We have a 9 month old black lab who is great meeting new people, except those to our home. A work friend visited us at home and Forrest immediately started growling and barking from behind the stair gate. Unfortunately visitors must walk past the kitchen which is gated off to enter our living room. The barking and growling did stop once we had our guest feed him with some treats. Should we continue this approach with "new" house guests, as he is perfectly fine with family members visiting.?
Hi, yes I would keep him separate from new visitors for now until he has a chance to calm down. You could even consider putting him behind a closed door, if you think that the sight of a stranger in the house is what is setting him off. My older dog used to do this, but it started getting better at around 18 months to two years. She very rarely barks or growls at visitors now, as long as we invite the person into the house and tell her it's ok. If someone just walked in she'd go ballistic though!
