Regarding the barking dog...

You can do a mental exercise where you tell yourself..."it doesn't bother me anymore when the dog barks". Yeah, I know, it's not easy. But it is possible.

Now that you've totally rejected THAT idea...(grin)...here's the next idea: If it's at night that it's bothering you, then get some device that emits a moderate level of "white noise" in the bedroom and that will screen the barking sounds (hopefully). I've done this with a humidifier. Works rather well at damping the sounds from outside (no pun intended).

You can get used to things. When I stayed in Trinidad I was kept awake for the first 3 nights by literally HUNDREDS of dogs barking (at unpredictable but frequent intervals)...ALL NIGHT LONG...along with roosters crowing all goddamn night long...and the maniac just down the hill playing LOUD music on his stereo starting at 5 AM every day!

Unbelievable. And there's no window glass there, so you hear everything full volume.

Well, after 3 nights of no sleep I got so exhausted that on the 4rth night I just fell asleep and slept through it all...and after that it never bothered me again. Amazing what the human mind and body will do when they're desperate enough, isn't it?