How to Stop my Dog Barking at People

Understanding and helping dogs who bark at people

If you have a dog who barks at people, you’ve probably tried telling them to stop or reassuring them that they don’t need to bark. Maybe you’ve even lost patience and shouted at them out of frustration. It’s a completely human reaction. From our perspective, barking at people, especially when it’s loud, persistent, or sounds aggressive, can feel unnecessary, embarrassing, and upsetting.

But for your dog, barking isn’t a deliberate 'bad' behaviour and often, it’s coming from a place of fear or uncertainty. We can’t sit down and explain to our dogs that the person walking past isn’t a threat. But we can learn to understand what’s driving the behaviour and help them choose a calmer, more appropriate response.

Why Is My Dog Barking at People?

To truly help a dog who barks at people, we need to understand the why. Without that understanding, we’re more likely to respond emotionally, perhaps with frustration, anger, or embarrassment, and that can make the behaviour worse over time.

In many cases, barking at people is rooted in fear. Some dogs bark because they’re overly excited or frustrated, but for this blog, we’re focusing on the fear response, as it’s one of the most common reasons dogs bark at strangers.

A fearful response can come from a few key factors:

• Lack of experience: If a dog wasn’t gently and positively exposed to a variety of people during their early development, they may grow up unsure or wary of strangers.

• Negative experiences: A single scary event, or a series of uncomfortable interactions with people, can leave a lasting impression.

• Genetic predisposition: Some dogs are simply born more sensitive or wary, especially if their breed or breeding line leans towards guarding, aloof, or cautious traits.

Sometimes, it’s a combination of these factors. And if you’ve adopted a dog with an unknown history, it may never be possible to fully understand what shaped their fear. What you can do is trust the fear is valid, even if it seems irrational to you.

It can feel especially confusing if you’ve had your dog since they were a puppy and ticked all the right boxes of training and socialisation. Unfortunately, even with a careful upbringing, some dogs are just more prone to fear-based reactions due to their genetics or the way they processed early experiences. Some breeds have even been intentionally bred to be wary of strangers, for guarding livestock or property, for example. While this can be useful in working dogs, it’s less helpful when you’re trying to help your dog feel safe around visitors or people on walks.

The Emotion Behind the Behaviour

When your dog barks at someone, it’s not random. It’s their way of saying, “I’m not sure about this person,” or “I feel uncomfortable, please stay away.”

In many cases, barking is an attempt to increase distance. The dog is saying, “I need space.” If barking causes the person to move away, even just by chance, it works! The barking gets reinforced because it achieved the dog’s goal. Over time, this becomes a learned behaviour.

Barking is also an emotional response. Dogs don’t always have many tools to cope with fear or uncertainty, and barking can be their way of expressing those big feelings.

What Does Fear Look Like?

Some dogs give very clear signals when they’re uncomfortable, while others are more subtle. Learning to read your dog’s body language is essential.

Ladder of warning signs in dog behaviour, from low level signs to more aggressive behaviours.

Here are some common signs of fear or discomfort:

• Freezing or hesitation before barking

• Leaning away from a person

• Whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes)

• Lip licking or yawning

• Ears pinned back

• Tail low or tucked

• Lunging or barking while retreating

Not every dog shows all of these signs, and some will go straight to barking without obvious warning. That’s why it’s important to observe your dog in different situations and start to spot patterns.

How Can I Stop My Dog Barking at People?

The goal isn’t to suppress the barking, it’s to address the reason behind it so your dog feels safe and doesn’t need to bark.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Management

Start by setting your dog up for success. That means avoiding situations that consistently trigger the barking, or at least increasing the distance so they don’t feel overwhelmed.

• Use barriers like fences, parked cars, or even trees to block your dog’s view of people on walks.

• Walk at quieter times of day when there are fewer people around.

• Use a well-fitted harness and lead to help your dog feel secure without adding tension.

• Give your dog a safe place to retreat to at home, away from visitors.

• Being shut away from visitors isn’t necessarily ‘punishment’ to your dog, they may actually be grateful to be given their safe space with no pressure of interacting with a visitor.

• Block the view of passers-by, using things like blinds, window films, or prevent your dog accessing parts of the house where they can see people passing by.

Management is not about avoiding the problem, it’s about giving your dog space to learn in a calmer emotional state.

It’s essential to reduce the rehearsal of the behaviour in order to form new associations and make progress with training. In addition, ensuring your dog remains in a lower-stress state by avoiding things that trigger them to bark, will mean they’re in a better mindset to learn and improve.

2. Training

Once your dog is in a better headspace, you can start to build more positive associations with people.

• Use high-value treats to reward your dog looking at people, always from a distance where you dog is calm and relaxed.

• Play games like “Look at That,” where your dog gets a reward for noticing a person. This creates a positive association and builds a more positive emotional response.

• Work with a professional who uses force-free methods to help you set up safe, controlled training sessions.

• Space is key. A fearful dog is always asking for space, so set up training sessions in a way that maintains a safe distance from people, allowing your dog to feel calm and positive.

• Teach an emergency U-turn cue. If a person gets too close or your dog is feeling anxious or tense, you can use this cue to quickly turn away from the person and gain space.

• Knowing they can gain space by moving away and relying on you for support, will mean your dog no longer needs to resort to barking to create this space.

Never punish barking. Not only does it damage trust, but it can suppress the warning signs without changing how your dog feels, meaning they may go straight to a more intense reaction like lunging or snapping.

Punishing an already fearful or anxious dog will only serve to increase their insecurity and add to their fear. Always take a positive approach and focus on setting them up for success and creating new associations in a positive, rewarding way.

Progress Takes Time

There’s no quick fix when it comes to behaviour rooted in fear. Your dog isn’t trying to be difficult; they’re struggling with how to cope. The good news? With the right training, most dogs can improve significantly. Some of these dogs may never learn to love everyone, but they can learn that their signals and choices are respected.

If you have a dog who barks, whether it’s at people or anything else, get in touch to find out how we can help you!