Help!!! Neighbour's barking dog

[Baanaanaa]

Let me just start by saying that I love dogs, I grew up with them and when I get the chance to pack up work I will get a dog of my own.

We are currently being driven bonkers by our new neighbour's dog. Every single time it gets let out into the garden it barks. If one of us goes out into the garden it barks. If a bird tweets it barks. If an aeroplane flies over........you get the picture.

I haven't actually met the new neighbours (they are two doors down from us), and I'm at the point where I want to knock on their door and express my concerns about the incessant barking.

Before I wade in however, I just wanted some advice. What causes a dog to bark at everything? What kind of training would be beneficial to a dog who barks all the time? Is there such a thing as an untrainable dog?

Any advice at all would be gratefully received as I really don't want to be that moaning neighbour (but I am slowly going crazy). Thank you.

How long have the neighbours lived there? Is it an adult dog or a puppy?

Dogs bark for all sorts of reasons - excitement, fear, over-tiredness, anxiety or just because they can. If they've only recently moved in, he's probably not used to his environment yet. It took our puppy a good two weeks to settle down properly and not bark at his own reflection in the mirror!

In other words, don't go in with all guns blazing. If it's driving you mad and you're two doors down, they're probably being driven to distraction! All dogs bark sometimes and they can be trained out of it (mostly) but it takes a lot of consistency and patience, and unfortunately you can't get them to stop overnight.

It depends what the dog is barking about, age of dog, etc.. A puppy will need to go out in the garden a lot to learn house-training. If it is nervous or excited it will bark. The barking should reduce as the dog settles down. However mine still barks for:

• scaring birds (the cheeky fat pigeons just sit on the fence and ignore him)
• to get me to open the door to come back in
• when playing chase / tug with us
• to try and make me play with him
• if we are using the hose

I don't think he will stop much of this barking for a while. However I hear lots of other local dogs woofing at some point during the day so I think he now fits into what is "normal" for a dog.

Do you think they're at home? And can also hear it?

Our puppy (16 weeks) only barks at stuff he wants to talk to like his ball rolling across the ground or a plastic bottle or me or possibly the door and sometimes other puppy's during playtime. He isn't incessant though its is just really communication. He wants to play or guard us.

We have a Pom over the back from us who barks at everything and always has done. Trees moving, snow, me, my dog, the grass, his feet.... you get the picture. It's also a tally annoying bark that sends my ndn crazy and sometimes sets off a kind of doggy bird song of an evening with every other happy dog in the area joining in. My pup doesn't join in yet.

The noise doesn't bother me unless ndn texts me then as soon as I hear it, it's annoying.
I am not very much help but I think once it just becomes the nightly ritual you might not notice any more or he might settle into his new surroundings. Hope the barking stops soon.