How do I calm a barking dog when I'm not home?

I use a citronella bark collar. It helps with SOME dogs. It just gives the a squirt if they bark. Its about $38 on eBay or amazon. I also give a problem pup something called Rescue relief, its liquid drops, it helps calm the dogs down. I close all window and doors and put the problem pup where he can be less heard , sometimes in a crate if it is ruining my home. It helps for the neighbors but I am sure it still drive the other good dogs crazy! I hope that helps! Happy sitting

First, ask the owner what they normally do to prevent/control her barking at home. They may have some tricks/tips for you to try. She may also just be nervous in her new environment, so I'd stay away from anything that will make her more uncomfortable. I don't have anything against the citronella collars, but if she's already feeling uncomfortable, getting squirted in the face with something whenever she expresses her discomfort certainly won't help her feel relaxed. It may stop the barking, but it will be harder for her to settle in, which will delay any real progress on the barking issue. If you wish to use any kind of calming aid, clear it with the owners first, as the dog may have sensitivities or allergies you aren't aware of.

I have a few guests who will bark at noises outside the house - I've found the best way to prevent it is to have something inside making noise constantly, like a fan or music playing, which makes it harder for the dogs to detect when someone walks by outside, then praising them heavily for being quiet whenever they don't react. When a noise stands out from the background, the dogs are more likely to react, and if one reacts, it's more likely to get a reaction from the other dogs. My dogs rarely bark, but they will respond when a guest dog sets off the alert, like you're seeing with Whisky. If the background is a little louder/more complex, then the triggering noises are less distinct by comparison, and are less likely to get a response from your guest. You can also play games with the windows - when the blinds are up and the windows are open, the dogs are generally more reactive - they can see and hear more easily. If they bark, windows close, blinds go down. Then they get rewarded for not reacting to the activity outside. When they've been good for a while, the blinds can go up a bit. If they stay good, they go up more, and eventually the windows open. If they start barking, everything closes again. If you can pair the quiet behavior with a signal (like "quiet" or "no bark" or, as I inadvertently trained one of my regulars, "make good choices") then you have a tool for stopping barking once it's started, provided you can get the dog's attention on you long enough to use it. For the verbal signal, I don't use it unless I'm sure it's going to work (like after I've already been able to call the dog away from the door/window), and over time the situations where I'm sure it will work expand.

Orange oil sweet, Tangerine Oil, Ylang Yland Oil, Patchouli Oil Light and Chamomile Blue Oil . All of these essential oil mixed in equal parts ans sprayed to a small blanket will do miracles with barking.

My dog can be a bit of a barker and we learned that leaving music on for him helped calm him and feel like someone else was home. We leave a radio on a pretty low volume in the room where he roams while we are out and have never had complaints of barking while away. I have a feeling it helps calm the rover dogs that stay at my home as well.