barking out window

Tucker has always had issues barking at noises...knocking noises. That has improved a lot (as has his overall fear of strangers coming over which has been awesome). However he barks at people walking by pretty badly and it takes him a LONG time to calm down. So I was wondering what I should do about it (though this likely won't happen until May since my parents aren't about to do anything that involves them getting up off their butts consistently). I am planning on giving treats when I see the person before he starts barking, basically playing LAT out the window. However what should I do when he does barks? Sometimes I don't see the person before he starts barking and sometimes he's too over threshold and barks despite treats (this mostly happens with the mail man).

And just in case anyone was going to recommend it, I do not want to teach him to bark and stop on cue. I never ever want to reward barking so I don't want to teach it.

Actually, I find far more people advocating collars of all kinds for barking. There are a number of approaches I take for barking dogs. You don't mention what the problem is, so hard to know exactly how I'd address it. One thing I try to take note of is making sure the dog's mental stimulation and exercise needs are being met- if a dog is just barking when home alone and bored, sometimes that is all that is needed. Dogs who are barking at things going by can often be helped by reducing the stimulation- move the crate to another room, cover it with a blanket, etc.

A dog who has been shocked for barking is less likely to bark when a stranger approaches, than a dog who has been taught not to bark using +R techniques, as there is no fear involved in barking, and the breaking in behavior on the part of the burglar would be different than what he has been taught.

If you do want the dog to alert you, but then not continue barking, the simplest way is to first teach the dog that "thank you" is followed immediately by yummy treats. Do this first when the dog is not barking, all you are doing is classically conditioning that phrase. Then do several set up sessions where you can control the situation- have a friend come over, and knock on the door or ring the doorbell,, let the dog bark a few times, say Thank You, and shove a treat in his mouth. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Do NOT say Thank You (or whatever phrase you choose, I like the idea that we are thanking them for alerting us) unless you are training it for the first week or so. Then make sure you have treats ready (stashed around the house) the first half dozen or so times someone rings when NOT in a training session.