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I disconnected our doorbell to avoid needless freaking out every time we get a package or a door to door salesman comes to the door (most people will ring the doorbell, not realize it doesn't work, and leave without us every knowing. win). And whenever we have a friend or family member come over I text them ahead of time to just come in and not knock-- bc again my dog will bark far less (still some, but not full apeshit) if someone new just walks in rather than knocking. I even have pizza delivery people call my cell when they arrive rather than knock on my door.

Probably not the BEST way to cope since I'm just avoiding the problem rather than fixing it.. but that's about as much energy as I'mwilling to put into it right now.

Oh, I hear you. My dog knows when someone drops something off regardless of doorbell. She freaks the F out. And in the NB days when it would take me almost an hour to get her down for a nap to only have the dog bark and wake her up?

I have taken to putting her in our room when LO naps. Sound machine is my my friend. Over time LO has gotten used to the noise but sudden Freak out barking can still wake her up!

My dog goes ballistic. We have sidelights which makes the problem worse. I tried covering them up with window film to at least make the view opaque, which helped a little, but she can still make out forms. Part of our problem was that the dog was then going up the stairs to look out the 2nd floor foyer window! So I ended up putting a gate in the entry and confining her to the first floor, then conditioning her to stay in the part of the house where she can't see the sidelights. Then I put up a sign asking people not to knock/ring the doorbell, then we disconnected the doorbell. It's been a long process.

@vegmama Hello best friend! I love you and your crazy dogs.

I hired a trainer several years ago - cant remember what we paid.

She hated bikes with a passion and so walking her was a huge pain!

We had some friends get on their bikes and ride past her over and over while the trainer and I stood and walked with her. She was rewarded for good behavior.

You could do something similar - when baby is awake have someone come to the door and ring it - as soon as they bark tell them "no bark" and when they stop reward them with a treat. It wont happen instantly but maybe if you keep at it it will help?

It did help with my dog and bikes!

@Vegmama: I feel your pain! My dog believes she has protected our den from enemy #1, the mailman, every single day and is very proud of her job. It's rewarding for dogs--they bark, the person leaves, mission accomplished--the pack is saved once again! We've moved to a new place where the mailman doesn't come to our door, and I've been working on people knocking on the door.

A good dog trainer is worth their weight in gold. They'll give you a plan, help you practice, and can be very reassuring. I would think one session would be enough to get you going.

If you want to try something out on your own first, here's a video about desensitizing for the door knock:

We had a trainer come to our house for our dog who has separation anxiety and other small issues. We only did one visit, she gave us the tools, then we just had to practice and be consistent. So I would definitely recommend looking one up!

Like pp have said, I would work on desensitizing with you guys first, then have some friends come and do the same. When you come in, do "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" until "all four are on the floor" (preferably sitting) and they are quiet. You have to do this every time, no getting excited to see them when you come home, no matter what door you come in (or when you let them out of their crates or whatever). That was the hardest part for me!

They learn they have to be calm before they get attention. When they are good with that with you, then have friends come over and do the same thing (much harder!). It takes awhile, but when they learn to not get excited when someone comes in, chances are they won't get SO worked up when they see people coming. My dog still gets excited, but it's controllable!

Good luck! It's so hard when your dogs are your babies and then you have a baby!

@Vegmama: Just to comment about the citronella spray collar... We used it with our crazy barker for a while - and it worked for a while. But one day I forgot to refill it and she realized that if she just kept barking eventually the spray would run out, so we stopped using it. (That and the smell made me nauseous when I was pregnant.)

We ended up going the trainer route, which helped. But everyone else who said consitency afterwards is most important. Our LO learned to sleep through the barking - it's just a normal noise for her now.