How do I get dogs inside while they are barking at someone/ something?

This also can occur in more urban places where people have balcony patios. Speaking from personal experience, I don’t allow my dog or any of his canine friends to bark to their hearts content. All of them love to go on the balcony patio where they get the scent and sound and sight of nature and wildlife (mostly squirrels & birds).;They’ve learned that the moment they start barking, they have to come inside and their view of outside is completely closed off until they’re all calm. After repeated experiences of learning that they lose that freedom and only get to keep it based on good behavior, they stop being so barky. Letting dogs stay out in the yard unsupervised will promote their territorial instinct to bark nonstop. These neighbors who are glaring, could contact animal control if you are violating the noise ordinance for your city/county. You might want to look up what it defines as the duration where you live before being on the receiving end of an unwelcome visit.

BTW: I don’t advocate stopping dogs against barking completely because they could be doing this (especially on walks when there is danger lurking) for safety reasons and serves as the first signal to warn. Also, people who try to completely stop All barking can end up escalating their dogs behavior into aggression, with air snaps and biting becoming more common because the dog has been taught that it’s never okay to bark.

One of my friend was taking care of three small Chihuahua dogs, same issue. First what I suggest is to calm them down and reassure them that everything is fine. Ask them to sit and divert their mind, give them treats only when they start listening to you in one go. Be consistent with them.

I still struggle with my dog with this. We were taught that you can try cueing it. Anytime they are distracted you say a word, "watch me" "here" etc. The second they look at you after hearing that word they get a treat. First do this activity with no distractions, then maybe an easier distraction, and so on. You can practice while they are chewing a bone, playing, etc. The key is anytime they look at you after the word they get a treat so make sure you always have treats on you. Once your dog masters this then you should be able to use the word to get their attention away from the other person and redirect the barking.