Barking is totally normal for your dog; it is her way of talking to you. In most cases, your dog is trying to tell you that she is frightened, lonely or just bored. Barking is always the consequence of something else. There is no way to train your dog to completely stop barking, but there are ways you can manage her barking when people are coming over.
Instructions
How To Stop A Dog From Barking When People Come To The House
Exercise your dog. When people come over, your dog may bark excessively because its entertainment for her. If you do not have her on a regimented schedule for walking, exercising or playing, she could be barking because she is bored. The barking may also be the result of your dog being frightened by the strange people coming into her home. However, if you include a walk around the neighborhood into her exercise schedule, she will get use to seeing--and being around--new people.
Tell your dog to stop barking. Your dog will never know that his barking is troublesome if he has never been told. When he starts to bark at people, use some kind of command that will be an indicator that he needs to stop barking, such as ̶0;quiet down̶1; or ̶0;no barking.̶1; Eventually, he will realize that barking at people coming into the house is a bad thing.
Act very friendly to the people coming to your house. Your dog may just want to alert you that someone is approaching the home, so until he becomes more socialized, you should greet the people that are coming to your house very friendly. This practice will let your dog know that the visitors are actually your friends; and they are not there to harm you, according to the Dog Channel, an online resource dedicated to dog care and training.
Distract your dog with toys. If you have some play toys available, like rawhide, squeaky toys or a ball keep them around to distract your dog when you are expecting company. If the toys are consuming his attention, he will not notice when the people show up. According to the Department of Animal Care & Control, distracting your dog with toys works best when the dog is alone; yet, the toys may still work for approaching visitors.
Praise your dog when she stops barking. If you reward your dog when she stops barking it will motivate her to refrain from barking in the future when people come to the door.