Your sign informs your guests that you are working with your dogs. And it tells them to ignore your dogs. They will be terrible at this. They will need more reminding of their one assignment than your dogs will need of their several.
Your guests will say, "Oh it's ok! I LOVE dogs!" or "Oh it's ok! They just want to say hello!" or "Oh it's ok. They just smell my dog." First, it's not ok. Rude dogs who don't listen to their owners are not ok. Second, when your guests encourage the non-listening, they are not helping. They like to think that your dogs' behavior is due to their irresistibility, but it's not, and who wants to tell them it has nothing to do with them personally? I appreciate people trying to make me feel better, and I don't want to make anyone feel badly, so I say something like, "Not everyone thinks they're as cute as you and I do, so I've got to teach them to have manners for every guest."
The best thing your guests can do is ignore your dogs. No high-pitched speaking. No vigorous ear or belly rubs. No looking them in the eye and bending down to be face to face. Your dogs can get a lot of information with their noses. I understand being curious, but I don't approve of excited, jumping up, barking, invading personal space behavior. When your guests ignore your dogs, they help create a calm environment in which your dogs can be curious and gather information about whom you have allowed into the environment.
My dogs bark at people and things outside that are not coming to my door. Runners, kids on scooters and bikes, even deer cause them to bark. This does not bother me, but I always respond. I go to the window, see if I can see what they are seeing, and say, "Thank you." I think because I am calm and softly say, "Good work," or "Thank you," they stop until the next things catches their barking fancy. I also believe our daily walking routine keeps the behavior from becoming obsessive. They do not have to depend only on their sight to experience the world outside the door. They get to be out in the world each day to sense it through smell and sound as well.
But back to your guests. Educate your guests that when they ignore your dogs they are helping you, and once your dogs have practiced welcoming guests with calm respect, you will release your dogs to interact with your guests. Once your dogs are released, encourage your guests to speak in quiet tones, if at all. Treats can be included if you like, but only if your dogs are calm, and ideally if they are in their "spot." Also, some guests do not want to interact with your dogs and this is an excellent opportunity for your dogs to experience that not all people are for up close and personal interaction. Gathering information from afar is entirely possible.
The ignoring, and the later calm greeting, help to keep the energy in your home welcoming and calm. Guests mean calm fun, and the more times you can practice this, the better you and your dogs will become at welcoming guests. If you can look to the doorbell ringing as an opportunity to practice good manners, you may not dread its sound anymore!
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