Why does my GSD bark so much at night and how can I stop it?

What you can do: First and foremost, figure out WHY your dog is barking Use the list above as a reference to understand the source of the bark, because this will further determine what type of treatment you would want to use. If the bark is directed at a particular object or situation: Avoidance For example: If your dog is afraid of the vacuum cleaner, they will consistently bark until the vacuuming is done. To avoid this situation, ask a family member to take the dog on a walk while you vacuum the house. If the stimulus is unavoidable: Leadership exercises Before you can begin treatment, your dog must be able to have basic obedience training. Teach your dog to work for everything in life such as treats, attention, toys, and affection. For example: Make your dog sit or perform a behavior to earn every treat. All rewards can be given as long as the dog performs the behavior FIRST. This is a way to establish leadership and consistency in your dog’s life. Desensitization and counterconditioning Desensitization is a process where you SLOWLY have your dog become used to the stimulus to the point where they won’t react. Counterconditioning is process where you focus your dog’s attention into performing a command instead of focusing on the stimulus. For example: Dog barks in the presence of unfamiliar dogs. You and your dog should stand far away enough from the other dog where your dog does not react anxiously or aggressively. Ask your dog to perform a command and then give it a treat. This method allows the dog to focus his attention on performing a command that you ask for, instead of focusing on the other dog. SLOWLY move closer and closer to the other dog while giving it treats. This technique should be practiced in short intervals, no longer than a few minutes, but as often as possible throughout the day. Remember that this may take a long time to change the behavior, as the behavior took a long time to develop. Please refer to your veterinarian for assistance with this technique. What should not be done: Do NOT verbally or physically punish your dog when it is barking. Do NOT emotionally react when your dog barks because your dog will feed off of your heightened emotional state. Try to remain as calm as possible. Do NOT give your dog attention or treats to make them stop. This is especially important if the main reason your dog is barking is for your attention. Do NOT use a bark collar (citronella, electronic) in fearful or anxious dogs because it will further enhance the fear and anxiety and potentially cause other problems. Please contact your veterinarian for a consultation before attempting any behavior modifications, or if you have other questions.

That would be very annoying for you! It could be that he is bored, something has frightened him, he could be lonely, or he could be hearing something you cannot (dogs have better hearing than humans). If he doesn't sleep in your room with you, you can try bringing him in with you, and he could sleep next to the bed. If that's not an option, you can give him a toy to play with, or one that is a puzzle toy he has to solve in order to get a treat. You can try doing a big walk with him before bed to tire him out, which will help him sleep through the night.

Increase his activity during the day, if possible, to tire him out. Use a cover on his crate to block light. Let him out to use the bathroom just before bedtime. Try a pheromone product such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser. This may decrease any anxiety he may have at night.

Relentless barking is typically a sign of anxiety. The anxiety is probably due to one a few different causes. If Pilot is typically used to being with you during the daytime and is forced to be separated at night this maybe a root cause of the anxiety. Another possibility is that Pilot is simply not being provided with an area in which he feels comfortable to rest. If you haven't already, I would recommend crate training him. There are tons of articles and YouTube videos on how to properly do this, the dos and don't of the training, and the size of crate you might need. Once the crate becomes Pilot's "den", it will be a comfortable place for him to stay. I think this is a good place to start. You also have to remain strong in terms of ignoring the barking. I realize it is extremely loud and irritating, but EVENTUALLY Pilot will stop on his own and tire out. If you give in to him, you are only shooting yourself and him in the foot unfortunately. Hope this helps!

I suggest you try a citronella bark collar as the first option. They work well in most cases and are not harmful. This is not a shock collar. This video should explain more about them and how they work. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXwstVpzALY&t=102s )

I really don't think you telling them to be quiet is going to work. Maybe you should suggest to the neighbor that they try using citronella collars on the dogs to curb the barking: ( https://www.amazon.com/Downtown-Pet-Supply-Citronella-Anti-Bark/dp/B00987HPFO )

That must be exhausting for you! Harvey could be thinking he's protecting you, so he's barking at every sound to let everyone know that he's there and to stay away. He also could be anxious. I'm not sure if you crate him at night or not, but if you don't, I'd recommend crating him at night. It will give him a safe space of his own to sleep in at night, and you can have the crate in your room if you'd like. I'd also make sure to get Harvey plenty of exercise during the day, especially at night before bed . Tiring him out will help him sleep better. He could be bored as well at night, causing the barking. You can put some toys in his crate to keep him busy, such as puzzle toys that he has to solve to get the treat. Should these methods not work, I'd recommend speaking to a professional behavioral expert on other things you can try to stop him barking all night.