Dogs need to bark because it's their primary way to get your attention. Barking can mean a dog is happy to see you, he's warning you, he's bored and has excess energy, or he's just happy.

A reasonable amount of barking should be expected, but excessive barking is not only a nuisance but can result in people complaining. The best place to begin in stopping barking is in your own home. Create circumstances that consistently cause barking.

2. As soon as your dog goes into "drive" state and barks, get a firm grip on his collar, look straight at him and say "stop."

3. If stopping barking is that simple, pet your dog, speak to him in a proud voice, and offer some snack or toy. He learned fast that stopping barking is a good thing, so he should get a reward.

4. If that doesn't stop the barking, gently press his mouth shut, make eye contact, and tell him to stop.

Set up similar situations to "lure" your dog to bark and repeat training whenever possible.

In some tough cases, this simple training won't be enough, so try this: Stopping barking formula - stir together 1 ounce of vinegar and 7 ounces of water. Load the solution in a spray bottle or water gun.

2. Squirt your dog near his face if he won't stop the barking after you tell him to verbally. The odor of the mixture is bothersome to dogs and can be a great stopping barking aid. It's common for the dog to sneeze after you do this. It's nothing to worry about because the liquid won't hurt your dog.

3. Of course, if this stopping barking tactic works be sure to give your dog some love and a treat.

For your information, your dog might still be barking noisily and disrupting your neighborhood when you are not at home. You might want to try a stopping barking dog collar in this situation.

The most popular types of dog collars focus on stopping barking using electricity, sound, or sprays. If the other training methods failed, a bark collar may be the right solution.

If I had to choose, I would go with an audible collar or scent collar. Not only do they work, but they are totally safe for your dog.