I wish I had researched this some time ago when our neighbor’s dogs barked incessantly. They were always leaving their screen door open when they were away. Both of the dogs barely took a minute to breathe since they were too busy barking almost 24/7. Despite filling many noise complaints, nothing was done about the noise. The two dogs annoyed everybody in the neighborhood, not only me. The noise wouldn’t let any of us have a good night’s sleep; they wouldn’t stop during the day either.

I know that barking is what dogs are supposed to do, whenever there is need. Sometimes they have very good reasons for barking such as being left outside by mistake, being lonely, bored, hungry or thirsty or perhaps confined behind a fence and just wanting in on the action on the other side. hence just plain curiosity. Dog owners may even unconsciously encourage this behavior by offering their dogs rewards when they bark. They do not realize it, but giving your dog a treat or a pet on its back makes it bark even more often. In reality, it is showing the dogs that this is a good behavior and that if they want more attention, all they need to do is to continue barking more.

It’s not a great idea to leave your dog outside. It will make it bark even louder, plus that extreme temperatures can make it ill. Some dog owners place their dogs in crates while they’re gone but this is a bad idea, especially if they’re away for more than four hours at a time. There are also things to try such as a gate or even a large pen area where he can see out of and be able to create a den of his own in a room like the kitchen or laundry area. The dog should also have its own small bathroom; you can buy it a litter tray, or make it its small doggie door which it can use to go outside, in a special area surrounded by a fence.

In some cases, even if you took all the aforementioned measures, the dog may still bark all the time. In this case, you should probably consider purchasing a bark collar. If your dog isn’t the problem, but your neighbor’s, a good idea would be to write him a letter in which you politely ask him to do something about his dog’s barking. Your neighbor probably doesn’t even realise that his dog annoys everyone while he is gone. If he doesn’t pay attention to your letter, you may write him again or, better, confront him directly and suggest him to buy his dog a bark collar.

Resource Box

If dogs are loud all the time, then you should do something about it. If barking turns becomes a constant habit for your neighbor’s dog, suggest him to buy his dog a bark collar. If you want to read more about how you could solve the barking problems with a bark collar, click on this link.