We have two dogs. The wee 12 yr old terrier has always barked when let out, mostly as we have neighbours cats in our hedge (under the hedge seems to be a fav. pooping spot) so he runs in, barking away hoping to scare them off. If the cat(s) stay then a big hedge shaking barney goes on in there, sometimes he wins, sometimes not, but he is a determined wee lad & will come out yelping & bleeding only to race back in again. Either way, whenever he is barking, we tell him to be quiet, thankfully it only lasts a few seconds as he usually stops when told.
The guide dog, however, will bark at anything visible she perceives is worth guarding against, yesterday that included a suspicious crisp packet by the gate and a dodgy looking pigeon on the wall. She really goes for it too, full Mohican fur and very loud deep rolling barks.
We always bring them back inside if they kick off, and they are never left outside, its out to do yer business, have a sniff/jog around the garden then back in, unless we are sitting out, then they can stay out with us.
Of course, if one barks for security reasons, the other joins in, in fact, they are both going nuts as I type as the cleaner just arrived…the terrier loves her really, but he attacks the broom/mop/hoover with all he’s got!
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.