How do i stop my dogs from barking? and neighbors from complaining!!! options please?

I work for a police department and this is a common complaint. I also have 3 very loud dogs myself. Our animal control officer makes someone who is complaining about a barking dog keep a log of the dates and times the barking is going on. I have a muzzle in my house for one dog that just won't stop barking. It still allows her to pant and drink. And it does stop the barking. I tried one of the spray collars but she only became madder at the spray and barked more. I haven't brought myself around to buying the shock collars. I do know that the animal control officer here has even suggested to a few people that a vet might have to operate on the vocal chords to stop the barking if necessary. Hope some of this helps.

OK, we have 3 dogs total: a chihuahua (3 mos old), a lab (2 yrs old) and a havanese (like a maltese, 1 yr old). The chihuahua stays in a crate in the living room and the other 2 dogs stay in crates in the garage, right next to each other. Dogs that have free run of the house are bound to get into shenanigans! Don't know what your work schedule is, but if you are close enough to come home at lunch and let them out to run and stretch then back in their crates, you might not have barking dogs any more. Dogs sometimes bark because they are bored. Try placing some chew bones (safest you can get) in their crate to ward off any boredom moments.

Oh, and I run a really noisy fan in the garage to drown out any nuisance noises they might hear!!!

I agree with the others that your dogs should not have unlimited access to the backyard if you are not at home. When you are home, you should definitely work on reducing the barking as suggested by others.

When you are at work you should keep them inside. If they are barking from inside your house and the neighbors are still complaining, perhaps you should consider using a crate while you are not in the house. Most dogs will sleep most of the day while you are gone and crate training can do wonders. It could be that only the small noisy one needs to be crated so that she can't set the other one off. If the crate is in a quiet place it will allow the dog to relax.

I understand not wanting to crate a dog, but it is better than having animal control remove them.

There is two kinds of anti barking collars that i know of anyway.

The shock collar

The spray collar

Since you say during the day and i doubt you'll be around all the time then the shock one is kind of rules out

But i hear that the spray collar works quite well. The collar is placed on the voice box (not sure if thats the exact right term) and every time the dog barks it is vibrated and a whoosh of citronella is sprayed up on their face. They dont like the noise or the smell and it will eventually put them off barking. Can take a different amount of time between different dogs but i think its definately worth a try.. Especially if you can hire one instead of spending huge amounts on buying one if its not going to work!

Good Luckx

We use a high frequency bark collar and have 4 outside dogs, Each one gets to wear it at least once a week for the first while and when one would bark it would go off and everyone got a correction, you can also buy llittle birdhouses that make the same noise and stop dogs from barking in the yard..

Check out the dog by laws where you live before getting all freaked out about going to court.

If you resort to anti-bark collars, please do not use the kind that shock your dogs. That's just so cruel and doesn't help. They make a kind that squirts citronella in their face, and that's a much better option. They also have untrasonic collars that deter dogs from barking.

Also, you can get ultrasonic devices (other than collars) that emit a sound that's irritating to the dogs. I don't know if this works, I have only read about it.

Somethings that help me keep my dog from barking: close all the blinds so they can't see what's going on outside. Leave the TV on at a volume that muffles the sounds of things outside. Leave them with lots of things to play with and keep their minds occupied.

Also, if it's barking outside that's causing the problem, you should keep them inside when you're not home. If you're worried about them making messes, get a pen or crates.

Very simple solution here - your dogs should NOT be outside to begin with. Do you leave them outside all day long? Do they use doggie doors?

Just keep your dogs in the house when you can't monitor them - end problem.

Why would you take the risk of losing your dogs like this?

Your neighbors have every right not to be annoyed by constant barking - keep your dogs in the house when you can't be with them, it isn't safe to leave dogs alone outside in any case.

Every dog needs some type of training. The first class I ever took a dog to was https://tr.im/chP70

It's a very basic kind of class. They will help you with your dog, and show you how to work with your dog at home.

They'll also answer any questions you have about your dog's particular problems and how to handle them. The most important thing in dog training is to be consistent and work with your dog at home on the lessons. The PetSmart class teaches sit, down, come, and the very basics every dog needs to know. They will also help socialize your dog. You are unhappy with an untrained dog, and believe it or not, the dog is actually unhappy to. You need to take your dog now, as the older he gets, the harder it will be to correct your dog's bad habits. Plus the classes are fun for you and your dog. My dog went from that first PetSmart class on to advanced obedience classes. You might also contact your local humane society. The one in my area offers obedience classes with a very good trainer at a reduced price.

Monitor your dogs and correct the behavior. You said "she runs outside to the yard and barks like someone is about to kill her!" Does that mean she has free access to the yard whenever she wants? Close off that access. Let her outside when YOU want her to go outside (after she calms down). When you let her out, if she starts barking, go out and correct her.

DO NOT get a shock collar, they are horrible. Get treats, make sure they dont bark for a minute or 2 and them you can give them it. You can get a muzzle cheap. You can walk them, they can bark outside freely, but do it during the day if you can.

I'm sorry I can't be anymore help, my dogs had the same problem, I got a muzzle and treats and then they finnally stopped.