Princess barks at EVERYONE!

 What about training her to do something each time someone comes in the door?  Like, sit in her bed, or pick up a toy?

If there is more than one person living there (sorry, I don't have everyone straight in my mind, yet), start working with family members.  When the doorbell rings, when the door opens, she goes and picks up a toy.  Once she has that down, proceed to someone who doesn't live there.

 IMO, the dog should be put elsewhere until they calm down. Then they can be brought in the room on leash, if she starts up again remove her from the room. Rinse and repeat.

 Does she not go on walks? Has she been to basic obedience? Good luck.

Maybe it would be helpful if she had a space to just call her own. Like her own crate or dog bed as a "den".  Then like others have said, teach her to go there when people come over. Lure her with a treat so she gets the idea.

If she thinks your room is her turf, then she might feel threatened by the fact that your boyfriend takes over it and she is left out!

jettababy

Maybe it would be helpful if she had a space to just call her own. Like her own crate or dog bed as a "den". 

Doh! Her own bed or crate would be ideal!

Have you tried rewarding her when she's barking at the person?  It may sound strange and counterproductive, but behavioral science has proven that changing a dog's state of mind from fear to a feeling of happiness is very effective in ending the fearful behavior.  A dog being fed yummy treats and praised can't usually sustain the fearful reaction and will start to react positively to the previously feared person or thing.  Her barking is most likely fear, with a component of resource guarding.  I'd work on the fear barking first.  Sophia Yin has several videos demonstrating the technique. 

I wouldn't banish her from the bedroom when the boyfriend is over.  Using rewards, teach her that when the boyfriend is in your room she's rewarded rather than punished by banishment.  The idea is to change her feeling about the people and situations she finds unpleasant.  It doesn't matter that she's 8 years old, as dogs are capable of learning all their lives, and they learn based on certain known principles.  Positive rewards to condition or counter condition works on dogs of all ages. 

JackieG

Have you tried rewarding her when she's barking at the person?  It may sound strange and counterproductive, but behavioral science has proven that changing a dog's state of mind from fear to a feeling of happiness is very effective in ending the fearful behavior.  A dog being fed yummy treats and praised can't usually sustain the fearful reaction and will start to react positively to the previously feared person or thing.  Her barking is most likely fear, with a component of resource guarding.  I'd work on the fear barking first.  Sophia Yin has several videos demonstrating the technique. 

I wouldn't banish her from the bedroom when the boyfriend is over.  Using rewards, teach her that when the boyfriend is in your room she's rewarded rather than punished by banishment.  The idea is to change her feeling about the people and situations she finds unpleasant.  It doesn't matter that she's 8 years old, as dogs are capable of learning all their lives, and they learn based on certain known principles.  Positive rewards to condition or counter condition works on dogs of all ages. 

Great post, Jackie!

I have a dog that is similar.I have made it a point to keep high value treats with me and take advantage of every person that comes in contact with my dog to have THEM offer the treat.I don't encourage them to make alot of eye contact with my dog or try to touch him unless he shows that he wants to be touched.They can even toss the treat on the floor if he's not comfortable taking the treat from their hand.If toys are more your dog's style you can offer to have the stranger toss a toy or ball.

                                                                                                      Tena

4HAND

I have a dog that is similar.I have made it a point to keep high value treats with me and take advantage of every person that comes in contact with my dog to have THEM offer the treat.

That can work well for some dogs and some people.  Sometimes the dog is so fearful it won't accept a treat from the person it fears and the toss the treat method has the same possible pitfall.  It's important to keep the reward level high and frequent for each encounter. This is why Dr. Yin and other behaviorists, suggest shoving treats in the dog's mouth so as to avoid intervals of fear.   I believe that's why it's suggested that the owner feed the treats so they can be constantly rewarding the dog to the point of the dog not having a chance to bark/show fear. Initially, a high rate of reward is best and when you depend on someone else to offer/toss the reward it's going too slowly to be effective, although everyone's mileage will vary. :)

If the dog won't accept treats from the owner, the object of fear is too close and should be moved farther away or the dog/owner should retreat to a distance the dog feels less fearful and willing to take treats.