would try to stay away from bark collars....dont they shock the dog when It barks? I wouldn't do that to my pup. when she starts making sounds I just tell her repeatedly to stop. As soon as I hear her about to start I tell her NO.

Dont punish your dog for doing what they were bred to do. Just teach your dog not to howl...I think you are over-reacting to your neighbors nosiness. If the other neighbors say they hear nothing and will back you up if the problem neighbor calls the authority then you have no problems. You can get extended time tape recording devices you can leave in your home.
The way to make certain you have a dog who is healthy and happy and not frustrated or bored (which makes them over vocalize or eat things or use the house as a bathroom, is to make certain your dog has plenty of out of doors time, Leash walking, swimming, socialization at the dog park etc. Leash walkies 3 times a day for at least 15 minutes an outing will help- Note did you ever thing that the dogs are barking BECAUSE your neighbor IS on your property listening??? Tell your neighbor to get a life

Mangomoon - a friend of mine had a very similar problem to yours with her Mrs. Kravitz (every neighborhood must have one). Bad neighbor complained about my friend's dog barking all the time. Friend went to the other neighbors and they said they didn't hear a peep. Friend began ignoring the bad neighbor's complaints. The bad neighbor's behavior then escalated to the point where their kids began vandalizing my friend's home at night. My friend began calling the police - police said they couldn't do anything if my friend couldn't prove it was the bad neighbor's kids.

My friend then obtained a "Property monitored by surveillance camera" sign and posted it in the back yard where the kids would mess around. After she posted the sign, all of the vandalism stopped.

Wonder if you were to post a similar type of sign if that would prevent your Mrs. Kravitz from entering your property to "listen to your walls"? Might be a cheaper route to go first instead of spending $$ to actually install something.

Another option is to ask her to document, and to be very specific, every time she hears your dog bark. People don't want to take the time to do that. Let her think you want to fix the problem (that doesn't really exist). Ask her document when she hears it, what time, the date, how long, etc. - make it more trouble to her than it's worth. If she has to go to all that trouble she might just give up.

Tell your neighbor that your dog may be barking but she is trespassing which is a much greater crime.

I am very sensitive to noise. My partner is not. Sometimes when we're sitting in the back yard and a neighbor's dog is barking, I'll say "Isn't that driving you insane?" She invariably doesn't even notice it. If Mrs. Kravitz actually has to press her ear against the walls of your house to hear your dog, it's not a problem in my book. There must be a way you can find a long playing tape recorder and leave it going in your house...or, pretend to leave, park your car elsewhere, and sneak up to your house. One of my friends did this when neighbors complained about her elderly dog howling. As for cameras, they are a bit pricey. I spent a couple hundred bucks on a set of two cameras that I use for security, but they're worth it. I hope things work out for you.

As a telecommuter who has endured a dog tied in yard and barking non-stop for days, I sympathize with anyone who has to tolerate noise from someone else's dog. And I'm not that sensitive, this dog was two houses and two acres away! I called animal control to solve that issue. Does that make me the bad neighbor? Don't think so. If your dog is indoors, how could any of your neighbors hear it unless you're in an apartment? If this is an apartment or condo situation, it's indeed possible that one neighbor can hear the dog while others can't.

Have you tried leaving the house or apartment, and going out doors to see if there's noise making when you're gone? That may be the easiest test :) If your dog is barking, you need to figure out why the dog is barking before developing a plan to work it. You could also engage the neighbor's help. Ask her to make a note of the times when the dog barks. She become more sympatheic if she's monitoring the dog and engaged in helping you. It sounds like their are lots of factors here, but you might want to try asking for her help. That could result in her being more friendly with you and more tolerant of ocassional barking.

While you are still on vacation get up one morning and leave like you are going to work. Put the dog in his holding place and get in your car and go get yourself a cup of coffee. Come back and park down the street. Don't drive around the house, because dogs do become able to recognize the sound of your vehicle. Then just sneak back to the house and listen.

As far as the neighbor putting "her ear to the wall" I would put a stop to that. If she's coming through a fence, I would put a lock on the gate. If she's just snooping through the front windows I would confront her.

Personally, I would make as little contact as possible with this person. Be polite but not really get into any conversations with her. The more she thinks you are buddies the more she will overstep the boundaries of just being a neighbor.

And I'm glad that you are wanting to check to make sure that there is no barking/howling going on. There is nothing worse than a neighbor with an incessant barking dog. Especially when you are trying to sleep. Actually something I've never tolerated and have made a formal complaint when the owner didn't take care of the problem.

The site below probably has what you want but I don't know your budget. If you call them I'm sure they can set you up with what you need.

You may also have luck going to a Radio Shack and asking them for some type of recorder.

Here is a link that might be useful: cameras

Does your computer have voice chat or do you have a microphone and camera.....I think you can open up a chat in yahoo or put your camera on...go to a friends house and just log on. Of course if you open a chat in yahoo you have to set it up so you are "chatting" with someone.....my hubby uses the chat programs on the computer all the time...when I was in school he would even put the camera on and I could see and hear what my dog was doing.

trinigemini has a great idea! If you don't already have a chat program you can download one and keep tabs on your pups that way. It would be much less expensive than purchasing fancy cameras and speakers.

You'll need a PC (a laptop's even better - portable)
and a Webcam.

Install the webcam software and connect the webcam to the PC/notebook via USB. Verify you get an image.

Sign up for a free ustream.tv account and create a 'New Show'. Start broadcasting

I forgot to mention that this is live cam so you have to watch from another computer.