I have a 2 1/2 year old border collie/retriever mix female who barks at people who come into our home. It doesn't matter if they are friends or workers. She will settle down in about 5 minutes, but if the people get up and move around, the barking starts all over again. I have anxiety about this because I'm afraid she'll bite someone (she never has) or we are making our guests fearful of her.
This is what I have tried so far; I have her on leash until the barking stops, and then I allow her to sniff our guests and I request that the guests do not look at her or touch her during this time. Or we have Lily outside for the first 15 to 20 minutes and then she can come in. I wait until I see Lily's body language calm down before allowing someone to pet her. However, that's another problem. Almost everyone wants to look at her, talk to her or try to touch her while she is barking. I need to train my guests too.
We are having another couple over for dinner next Saturday and I'm worried about Lily's behavior. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. She is clicker trained and does know basic commands.
