Dog Separation Anxiety Training

I’m so happy I found Sharon through Bark Busters! We were struggling with potty training, jumping, pulling on walks, and other puppy behaviors, and after our very first session we already noticed a huge difference. Sharon is incredibly knowledgeable and does a great job explaining not just what to do, but why your dog is behaving a certain way. She’s patient, amazing with the dogs, and always quick to respond when I have questions. She has taught me so much and made me feel way more confident with training my puppies. I genuinely can’t recommend her enough! 🦮🐾

We’ve had three training sessions with Omar so far, and the difference we’ve seen in our dogs has already been incredible. We also brought our newborn son home three weeks ago, so having better structure and communication with our dogs during such a huge transition has been especially important to us.

Since starting training, their barking has decreased significantly, they’ve adjusted really well to having our baby in the home, and they are noticeably less anxious when visitors come over—something we struggled with quite a bit before.

Omar has been great to work with. He explains what he’s doing and, more importantly, teaches us how to communicate with our dogs and continue working with them between sessions. We still have more we want to work on, but seeing this much improvement after only three sessions has been really encouraging.

We’re very happy with our experience so far and would absolutely recommend Omar to anyone looking for help with their dogs, especially families going through a major transition like bringing home a new baby.

The best dog behaviorist in Pinellas County. I highly recommend her for she is amazing. You will see a huge difference with her first meeting. I have recommended her to three of our neighbors. We all agree it was the best investment for us and our little fur babies. 5 star.

I would highly recommend Kevin as a dog trainer!

My partner and i rescued a 18 monthish old Australian shepherd named Dune who had some bad habits that we needed help nipping in the bud. Dune would try to herd guests around the house by nipping at their butts (lol), had pretty bad separation anxiety (would panic and bark constantly after more than a few minutes alone), and had some leash reactivity and liked to pull constantly on walks

pretty much all of that is solved now after a few sessions with Kevin! Kevin was able to move his schedule around and get us our first session like 2 days after we reached out and after the first 2 sessions his separation anxiety and nipping at people around the house were basically gone and after the first dedicated session to leash manners we got that mostly taken care of as well. The way Kevin taught us how to communicate with Dune was so valuable and he really set us up well to know how to work with him going forward on new stuff!

And the lifetime support if new situations arise is such a big stress reliever for us! Could not recommend Kevin more!!

Kevin has really done an amazing job training us and our dog, Plissken. We had tried several positive reinforcement styles of training before meeting Kevin. Now we see that treating our dog like a dog, works wonders. Plissken is calmer, seems happier and responds much better to directions. We are still working with Kevin and look forward to seeing even more progress. We definitely recommend Bark Busters.

Kevin has been great! My dog was biting strangers and now she's so sweet. very grateful to this company.

We are late on this review not because Kevin wasn't professional every time we met or because the results were terrible. When Kevin entered our lives we had a puppy that was dangerously food protective and generally unruly. We have had other dogs in the past that we traditionally trained. They were the neighborhood standard of well behaved dogs. August through us for a loop. Kevin came in and over a year thought us how to communicate with August. He has Great Pyrenees breed traits. Kevin gave us boundaries, communication tools, patience, and most importantly real honest expectations. We just celebrated August's 2nd birthday and today his reactiveness is minor, his food and toy aggression is non existent. He is starting to respond to commands without treats. He has always been the most affectionate dog we have owned, but today Im happily to report he is now a well behaved socialized dog. Thank you Kevin for everything you did for us and our beautiful boy. Also knowing that they are there if we need follow-up training, is an unmeasurable comfort. If you are willing to realize that it's not your dogs fault but how you interact with your dog. Then you are ready to be a caregiver to your pup and you are ready for Bark Busters! Find the love language between you and your furry love and get a Bark Busters trainer! Xxo

We lost our sweet, chill Lab of 10 years March 2024. And we went for awhile without a dog... but missed having that companionship. So we adopted Crispin (Irish Terrier mix?) from the shelter August 2024. He is a lovable, goofy dog... but 100% different from our previous dog and we found ourselves completely stymied by his reactivity and behavior.

We reached out to Bark busters, and from the first conversation we were met with really excellent information about who they are, what they do, how the process works, etc. We're really lucky to have Kevin come work with us. He has absolutely changed the trajectory of our relationship with Crispin!

Kevin is easily reached and very flexible about meeting times. He has a great, calm demeanor around dogs and never skips a beat in answering our many questions. The way he explains the training process and then demonstrates how to do things with Crispin has been great. I really enjoy the Bark busters psychology and speaking to dogs in a way they understand. It's really evident to me every time Kevin is explaining something and shows us with Crispin. And as he said, you get used to "bahhing!" your dog in public. I was slightly embarrassed at first, but have no problems with it now.

Crispin is still a work in progress, but the difference between when we started several months ago and now is distinct. I'm very glad we found Bark busters!

We've been working with Kevin from Bark Busters for a few months, and I can't say enough good things about the experience. He is incredibly patient and understanding, which was so refreshing after trying multiple other trainers (including board-and-train programs) with little to no progress.

Kevin's approach was completely different, and much more forgiving, allowing us complete flexibility on how often to have training sessions & check-ins. He never made us feel pressured to be "done" by a certain point and accommodates our pace and schedule.

He focused on helping us understand how our dogs are communicating and how to respond in a way that makes sense to them. It felt like he wasn't just "training the dogs," but actually empowering us as owners with the tools and knowledge we needed. For the first time, I feel like we're truly making progress and building a better relationship with our dogs! We feel a lot more in control, and while we know they aren't perfect - we can finally feel confident we are working together in the right direction.

I highly recommend working with Kevin and the Bark Busters method!

I've only been working with Kevin for two months and already see a huge difference in my dogs behaviors and confidence levels! I have two middle-aged chihuahuas who love to bark, are reactive to strangers, and are very anxious. I had low hopes that I would ever be able to control their behavior, but decided to give this a try.
The first time Kevin came over we spent a long time talking about their behaviors and going in depth about how to best communicate with them. Since then we've worked on decreasing their reactivity when people enter the house, exercises to help improve their listening, and their behavior on walks.
After only two months and three training sessions, they're significantly less reactive to new people and most importantly seem more comfortable and confident in themselves.
I'm so happy that I found Kevin! I can't wait to see how my kiddos continue to progress.

highly recommend Kevin. after only two sessions there is a big difference in our dog's behavior. granted the humans must practice the skills but it seems to work ! worth the $ when you consider less damage and less frustration .

Kevin is an amazing trainer that understands dogs. Kevin educated me and my husband on how to better communicate with our puppy and why it's so important to think from our puppy's perspective to build a relationship based on trust and respect. Even after just one session, our puppy's bad behavior was drastically reduced and we acknowledged that we should change our routines and communication methods as well. We're hopeful that we will be able to develop and maintain a healthy, loving relationship with our puppy.

I couldn't be more thankful for Kevin!! He took the time to explain the purpose, approach, and benefit to Bark Busters training methods. It taught me a great deal as it relates to communicating with my pup in terms she can understand and respond to, as I was lost in that department. I've seen a positive impact to her readiness to listen and obey (although we are still working on outside distractions - but I'm confident we can get there). She respects the front door area now when guests are entering, and no longer pulls on her leash while taking walks. Kevin has been extremely communicative in checking-in and flexible with my busy schedule. Also very calm with my pup - she feeds off energy quickly and loves him! Thanks for everything you do!

Wow. So grateful for the tools Kevin gave our family with our new pup Frank. The time and attention on us and how we help support him learn good habits was amazing.
Expect a long first session with the building blocks that really help set the tone and confidence in the process. The training was simple but it is our job to stay consistent with it. We saw quick results in the first session and were amazed at how our wild puppy did.
Highly recommend the lifetime membership with continuous support. Be prepared to put in consistent effort but it's so worth it to have balance in your life and your pups life!

We're so incredibly lucky we found Bark Busters, and specifically, Kevin. We have two rescue dogs, both 3.5 years old, who were exhibiting behaviours we needed to fix. After learning more about the uniqueness of the BB program itself (nationwide trainers, full-life trainer commitment) we booked our first visit. Kevin is great and has been incredibly helpful. He has a down-to-earth and casual approach to the sessions making it easy to understand and follow. We identified the issues and have begun tackling them one at a time. But most importantly, the dogs have responded in the best way. It almost feels like we've unlocked a new form of communication with them. Once you get over the funny sounds and barks you have to do, it's pretty powerful how responsive the dogs have become. Within days we saw noticeable improvement with some of our issues. We look forward to continuing the journey with Kevin and Bark Busters and definitely recommend it to others!

We love our Malshi pup Benji, but he has suffered a pretty bad case of separation anxiety. He would howl and whine when we would leave our place and at times caught him digging and being destructive. He also has trouble focusing and social anxiety issues. Kevin has been great in providing the necessary tools and advice on how to go about easing Benji's separation anxiety and overall behavior, and we have seen improvement since our first session! He's taught us how to properly communicate to our pup and has been responsive whenever we have any questions or concerns. It's nice and relieving to know that Kevin will be by our side during Benji's growth and development!

We could not be more grateful for the time Kevin spent with us and our 2 year old husky, Akasha. We adopted Akasha from a shelter where she was for 5 months before we brought her home. We now have such a better understanding of her needs and how to communicate and establish our own needs and boundaries with her, and it has made a huge difference in our day to day lives. Akasha now knows what to expect from us and what's expected of her and it has made for a much calmer dog - something we never thought would be possible!

The tools and training are very simple and very effective. All it takes is commitment + consistency and results are inevitable over time and (some things even rather instantly). She respects and trusts our leadership but is still the fun loving girl we fell in love with.

A big THANK YOU to Kevin and his team, we could not recommend them more!!!

Kevin was a life saver. I have two dogs. Initially I thought I only needed training for the one dog I have, but they train your dogs as a pack. my other dog definitely needed some help as well. My frenchie was such a sweetheart but was destroying our house and had zero trust for us and would no follow any commands. I was so stressed out and felt like I couldn't enjoy my pet. Kevin was so helpful in helping my pets and I build trust and helping me to understand what my dogs needed and how to be the pack leader without having to lose my cool. I'm able to enjoy my Frenchie Donut and he no longer destroys things. I can leave him home alone without fear that my things with be ruined. He seems much happier and we definitely are. I love how he trained our dogs in their environment in their home too.

Working with Bark Busters has been a massive weight off my shoulders, and I'm happy I decided to use their services. Kevin possesses extensive knowledge of dog behavior and is a caring, professional, and skilled trainer who understands our dog's needs to provide the best possible assistance and help. He uses positive training techniques, which are vital in helping the relationship between my dog and me grow.

Recently, Kevin has helped me work through some behavioral issues with my dog, and I cannot express enough how thankful to his guidance. Kevin's patience and willingness to enter into a true partnership with me and my dog are phenomenal. He is very invested in the success of correcting behaviors which is something you often do not find in the dog training community. Thanks for the help and continued mentorship, Kevin!

Couldn't recommend Kevin enough. After just one session my wife and I received the tools necessary to start properly training our dog. We have a very high energy Aussiedoodle (2 year old) that we weren't sure would calm down and give us the respect we needed. Since working with Kevin and Bark Busters we have only seen improvement. Before Kevin came into our lives our dog Sol was definitely confused. Now he isn't and understands the hierarchy in our home. The simple tools and guidance he has shown us are super effective. Very grateful to have Kevin in our lives!

I couldn't recommend Bark Busters more, my husband and I were in shock when, only after the first session, our dog Coco was already behaving so much better and listening to us as she never did before.
Kevin literally explained to us dog psychology, he taught us how to communicate with our little bud in "dog" which is the only language dogs know!
Coco is a rescue from the streets of Mexico, she survived as a puppy completely on her own until she was found and brought to California. Once she realized that she had her own place, she became incredibly protective of it and she wouldn't let strangers into the house without barking her head off. Kevin showed us some super effective exercises that changed the game completely. Now Coco is happy to have guests and she respects us more than ever.
Walks also improved drastically. Before Kevin's intervention, Coco was the worst puller on the leash. Kevin's method worked so well that I can't explain in words how happy and satisfied we are. We love Bark Busters, they changed our relationship with Coco and now we are a happy little family, nobody barks anymore and all is left is love and cuddles. :D

We are first-time dog owners. We got our puppy at eight weeks and were over our heads. Ever since Kevin came, we have seen improvements with our puppy Jazz immediately. He always assesses the situation to figure out where Jazz is and gives us great building blocks and pointers on handling each situation within each phase we head into with her each time we see him. He is an awesome trainer. He makes himself available and is always responsive when we text him to guide us on addressing what we are dealing with. We highly recommend this training. You will see improvements if you stay consistent with their guidance.

This review is a little early to give because we've only had two training sessions with Kevin and Christen...but I think they are on their way to earning 5 stars.

The first visit was with just Kevin, he explained the Bark Buster methodology and to be perfectly honest, me and my husband were a little skeptical about the training and weren't sure if we wanted to go with the company. The training is based on body language and "growling" at the dog when you are displeased (there are no treats involved!). There are no specific commands and seemed too simple and general to work.

We told Kevin we'd have to think about if we wanted to go with the Bark Busters route (we were looking at other trainers at the time too). We tried the "growling" for a few days and were surprised to see improvements in our pup's behavior.

We've been working with Kevin and Christen for about a month now and have had two private (1.5 hour) sessions with them. Our dog never had terrible behavior issues, our main concern was her aggression towards other dogs/humans. Since we started the training: her ability to walk in a heel has drastically improved, she no longer uncontrollably barks at the door when someone knocks, she doesn't lunge/bark at other dogs when out on walks, she waits for us to walk through a doorway before she does, and she seems overall more patient with us.

So far we've avoided greeting strangers and politely disengaging when they try to pet her. Or stepping away when another dog comes to sniff her instead of snapping/growling. We hope to work up to these situations with Kevin and Christen in the future.

Kevin and Christen are both very encouraging and attentive. During training they give pointers but are there as coaches and don't interact with your dog (it's all about the dog and the owner...not the dog and the trainer). They are easy to get a hold of and respond to questions about training that I've sent via text. I was definitely skeptical about the training methodology in the beginning but am now a believer.

We have two rescues with two completely different personalities. We needed help managing their behaviors. Kevin has been working with us for the past few months, but after his first visit we noticed significant improvements with our dog Peanut. Love working with Kevin. Thank you for being so patient with our pets.