, but how do I do that?”

You should watch an excellent free video series which covers this exact subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In the series, he’ll show you absolutely everything you need to know in ways that are very easy to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you’ll start seeing these important results in a hurry.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t worry, because you’re not going to have to be mean. You won’t even have to raise your voice, actually. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving methods at all times. Not just because it’s the right way to do things, but also because it’s the only way to see permanent, fast changes with your dog.

Why Does My Dog Bark Every Time Someone Knocks at the Door?

Your dog barks every time someone knocks at the door because they know that means someone is on the other side of the door.  This provokes their territorial aggression, and they respond by barking since they know that a person who could be a threat is at the home.

Dogs are descended from wolves, so it’s natural for them to be territorial about what they perceive as their den. Still, that doesn’t mean you should allow the behavior. Letting your dog bark every time someone knocks on the door without taking steps to stop the behavior gives your dog the impression that it’s okay, and related problems will begin to also show and escalate.

Before long, your dog will be getting aggressive with your neighbors, biting people visiting, or even angrily barking at someone just walking past the house. This would obviously get obnoxious — and potentially dangerous — quickly, so it’s important that you begin handling things now through behavioral training. We went over how to do that in the first section of this article.

Will My Dog Grow Out of Barking Every Time Someone Knocks on the Door?

Your dog will not grow out of barking every time someone knocks on the door because this is a behavioral issue, and not one related to age. Try these steps to get your dog to stop:

1. Practice a “sit” or “stay” command with your dog. Give them pets, praise, and treats when they do well.
2. Have a family member go to the door and knock. Make sure they wait to be let in, just like a guest would. Repeat this regularly until your dog becomes desensitized.
3. Make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise. A tired dog is a quiet dog.

These will help you make progress with getting your dog to stop barking when someone knocks on your door, but you’ll still need to get to the root of what cause the misbehavior in the first place, or other problems will develop. Go back to the first section now where we covered how to do that.

Will Medication Stop My Dog From Barking When Someone Knocks?

Medication will not stop your dog from barking when someone knocks. These types of drugs are ineffective and come with significant side effects that greatly outweigh any small benefits you may see. Those include a loss of energy, and a general desire to not be around their owners or people in general.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to your dog not going nuts whenever someone knocks, so I’ll let you get started now. Best wishes with everything, and thank you for reading our article “How to Stop Dog From Barking When Someone Knocks on Door.”