How do you handle a dog constantly barking?

There is really no quick fix to this problem. Barking is how dogs communicate or give warnings. A good way for your friend to stop his dog from constant barking is to attach a gentle leader to the leash then walk the dog for a short while. The gentle leader won't hurt the dog it just will give him an uncomfortable feeling due to the dog won't be able to open his mouth wide enough to bark. Do this each day at least once when he begins to bark then praise him each time you notice improvements after removing the gentle leader. Soon he will learn constant barking is not acceptable. Jean & Wendelin

Important note: if a dog is barking, do not yell at them. They will perceive it as barking, and continue barking at you. Instead, speak to them in a normal, kind tone. In most cases, this will get them to stop.

If exercise and additional training don't help, try a citronella barking collar. It worked wonders for my mini schnauzer. Rather than shocking the dog when it barks, it sprays citronella, which has a calming effect on the dog.

The dog definitely needs exercise. I would also wonder what he's barking at/about. Knowing whether it's separation anxiety or if he's barking at things outside could change your approach (but exercise is always the first thing to do).

Not necessarily a solution to the problem, but I recently came across this article and found it really interesting - https://thesciencedog.wordpress.com/2...

Some dogs are more vocal than others (like some people are more talkative than others) but there's usually a clear trigger for the behavior, whether it's lack of stimulation/exercise, anxiety, a territorial response or frustration. The best way to eliminate the behavior is to eliminate the root cause, but that's not always possible. Either way, it's still important to identify that cause so you can work on teaching the dog an alternate response to the trigger.

My neighbors dog constantly barked when inside the home. She's sweetest angel outside. Take him/her for a walk. It's usually cause for exercise, a lot of roaming and fresh air should do the trick! Introduce a new chew toy that squeaks http://www.amazon.com/Play-Squeaky-Quack-Sound-Large/dp/B00PK12O12 (image description). Something YOU know he/she will enjoy.

Although some dogs do it because there is a stranger amongst their presence and they have not accepted them.

My german shepherds bark can be heard from two houses down. Its POWERFUL. It all depends what the dog is barking at. If he is looking out the window and barking, you may need to put some kind of blinds, or curtains to make it harder to look outside. The best thing is to use squirt bottle and say bad dog. Then when he doesn't bark if the door bell rings you reward him with a treat!

If it's one of my dog's or a dog I'm sitting for, the dog is trying to tell me something (as annoying as it can be when they're persistent). It's usually one of these things.

1. I'm hungry/thirsty.
2. I need to go out.
3. I hear or see someone outside.
4. I want some attention.

I've found that if they're not hungry, needing to go to the bathroom, or wanting a little attention that it's someone outside. If I address the dog's barking rather than ignoring it, acknowledge and thank it for alerting me that there's someone or something out there- they're happy. In this case I say "What is it? Who is it? Show me.", and the dog usually leads me to a window or glass door. I tell the dog "thank you, you're a good watch dog, now that's enough, no more barking" and pat them, the dog is satisfied that I SAW what THEY SEE. Barking could save your life one day if you have a dog that picks up on every passer by. One day it may be someone in your yard at night that you never would have heard approaching until they were at your doorstep. The barking (even if the dog would never attack) will often scare away intruders, and if not, it at least affords you extra time to see if there's something to be concerned about.

In the case of a neighbors dog, good luck. Although that dog may alert you of intruders as well. If it's a dog that just barks and cries all night because it's left alone outdoors, I might first attempt to see why the dog is upset. Is it hungry, thirsty, cold or lonely? I might try to offer it some creature comforts first such as food/water if owners aren't home, maybe give it some attention if it's alone, offer to let it play with my own dogs if it's friendly, and even go so far as to buy it a dog house and warm bed if it's out in the elements/or a kiddie pool with water if it's hot out and sometching to give shade. I think attempting this first far outweighs bad blood between neighbors and benefits the animal most as if the owner hasn't done that already they probably won't on their own. There are also those devices that are piercing to dogs ears that we can't hear. I think I'd even try that for inappropriate barking before calling out the owners. If all fails, and the owners are simply neglectful, you'll have to either live with it or speak up in the kindest way possible.

First, during the meet and greet I always ask if the owner's dog has any barking behavioral issues so if anything occurs at my place I know it is something due to the dog's environment and is not apart of the dog's normal behavior or it is apart of the dog's normal behavior. Secondly, I rule out the obvious reasons why the dog may be barking because dogs will be dogs. Thirdly, if the behavior continues I try to figure out what is triggering it and begin teaching the dog to be quiet with a command. If the dog needs something more like desensitization, say to a particular sound then I try to mimic that sound over and over and train him not to respond to it and praise him when he doesn't respond. Obviously, this works better with longer stays.