Well, I have 4 dogs...... and they bark...and it is annoying, even to me, but I doubt even the noisiest fountain will cover up the barking.....even if you hung 20 windchimes....
My brother's dog barks incessantly at ME when I come over until I walk over and pet her.....then she goes back to sleeping. Maybe if you found out WHY the dog is barking and worked on that? I know it can be a pain in the butt....so I try not to let my dogs out for business tooooo early, especially on weekends....trying not to annoy anybody. Sorry, maybe your neighbor would work on it if asked a nice way??? I realize some people are not that easy to persuade.... Good luck. ( if there is no noise ordinance, you could play loud music, and when your neighbor complains....say, "Well, I am just trying to cover up the dog's barking. If you will teach your dog not to bark, I won't have to play the music!!")

I agree that the fountain won't cover the barking dogs but it does help to sooth the nerves. I have one made out of an old hand pump. It stood in my grandparents yard for many years and got me into much trouble. Now it is mounted on top of 1/4 of a plastic 55 gallon container. A small water pump is in the container and a hose is put through the pump and shoots the water out the spout. DH made a wood plank cover to mount the pump with a small opening in the front for the water to return. Last year I found an old galvanized bucket to hang on the spout and catch the water. I drilled a few holes in the bottom of the bucket for water return. the noise level is much greater. Can't wait to get it fired up again. It is way too quiet here.

Angie,

It is amazing what water does. I used to hear the dogs, the road noise, the neighbors, the airplanes, etc. I built a pond with a deck and pergola that sits just behind the side fence that separates front yard from back. Then I put a three tiered fountain in the front. The only thing I can hear now is a jet that flies directly overhead on it's approach to the airport. It doesn't hurt that the pond has 5 waterfalls and 7,000 gph and the fountain has a 7' pool and between the two, it's like the outside world has been put on mute but I don't think the water even has to be louder than the outside noise, it just needs to be a distraction so that you don't notice. It's kind of like putting in a new fence that you can still see through to the unsightliness on the otherside, but the beauty of the fence and the plantings become the focal point instead. The sound of water does much the same thing.

Ha...laughing at your pond, Angie, and the obvious "strength" of it! Can you post pictures?

I agree that the sound of water doesn't need to cover noises, just be a gentle distraction. Mine, however, has to be loud enough for me to hear without my hearing aids...so a good splash is good! We have 2 fountains. One is right outside our bedroom window. We get an awful lot of enjoyment from it, as we do the little waterfall by the porch and patio.

~Sandy~

I had that situation at one time and tried to talk to the neighbors nicely about it to no avail. Tried to find solutions for noise-cover-uppers and dog whistles, etc. Found out that we have a city ordinance that "warns", and then will "fine", people who have annoying barking dogs. I'm not sure if you're in city limits but you may check that out before you go through a lot of frustration for nothing.