Barking is a natural form of communication for dogs. Barking is a part of their nature so you will never be able to stop barking completely. This is a fact that you and your neighbors must understand. However, it is possible to cut out excessive barking and barking that your dog does for no reason at all.
The first step to stop barking is to find the source of the barking. Many dogs will bark because they are bored. They do not receive enough attention and one way to get attention is to bark so much that you yell at them. To a dog, bad attention is still attention and they will take what they can get. We are actually rewarding our dog for barking because we are yelling at them. If you stick your head out the door to yell at your dog while he is barking you are actually reinforcing this unwanted behavior. The same is true if your neighbor yells at the dog.
What is most important is to train your dog WHEN to bark. There will be occasions when you want him to bark! A warning bark when someone approaches the house is part of the dog's natural guarding instinct and a very valuable contribution to the security of the home. The sound of an alert dog inside the house will often be enough to deter any unfriendly "visitors". The best way to get the right balance between good security behavior and excessive, annoying barking, is to get expert advice. Daniel Stevens is widely acknowleged to be the best. Try him out, by signing up for his Free Newsletter and see what he says about excessive barking at Daniel Stevens Dog Training
