French Bulldog: Training Insights & Behavior Traits

When I tell you Karina changed my life, this is not an understatement. As the owner of two french bulldogs, one, in particular, my 6-year-old boy had shown signs of aggression and had bit my fiance and me on occasion. Frustrated, scared, and sad in our own space we were at the end of our rope and I came across Bark Busters.

Karina came in and immediately got started, in a caring, compassionate and authoritative matter she trained me to talk to my dogs and to command the respect that allows us all to live comfortably and enjoy our time together.

Karina left after our first visit and I cried. Actual tears. There was a relief, there was understanding and most importantly light at the end of the tunnel.

Knowing we have access to Bark Busters for life is the reassurance we needed. Both of my babies have thrived with the tools Karina has imposed on us. I will truly never be able to thank Karina and Bark Busters for their support and knowledge.

If you're feeling like you're defeated - don't give up on your babies. Invest in this. It truly works.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Our french bulldog is incredible hostile and bit in the past. One session and we learned skills to resolve his behavior and exercises to continue.

Josh is amazing! At first I thought he'd have to make some return visits because I thought, how can one improve a dog's behavior in one day's time, but low an behold he did it. Baxter, my French bulldog, used to hyperactively jump at my legs whenever I returned to my apartment, jump on to the couch at his leisure, and when taking him for walks he would walk me with his incessant pulling. Josh provided me with the knowledge and commands to properly train Baxter consistently, and not even 4 days later he's like a new dog. He no longer jumps, he stays off of the couch, and now he walks by my side. I HIGHLY recommend Josh. He's very kind and you can tell he really cares about his craft.

James was amazing! He played a defining role in making my French Bulldog, Sullivan, the awesome, well-mannered dog he is today! James was there for me from day 1, as Sullivan was only a couple months old when we began training. He taught me everything I know about raising a puppy and was so supportive throughout Sullivan's puppyhood. James is a complete professional, was always on time, and available via text, email and phone- which was awesome for the busy lifestyle we all lead. I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Bark Busters! :)

Wonderful with reasonable pricing

We have been working with Johnny Jumper for a few months now and we are happy to highly recommend his services! I was the client that did not think we “needed” a trainer, and was I ever wrong about that! Our adult children gave us this training service as a gift because we were struggling with behavior issues with our dogs, and I ended up being the one that has become the most pleased with what we have learned thus far, and continue to learn with advice from this knowledgeable professional who really knows exactly what he’s doing.😎 Johnny is a pleasure to work with - kind and extremely dedicated to his work. He always seems to have a positive attitude, coupled with immense patience to work out incredibly smart solutions for our pet problems, and he always finds the solution for our particular situation. Our needs were complex, and Johnny has jumped high 😉 to be there for us. We consider him more than a trainer. He has become a very good friend to our family, and we couldn’t be more grateful for his expertise which has helped us manage our pups! He’s truly a blessing!💕

My puppy is a very animated, mischievous spirit. He just loves everyone & everything and has the energy of a tornado. Needless to say, we were having some issues with training and unable to find the right path forward on our own. After researching different options, I decided that 1:1 in home training would be the best course for him. That's when I found Bonnie & Bark Busters. From the moment Bonnie arrived, he realized this was someone who was clearly in charge and knew what she was doing - unlike his family. Let's face it, it is really the humans who need the training. Since that first day, he has become an even happier pup and, more importantly, calmer. His personality remains a bright beacon, undimmed by the training. Bonnie has helped with a myriad of issues and has made life a lot less stressful for everyone here - mostly our beloved pup. Following her instructions has certainly improved the quality of his life. Bonnie is extremely knowledgeable, professional and patient. Not once have I felt judged by her for my failures. She just gently reminds me that it is a slow process and that with each visit she can see the progress. So grateful for the encouragement and the difference she has already made in our puppy's life. I highly recommend her to anyone who might be struggling with their family member. I promise you will not regret your decision. My only regret is that I had not done it sooner.

Jeri Wagner is a literal wonder. From the moment she came to us and we saw how our dog behaved around her, we both knew that she would be an amazing help.
Archer is a sweet, sweet boy and he loves love so much that he gets excited and does everything he can to get pets and love from everyone he sees. Jeri saw this and she helped us get him in a place where he can feel all that love, but realize that he’s a big boy and it’s not okay to jump up and or run toward whomever he wanted to be near. Jeri demonstrated for us the way we need to act to get him to stop this behavior, all while still maintaining his sweet and happy demeanor. She is a literal life saver. To me, she is more of a trainer of humans than dogs lol…I had to work on some behavior of mine that has been confusing him. We adore Jeri and it’s not just because she is so kind. It’s because she knows exactly what she is doing. She’s effective, efficient and understanding of us having habits that would get in the way of his training. She is reassuring and her follow-up is outstanding. She cares very much about animals and their owners. She stands behind her methods and honestly, the methods she uses work whether or not we are in our own home or anywhere else. These are bad habit reversing lessons for us and our dog. He’s much happier now that he sees he can let us be in control. This is a tactic that we need to practice but it will stay with him-she just left Wednesday and it’s Friday and he’s already night and day better.

My dog, Jordy, needed to learn some indoor door manners and heeling on walks, calmly passing other dogs along the way. Jerry was great at teaching indoor manners and respecting space. Jordy is still a bit of a work in progress because walking outside has been limited due to the very hot summer we are having but overall there has been great improvement with his behavior and just enjoying the walk. I would recommend Jerry and his calm, professional manner. He gives great feedback and a summary of what we practiced during the home visits. Its good to have that to refer back to whenever I need it. Give Bark Busters a try, you won't regret it.

Hands down worth the money from Day 1. The resource guarding of our dog was so bad. We hired a trainer who helped but didn’t help “enough” and the resource guarding became worse to the point that our sweet little Havanese was biting our children in unpredictable moments. James came in and taught us about the psychology of a dog and we were able to create a space where our dog felt safe! His whole demeanor has changed! With consistency and whole family effort it has been a blessing for our family! We truly appreciate James and Bark Busters so much!

I have 2 whippets and Jared has been such a great resource! He has given me so many tools for: proper playing, fear of the car, stay, and most recently techniques to eliminate the jumping and over excitement when somebody comes over. He is very responsive and professional. Highly recommend!

Kyle began working with us at the end of May. We saw immediate results. He is truly the 'dog whisperer.' Darcy fell in love and curled up beside him on the sofa as soon as he sat down. She is an English Springer Spaniel and is FULL of energy. Kyle gave us some tools to use with her and we are extremely pleased with her (our) progress. We look forward to continuing to work with Kyle and highly recommend his service!

We cannot say enough good things about Kyle! We saw a dramatic difference in Louis after just the very first visit. One of our biggest concerns was Louis’ separation anxiety, he struggled tremendously with being left alone, and the improvement has been incredible. His separation anxiety is now completely gone, which is something we honestly weren’t sure we would ever be able to say!

Kyle is extremely knowledgeable, patient, and great at explaining not only what to do, but why it works. He gave us practical tools and techniques that we could easily continue using at home, and the results truly speak for themselves.

Louis is a much more confident and well-adjusted dog because of the work we’ve done with Kyle. We are beyond pleased with our experience and would absolutely recommend Kyle to anyone looking for a trainer. Worth every penny!

James has only been working with us a short time, yet the results are exceptional. We were looking for a trainer who was more balanced in their approach, not treats or heavy discipline. James fits - he’s given us the tools to help our dog Dory, not pull on the leash, bark unnecessarily, greet guest appropriately, just to name a few. I would highly recommend James Cresswell.

Cannot say enough amazing things about James and the Bark Buster family! I first used Bark Busters 7 years ago while we were living in Denver. The tools I learned and implemented changed my life and the relationship to my dogs, and the ease at which we were able to move throughout the house and in public.

Last week one of my two golden doodles passed on and his brother has had such heartbreaking separation anxiety. I have barely been able to leave his side on top of the heartbreak of dealing with the loss of my oldest. Needless to say things have been very difficult.

I reached out to Bark Busters here in North County and linked up with James who has shown up with the most amazingly understanding, loving, kind heart for our situation. Met with him today and in just 40 minutes had my baby boy relaxing and calm and for the first time since my eldest’s passing has me hopeful that we can find our way through this tough time and come out stronger than ever.

James has the tools and experience to overcome difficult training needs, but also the most amazing compassion for dogs and people and to say I’m grateful is an understatement.

Thank you James!

Our initial training session with Jeri was wonderful. She gave us so much information regarding dog behaviors and taught us how to speak to our Oreo in his language. I particularly liked how she had Bill and I use her training tecniques with Oreo while she stood back and functioned as our coach. This approach helped us to feel more confident and in charge when training our dog. The video's she showed us of the training tecniques was also helpful.

Mai Tai is a 7.5 year Chihuahua who barked at the slightest noise both inside and outside. Ryan is amazing. His training skill and expertise are incredible. Within the first hour of our home visit, Mai Tai was no longer barking at every noise. She responded quickly. Ryan also taught me how to curb the unwanted behavior when the door bell rang. I highly recommend Ryan and Bark Busters. I am overjoyed and thrilled with his service, experience, expertise, and thoroughness. The training techniques for Mai Tai and I are life changing!

Karen has been an absolute lifesaver. I meet with her weekly to learn how to address Nellie’s issues with pulling, jumping up and recall. I truly cannot thank her enough for her outstanding patience…with both of us. She’s the very best!!

We do not have words to express our thanks to Greg for the mindblowing transformation of our three, 5 year old Toy Fox Terriers, after only one session. The barking was non-stop whenever anyone would come into our home. We never thought we'd be able to have friends in our house again. Greg's level of expertise showed us how to exhibit leadership with our dogs, read their body language, and gave us training techniques, without treats, to reinforce the behaviors we want from them. Our three babies are so much happier. We highly recommend Greg to anyone looking for personal, effective training.

Working with James has been an extremely rewarding experience. He is so knowledgeable and helpful. With his help my untrained, six year old, rescue has made tremendous improvements. All of his recommendations have been much easier than I expected. Coco and I have learned so much and we are able to practice the lessons James shares with us. I highly recommend Bark Busters and James to train your pet. I know you will be as pleased as I have been and you will not regret this worthwhile
investment for the life of your pet. Thank you, James. Coco and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.

Adrienne is fabulous! We first worked with her in 2024 after we adopted Reggie and learned he was very protective of his house. We had her back a week ago to address a specific event and she was understanding and very helpful once again. We feel confident in our ability to deal with Reggie's protectiveness, and he is already learning what's expected of him. I know that if other issues surface that we can always reach out to Adrienne for her help.

I reached out to Bark Busters to help with my dog's general behavior and his separation anxiety. Johnny was able to schedule with me really quickly, came to my house, and spent time listening to the challenges and giving us homework that he first demonstrated and had us practice in front of him. We started noticing improvements immediately, which meant we were able to start moving forward working on separation anxiety. We have made the most progress with the separation anxiety challenges since working with Johnny than all of our other attempts to fix this issue. Johnny is helping us build our confidence and our dog's confidence. He checks in if he has not heard from us in a bit to make sure everything is going smoothly - we are so grateful for all of his help!

Jared was great to work with. I was having trouble with my 1 year old Bernese mountain dog who was lunging and barking at people and dogs while on leash. Within three sessions my puppy became a model student, easy to walk and no longer a concern for me. I am very grateful for the advice and hands on support that Jared provided.

We have been thrilled with James and The Bark Busters Home Dog Training Program in North County San Diego. We had a senior dog that passed away recently (he had moderate behavioral issues throughout his life that we never addressed properly). We adopted a 4 month old puppy in May, we have a 3 year old daughter and are expecting another baby girl in October. We knew it was important with all these new changes and a very energetic & wild puppy in the mix to seek support for any behavioral issues that may arise.

There was plenty to work on from the moment we took our German Retriever mix home. He was so excited to meet anyone new, he would nip & jump to the point of drawing blood. We needed immediate support with upcoming travel plans, knowing that we needed to establish better boundaries in order to leave our dog with the dog sitter and my in-laws. Koa, our puppy, was also very difficult to walk, pulling intensely and zig zagging all over the road. The idea of walking with a stroller, a toddler, eventually a baby & a puppy seemed impossible. We also wanted to be proactive with the baby coming, developing healthy habits with the dog early so we could be better prepared for a tiny human in the house. Lastly, we wanted guidance on how to properly socialize Koa since our previous dog did not do well with other dogs.

I found James based on rave reviews stating his approach was immediately helpful and we needed fast results! I also knew based on our 14 year experience with our previous dog, that issues arise throughout their whole life and so making the investment with James would be well worth it.

My husband and I are beyond satisfied with the level of customer care, the consistent and clear communication, and the results. We were able to leave on a 10 day trip after 2 sessions with James and the in-laws & dog sitter had positive experiences with Koa. My daughter's toddler friends can come visit and the interactions have gone very well. Walking Koa has been pleasant, we have far more control now and I can easily handle a double stroller with him.

I know we will continue to utilize James has we navigate adding a new baby to the mix and as Koa grows. I love that we have a reliable support to lean on. James clearly can teach you how to shift your dog's behavior & above all he is truly a kind and caring person to welcome into your home. We highly recommend his services! We have been thrilled with James and The Bark Busters Home Dog Training Program in North County San Diego. We had a senior dog that passed away recently (he had moderate behavioral issues throughout his life that we never addressed properly). We adopted a 4 month old puppy in May, we have a 3 year old daughter and are expecting another baby girl in October. We knew it was important with all these new changes and a very energetic & wild puppy in the mix to seek support for any behavioral issues that may arise.

There was plenty to work on from the moment we took our German Retriever mix home. He was so excited to meet anyone new, he would nip & jump to the point of drawing blood. We needed immediate support with upcoming travel plans, knowing that we needed to establish better boundaries in order to leave our dog with the dog sitter and my in-laws. Koa, our puppy, was also very difficult to walk, pulling intensely and zig zagging all over the road. The idea of walking with a stroller, a toddler, eventually a baby & a puppy seemed impossible. We also wanted to be proactive with the baby coming, developing healthy habits with the dog early so we could be better prepared for a tiny human in the house. Lastly, we wanted guidance on how to properly socialize Koa since our previous dog did not do well with other dogs.

I found James based on rave reviews stating his approach was immediately helpful and we needed fast results! I also knew based on our 14 year experience with our previous dog, that issues arise throughout their whole life and so making the investment with James would be well worth it.

My husband and I are beyond satisfied with the level of customer care, the consistent and clear communication, and the results. We were able to leave on a 10 day trip after 2 sessions with James and the in-laws & dog sitter had positive experiences with Koa. My daughter's toddler friends can come visit and the interactions have gone very well. Walking Koa has been pleasant, we have far more control now and I can easily handle a double stroller with him.

I know we will continue to utilize James has we navigate adding a new baby to the mix and as Koa grows. I love that we have a reliable support to lean on. James clearly can teach you how to shift your dog's behavior & above all he is truly a kind and caring person to welcome into your home. We highly recommend his services!

James is an amazing trainer for both of our high energy breeds. He is very responsive and always willing to meet with us or for a call as needed. Highly recommend him for anyone in the market for a new trainer!

We’ve had a great experience working with Johnny Jumper and have seen huge improvements in our dog’s behavior after only four sessions. Our dog is a shelter dog, and we came to Johnny with a few challenges, including lunging and barking at other dogs and people on walks, crate training, and going to the bathroom in the house. The progress has been pretty incredible. After just one session, the lunging and barking on walks improved dramatically. Crate training has been a huge improvement as well, and we’ve also been able to resolve the issues with peeing and pooping in the house. Johnny is kind and patient, but also confident and extremely knowledgeable. He’s great at explaining what he’s doing and giving us the tools to continue the training on our own. We’re only four sessions in and already feel like we have a completely different dog. Highly recommend Johnny!

We had a great morning getting trained by Scot! He was so engaging, easy to learn from, and knowledgeable! Scot provided us with manageable strategies that we can use to build a positive relationship between us and our pup. We learned so much in such a short amount of time! Thank you for giving us the jumpstart we needed to train our dog and develop good habits and behaviors!

Today was our fifth (I think) lesson from Miguel. We have been in awe of his performance since day one. Poppy is a 5-1/2 month old mini Bernedoodle. Miguel like to say she is full of “puppiness.” That’s a bit of an understatement. Yet after every lesson ( usually two weeks apart) we have seen remarkable, repeatable progress. Miguel is thoughtful, observant, very insightful and extremely effective; all of his with good humor and natural warmth.
Ron and Linda Kaplan