I wish I knew how to prevent my neighbor’s dog from barking when it was really loud. They used to leave their screen door open whenever they left the house. They used to have two loud dogs that wouldn’t stop barking. Noise complaint after noise complaint was filed but nothing was ever done about the problem. Our neighborhood became filled with more and more cranky neighbors as we were all getting less sleep than required for starters, and the constant barking was simply annoying and gave us headaches while wearing on our nerves.

I perfectly understand that dogs should bark in certain situations. After all, that’s a dog’s job, to bark when needed. 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. Or it can bark when it finds something very intriguing. For some dogs, it is actually a learned behavior that is negatively reinforced by giving the dogs special attention and even treats to hopefully pacify and quiet the dogs down. This attitude will have an opposite effect and encourage the dog to bark all the time.

Leaving a dog outside all day is about the worst idea ever. It will get frustrated and bored and will start making a lot of noise, which is very likely to drive your neighbors crazy. Also, it can suffer when it gets cold or too hot outside. Some dogs are held in crates while their owners are away, but they shouldn’t be kept there for more than four hours at a time. One of the things you could do is keep it indoors, yet offer it a view on the outside of the house or apartment; it should have a space of its own where it can feel relaxed. 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.

So let’s say you have done all of the above and perhaps even more and your dog insists on constantly barking or perhaps it is your neighbor’s dog that is doing this annoying habit-what then? Perhaps a bark collar might be the answer. If it’s the neighbor’s dog that’s so loud, and you don’t want to confront its owner face to face, write him a letter in which you explain the situation and ask him to take the appropriate measures. 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 your neighbor ignores your letter, you might send him a second one or talk to him face to face and recommend that he should buy his dog 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.