How to stop my dog barking at people but allow guard barking at night?

If this is only a problem at night, the best solution would be leash walking rather than letting him out to roam and bark. If you have more control over the situation and environment, you will be able to try and stop the barking before it gets out of control. Other potential things you can try include clicker training with positive reinforcement, where silence is rewarded particularly around kitties. A more aggressive approach would be some sort of collar that punishes barking. I am not a fan of shock collars, especially in puppies. There are however something called citronella collars, which spray a liquid out of which the dogs detest the smell. I have seen this become effective in many dogs. Hope you find a reasonable solution.

Barking is a hard behavior to break as it can be reinforced by seemingly random things (such as your neighbor walking back into the house, thus your dog thinks the barking lead to them leaving). You may need to either train no barking at all, or deal with barking at everything as it may be hard for your dogs to differentiate "neighbor walking past" and "stranger". You can try to use distraction techniques such as tossing a toy or performing other tricks such as sit for treats to break the barking and distract them from the behavior. If you are not home, preventing the dogs from seeing outside will also help stop reinforcement when you are not home to deter it.

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 )

There are many different training methods for helping dogs to stop barking. Repetitions, consistency, and positive reinforcement are the three mainstays of training for almost all aspects of canine behavioral modification. Since she is stopping immediately sometimes, she is either recognizing your desire for her to stop or there is something that is occurring that both you and her are unaware of that is making her stop. You will have to think hard about the times that she stops and the times that she doesn't, and consider what may be different. If you are able to figure that out, training her will become much easier. Since I am assuming the majority of the barking occurs while you are walking Snowball, the best thing you can do is reward any positive behavior you see while you are partaking in this activity. Carry a small pouch of dog treats with you at all times. If Snowball starts barking and going towards whatever the stimulus might be, stop movement, have her her heel, and then the moment she stops barking reward her and continue the walk. Another method you might consider is training Snowball with a separate command that breaks her concentration in order to divert her attention elsewhere. If you are able to teach her the touch command, she might stop her barking in order to come to you in hopes of receiving a treat. The touch command is very simple. You basically are teaching your dog that every time you say touch, she is to come to your hand and touch her nose to it. While in the beginning this will likely only work from a few inches away, eventually with practice you should be able to divert her attention from quite far. If training does not seem to be effective, there are collars available that are meant to discourage barking. They range from ones that make annoying noises, ones that spray out something that smells unpleasant, and ones that shock the wearer. The shock collars should only be used in extreme circumstances when all other collars and training methods have failed. Hope this helps.

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.

If this is a temporary situation I would suggest you get a citronella bark collar. I think that may work to curb the barking in the short term. Of course, if this dog is going to be a long term resident I would suggest you work with a professional dog trainer. The trainer could help you determine the dog's triggers and work with you on how to resolve them. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

What a cutie! You might try to crate train her rather than tie her up at night. https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-crate-train-your-puppy-or-older-dog/ Here is some more info you may find helpful regarding barking as a difficult behavior to manage: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs/ https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/barking Best of luck with her!