Bark Busters Greater San Diego Reviews

Reviews

140 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 5 out of 5)

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  • Adriana T.
    8 years ago — San Diego, California

    We called Justin after our dog Cooper started showing signs of aggression to other people. We had rescued him just 2 months previously and noticed things about his behavior that concerned us and we wanted to fix it quickly before it escalated into something more dangerous. Cooper would not let people enter the house, would bark and lung at strangers in the street when out walking on his leash, would chase and bark at everything that moved including people, dogs and cars and it was becoming very stressful. Justin was very calm, professional and patient as he explained everything to us and put our minds at ease. He talked us through why Cooper was behaving the way he was and the techniques we needed to use to help eliminate these unwanted behaviors. He was patient and kind as he taught us and within 30 minutes Cooper was a different dog, he was the happy, relaxed little guy we had been hoping for. Just 30 minutes previously Cooper was throwing himself at the patio doors and growling and barking at Justin as he arrived. Within a very short time of working with Cooper he was sat on his knee and had made a new best friend. It was fantastic to see Cooper behaving this way with a stranger. By the end of session 1 we couldn't believe the positive changes, Cooper was walking nicely on the leash without pulling, ignoring other people and dogs we passed, he was calm and relaxed in the house and would allow people to enter through the front door. I was surprised and delighted that these changes happened almost immediately. Its been 3 days since Justins first visit and we are continuing to practice the techniques daily and pleasantly surprised every day by Coopers progress and positive changes. Justin is the real deal and we are very pleased with our decision to work with him.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Stephanie C.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Well future Bark Buster customer.. I'm sure you've already read a ton of reviews. The reality is that Justin really is everything and more! I have been working with Justin for almost a year and I really respect everything he taught me. I have waited a long time to write this review because I wanted to make sure that his process really did work.( it comes down to you and how consistent you are with your dog.) Chevy is my princess and let me just state for the record even though I loved her from the moment I got her we did not get off on the right foot ( she would pee everywhere, whine, and chew on whatever she wanted not to mention she didn't listen oh and she would scratch at a door till the point of bleeding and ripping of her paws) Chevy is a Miniature Pinscher, she is a very full of life pup, although she is also a very difficult breed to have with out training. I've had her since she was four months old. Unfortunately I came from a family that hit dogs. That's definitely not how I wanted to treat my furbaby. Justin gave me the tools... Wait to put it bluntly Justin trained me to be a better dog owner. Yes yes he trained Chevy, but mostly me. I had no idea that catering to my furbaby's whining was actually a big no no . Anything that came up with Chevy, Justin happily made time for us. All of my situations are better now that Chevy and I have Justin. He has a hundred or so five star reviews for a reason. If you are going to invest in your dog invest in this. Hope my review helped.

    • #Barking
    • #Digging
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Separation anxiety
  • Francesca S.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Justin deserves every review including mine! He definitely knows what he's doing. He is very passionate and loves his craft! He really cares...He has a lot of patience too. Justin is very supportive which is extremely appreciated because training a pup can be exhausting and overwhelming. I don't feel alone in this process. In fact, I feel like Justin is my team player. My Zen-Monkee is turning into the best little behaved pup ever! Justin is teaching me the need of consistency, discipline and love! "it's all about balance", he says. My pup had separation anxiety but she's getting SO much better. She would go nuts if left alone, and now, she just sleeps:o)) He shows me the training exercises to do and it's up to me to do the homework. Repetition is the key. As owners, we gotta do the work, Justin can only guide us to a point. The transformation from this crazy little Gremlin of mine to a real obedient Zen dog is remarkable!! It happens SO quickly! He teaches me how to be the mother dog essentially...we must speak dog because dog's don't understand human language. He's also teaching me how dogs are like kids, they want boundaries so they feel safe so they don't have to feel insecure, hence where the bad behaviors. He's also guiding me in potty training guidelines. She's had a few accidents but it would have been a lot more had I not been guided by Justin. Justin guides, we follow and the homes with doggies becomes a balanced, loving home. Thanks Justin...The Dog Whisperer has nothing on you!!!

    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
    • #Puppy management
    • #Separation anxiety
    • #Toileting
  • Kim M.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Justin is simply an amazing trainer!! First let me tell you what poorly behaved dogs we have. First there is Sedona a pitbull mixed with ridgeback who is very aggressive and super protective of me and our home. She constantly barked and would attack the front door if anybody dared to knock. We couldn't have friends and sometimes family come over because of her issues. She attempts to bite strangers and my pool man won't come over unless she is locked up. She didn't used to be this bad until the neighbors landscapers started taunting her and soon the other neighbor joined in as well! So we put up a wood fence so nobody can taunt her, but she still barked and my wonderful elderly neighbor couldn't enjoy her own yard because of Sedona. She also fence fights with one of the dogs behind us. Did I mention she attacks the TV if she sees animals? Well, that was all before Justin came into our home and changed who was the Leader! Surprisingly it is no longer Sedona! It's me! I can actually answer the door, watch TV animals and my house and yard are so peaceful, I just Love it! Saucy is our other dog, she is a German Shirthair Pointer who jumps on everyone and bops their noses, barked constantly at the sound of a leaf dropping and lunges at the front door at an unsuspecting visitor. Well that poor behavior has stopped too. Justin has taught me how to reprogram my dogs and be a leader. He is the 4th trainer, yep fourth! And the only one that has been able to help me correct my dogs and teach them to be happy relaxed dogs. We started on walking them today and I know I have a lot more training ahead of me, but I'm actually getting it! Sedona is very leash aggressive to other animals so that's what we are working on now. I have seen more improvement in just a free weeks than I have in 5 years and it is empowering. Don't wait to make your appointment, you will be so happy with the results! I will update this review as more wonderful things happen. I don't know who is happier and more relaxed, me or my dogs! It's going to be such a wonderful life now, I won't have to stress like I used to. My husband said its so peaceful we can actually hear birds in our yard! And Saucy doesn't get up in the middle of the night barking so we're sleeping better too!

    Again, don't wait Justin is a miracle worker and Sedona let him sit on our couch and pet her!!! I'm still astounded. It takes persistence, don't give up on your furry children, call Justin today!

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Kim P.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    There is clearly a reason why Justin has all 5-star reviews. He is an AWESOME dog trainer who lives up to every. single. review.

    We found Justin through Yelp (after reading all these amazing transformation stories from other clients that we could relate to) when we relocated back to San Diego with our 3yr old rescue dog, Sadie. Since adopting her, we had problems with dog-aggression and fear-aggression towards strangers. Seeing a dog on a walk or having a guest over was a very stressful thing for all of us and made us shy away from those situations entirely.

    Justin came in swiftly and told us it was all going to change. He taught us the techniques to let Sadie know she was no longer in charge. We immediately saw a shift in her mindset - she was able to relax and just able to enjoy being a dog (instead of 24/7 guard dog). We introduced to her to our family and friend's dogs and found out she LOVES to play! I never would have thought I'd see the day when Sadie would have dog friends. Justin even recommended a great kennel-free daycare/boarding that carefully screens dogs and now Sadie can go there to play + work on her socialization skills. That all would not have been possible without Justin's training and assistance.

    My family is AMAZED by the transformation they've seen in Sadie. She went from being a somewhat loose-cannon to a relaxed, happy dog that just loves to be apart of our pack. Justin has helped us accomplish this. I'd highly recommend Justin to anyone looking for a talented, personable trainer who truly cares about his clients (canine and human).

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Will S.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Justin at Bark Busters is the absolute real deal, but what do you expect from the Trainer of the Year and International Trainer of the Year award winner?

    Just like many of you, my wife and I read through all the reviews very carefully before we made the decision to work with Justin. Every single one of the reviews offered up crazy hyperbole, stories and examples to describe how awesome Justin is and we were hopeful but slightly skeptical. (How could you not be right?) Let me tell you, not only is Justin everything stated in these reviews, but he is even more than that.

    From the very first lesson, our Vizsla puppy Scout, responded to everything Justin taught us immediately. She went from pulling on every single walk to walking right beside us RIGHT AWAY. She stopped jumping on our friends RIGHT AWAY. She became a different dog RIGHT AWAY. It left my wife and I completely speechless and it still amazes us that everything Justin taught us worked so well, so easily and so quickly. It completely changed our relationship with Scout and it was not difficult at all to learn and implement - just listen to Justin and be consistent!

    Also, Justin is just a good dude that truly cares about dogs and people. He caters his methodologies to each individual dog, owners and their personalities. He always stresses that he's super available to help out either over the phone or in person so definitely take him up on that.

    If you're even considering hiring someone else, DON'T. We couldn't recommend Justin more. Some of the best money we've ever spent. Ever.

    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Junelle S.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Justin is a miracle worker! My baby was a spoiled brat and now he is just spoiled. I used to hate taking him anywhere because all he would do is bark and pull on the leash as well as jump on others. He had no manners at all! Now he is a dream to take out! No pulling, one or two barks but listens to corrections, and doesn't jump on people. He actually sits and waits to be petted instead of jumping. He is so much more enjoyable to have around and seems to be a much happier pup! I don't know what I would do without bark busters. I recommend him to everyone! We had taken our baby to 3 different training classes and my pup is smart so he would behave in class and learn everything but, the second we get home he "forgot" everything. With Justin coming to our house my pup knows that the training isn't just for in class but for everyday. After 1 training with Justin my baby was a changed pup. Well worth the money as the value you get in life with your dog is priceless.

    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Tricia M.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Jesus, I mean Justin...I get them confused some times. Oh I remember, Jesus turns water in to wine and Justin turns dog owners into pack leaders and skittish dogs into calm and obedient followers. Close.

    First of all, we want to thank all the other people that wrote reviews because we would have never called Justin if it were not for the stories I read, which made us realize there were so many other dog owners out there going through similar experiences.

    Here is our story, we adopted Henry "Hank" Fitzgerald from Helen Woodward a year ago this month. They had no background on him since they received him from another shelter. They did however tell us he was roughly six months old and a terrier mix that would be no more than 25-30lbs. We are quite certain he is a coonhound with a beard and well he's 60lbs now. Initially we found Hank to be incredibly submissive, sweet and friendly, but a couple months after we had him he was sprayed in the face by a skunk in our backyard. Shortly after he became very territorial of us, the house and would patrol the backyard barking at night. Every sound he heard, his hair would stand up and he would bark aggressively at the fence. Another month or more, when anyone would approach the door he would charge the door and bark aggressively, which evolved into him growling at friends coming into the house and eventually nipping two of our friends. We could tell he was feeling very anxious and afraid, but we were uncertain what to do. Another thing Hank would do was bark at us constantly to play. We would let him out to the backyard and he would bark until we joined him and if he was in the house he would bark at us until we played with him, it was a nonstop bark fest. Next, he was kicked out of daycare. He had always been incredibly friendly with other dogs, but apparently had an issue with an old yellow labrador retriever that napped all day. It started with him barking at him on occasion, but later turned into him viciously snarling and lunging at him. We were called to pick him up and they recommended not bringing him back until he had some training. We recently had a couple other experiences of him lunging at friends and aggressively barking and lunging at an old sick dog while camping. Long story short...we felt like we needed help soon before something serious happened.

    After a quick google search Bark Busters came up on Yelp. I couldn't believe all the 5 out of 5 star reviews especially considering most people use the internet to complain. After reading the stories I hoped that Justin was the answer to our problems and he definitely was. Just like everyone else said, Justin came to our home, spent the first 30 minutes educating us on dog psychology and establishing dominance in the home. He taught us the tools we need to take ownership back over our home. We began practicing on Hank and literally within 20 minutes he was an entirely different dog. He was submissive, relaxed and happy. He was walking around the house seeking our approval and attention, which is not something Hank would do in the past. It was unreal how quickly he responded. No really...UNREAL! After one training session, Hank now sits at the door before he comes in and out of the house and he no longer barks at us for attention. We are still working on the front door and visitors, but he knows we are in charge and he doesn't approach the door or our guests anymore. After the second training, he is now leash trained. He used to pull us all over the neighborhood, but now he is a perfect gentleman and walks behind us. There is plenty of more to do and every day is a training day, but our lives and Hank's life have changed dramatically. We enjoy every second with him now. He knows we are in charge and he's living a much calmer and more fulfilling life because of it. He's a calm, cool and collected coonhound thanks to Justin.

    Seriously, do not hesitate calling Justin. He truly is amazing. He's a great teacher, listener and the best part is, we have his support for the rest of Hank's life. Thank you Justin. Our family is a happier and healthier family now because of you.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Kylee E.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Where to even begin? Justin deserves every single 5 star review written here and more.
    My dogs are my babies. I have 2 boys, a 2 year old dachshund I've had since he was a pup and a 1 year old chihuahua mix I got from the humane society about 4 months ago. They are wonderful additions to my little family, but they both barked consistently, walking them was like flying kites and they completely ruled our house.. Which is why I called Justin.
    We have now had 2 sessions with him and even just a few minutes into our first session they were different dogs. He teaches how to properly correct the dogs behavior and it's actually effective!! Finally, I feel like we're getting through to them and not just consistently speaking another language to them, which is frustrating to us and the dogs too.
    They don't bark or bombard guests coming into my home any longer, they walk by my side, come when called, and so much more! It's amazing!!!
    Having these tools to communicate with my boys is priceless and so rewarding when your dogs show you respect and treat you like the alpha that you are.
    I love my dogs to pieces and having them so well behaved is only making my bond with them stronger. If you are even thinking about getting a trainer, look no further! You won't find anything better than Justin.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Chewing
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
    • #Toileting
  • Grace F.
    9 years ago — San Diego, California

    Needless to say we were the classic case of SRDS (Spoiled Rotten Dog Syndrome), luckily we did find a cure... Justin from Bark Busters! He is seriously one of the best investments we have made for our precious lil' boy. Rudford's "SRDS" made him an unruly dog, he was very aggressive: barking at and jumping on people. He pretty much ruled our house. Justin really brought to light what we were doing wrong, why Rudford was doing the things he did and how to EFFECTIVELY correct it. After just the first session with Justin it was like we had a new dog, the results were immediate! It has been a month now and we feel more at ease anytime strangers are around. Thank you Justin for all your help, you definitely earned the Dog Whisperer Badge of Honor!

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Chewing
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Toileting