I wish I knew how to prevent my neighbor’s dog from barking when it was really loud. They were always leaving their screen door open when they were away. They also had two dogs that used to bark all the time. Despite filling many noise complaints, nothing was done about the noise. The dogs started to really annoy everybody in the neighborhood, as they would bark continuously, day and night.
I am in no way implying that dogs should not bark! They are dogs and that is what they do. There are situations when barking is really necessary. A dog can be left outside by mistake, it can get lonely, it can be hurt or anxious at something, or it can simply feel frustrated when being locked up. hence just plain curiosity. Not all people realize that giving the dog rewards when it barks, such as a good treat or special attention, will only make it bark louder and more often, rather than calm it down. 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.
Leaving your dog outside is not the best solution. It pretty much then comes with a guarantee that there will be problems with your neighbors, not to mention that there is no way to protect your canine from sudden bad weather. If no one is going to be home, some dog owners use crates to place them in, but a good rule of thumb is to never let your dog be stuck in one of those for over four hours at one time. There are other alternatives you can resort to, for instance a large area in your house or apartment where the dog can create its own space where it feels safe and comfortable. Do not forget that the dog also needs a bathroom. Buy it a litter tray, or use a pile of newspapers in the farthest corner of the room. A better alternative would be to make it a doggie door so it can go outside to do its business.
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. It is possible that the neighbors are not even aware that their cute little dog is barking its head off while they are at work, although I am sure my neighbors knew since they had so many noise complaints brought against them. If that does not resolve the issue, you may want to either send another anonymous letter or perhaps even talk to them face to face about them considering the idea of getting their dog or dogs a bark collar.
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.
