How can i know if my dog is a nuisance?

we just moved into a new neighborhood about two weeks ago. our dog is about a year and a half years old. he has only barked maybe twice all night long since we got him. last night being the last time and he is continuing to bark this morning. how can we detour him from barking so much? how do we know if we're upsetting the neighbors. we did have the people right next door come over and meet us and told us they liked living here because it was a nice, quiet, safe neighborhood. we didn't know to take that as them saying it is a nice neighborhood or if they were saying our dog was already a nuisance since it barked all night long the first night. also we had taken him walking the night before last and he started up barking again last night and into this morning. my husband thinks we should get a shock collar. will a shock collar hurt him though? any other suggestions. i have kept spraying him in the face with water but that don't help.