Howard, Marlene & Brandon Marks dog training reviews

We have an older dog who we adopted when she was a year old. Over the years, she has become increasingly aggressive to my husband and strangers coming through the door. She is part terrier and gets very anxious. This made for a very tense household. Marlene Marks worked with us via Zoom (due to Covid-19). Seriously, we had positive results within the first week. First, Marlene showed us that our human responses were often ineffective to a dog behavior. Rather than focusing on how to make the dog change, she empowered my husband and myself to make some simple changes in our behavior and help shape the dog's response. It has improved the quality of life within our household. Additionally, what I truly appreciated, was Marlene's very straight forward techniques and instructions. She took into consideration the "individual" dog and it's personality. She gave us feedback about accepting some of our dog's quirks (don't reach out to her) and focus on changing behaviors that create discord in the home. Our dog is definitely calmer and friends who know her have commented on her improved behavior and demeanor. We are very grateful. Permalink

My rescue dog (Dusty) has a lot of anxiety issues and we were having problems with house training her; Brandon was so amazing with teaching us how to communicate with Dusty and helping us understand what she was feeling. We had 3 sessions with him over the span of 6 months and in that time she became a completely different dog! All of the teachings are easy to understand and implement; plus they're all positive reinforcement (nothing involving shock collars, shouting, or getting rough with the dogs at all). He was also available whenever we had any questions via email, phone call, or text in between sessions. I can't recommend this service highly enough! Permalink

I reached out to Marlene to help with my four month old puppy. Due to covid-19, she offered me virtual lessons. I was hesitant but have found that the virtual lessons are just as effective. Marlene has been patient and willing to put forth every effort to make this work. She is always available to answer any questions and works with me to understand the exercises. After just one session, I noticed a significant change in my dogs behavior! I would highly recommend working with Marlene the virtual route during the quarantine. Permalink

I reached out to Bark Busters because my wife and I had found a starving stray dog in the alley behind our house. We fostered him while looking for his family and then through the process of finding an adoptive family. Lupin is a beautiful boy but understandably had some difficulty making the transition for life on the streets to domestic life. Marlene replied to my enquiry immediately and spoke to me a few days later on the phone. She was really supportive, encouraging and offered helpful , practical advice right away. She very kindly offered to come and give a free training session to Lupin as we were fostering him. Lupin has found a new home so we will not get to meet Marlene as we had planned to next week. I wanted to write a review to thank Marlene for her support and encouragement as we worked to get Lupin adopted, she is clearly a dedicated dog lover and I'm sure also a wonderful trainer. If we are ever in a similar situation, I wouldn't hesitate to call Marlene for help with training. Permalink

I have had only had the initial visit with Brandon and I am truly amazed! Not only is he wonderful, his knowledge and teaching style is wonderful! I have two German Shepherds who are litter-mates, a male and a female. The immediate response I got from the dogs were amazing. One example is when they were pups, I got them when they were 12 weeks, they are now 2.5, they were allowed on my bed. However, as they grew and began shedding more I no longer wanted them on my bed. I could not keep them from jumping on my bed so I used a baby gate to keep them out of my room. For the first time ever that night after training I took the gate down and they did NOT jump on my bed but slept next to the bed. It seems like a miracle to me lol. Thank you Brandon/Bark Busters! Permalink

Marlene and Howard from Bark Buster's are wonderful. After my horrible 4 week experience with another trainer I had lost faith in the dog training world. Marlene and Howard came to my house and seen for themselves my dogs behavior. Within 10 to 15 minutes I was noticing a totally different behavior. No choking, shocking or treats, just plain, simple corrections that worked! I didn't have to learn German to get my German Shepard to understand what I expect from her. This is not an overnight miracle, but they have given me the knowledge and tools to make me feel confident in this challenge. I would totally recommend Bark Buster's to anyone that needs training assistance with their dog. Thank you so much. Ted. Permalink

Bark Buster’s has been a huge help to me and my dog Andy. I’ve never had issues contacting them or scheduling visits. I love that they taught me how to properly train Andy without dangling a treat in his face. Their techniques are extremely easy to understand and follow. If you follow the techniques, you will see quick results. My first visit from Bark Buster was with Marlene and it didn't take long for her to see why I needed help with Andy (Jack Russell Terrier). When she came in we sat to start discussing their way of training. I gave her a cup of coffee and before she could drink it Andy jumped on the kitchen table and knocked it over. I was so embarrassed. The first training session with Marlene was about 2hrs. During that time, we discussed important skill I must learn to see improvement in Andy’s behavior. Next, Marlene helped me practice the skill with Andy. I was amazed to see how quickly and easy the process was. The remaining of my visits were with Brandon. Brandon is also an amazing trainer. Each training session with Brandon, started with a review from previous sessions of things I felt I still needed help with. After we continued with working on a new behavior discussed during my first visit. Although there were many issues I needed help with, my biggest issue was Andy’s separation anxiety. It took a while for Andy to overcome his anxiety, however, I followed the directions Brandon gave me and they worked! ReplyLike Permalink

Bark Busters saved our dog. We adopted a 110-lb Newfoundland to discover it wouldn't go down the stairs. If she couldn't go pee, we would have had to find another home for her, for her own safety. That's assuming we could relocate her! We had to rig up an emergency litter box. That's not good for anyone involved. Even though it worked, she was cooped up inside all day getting bored and antsy. We were still afraid she needed a new home. BarkBusters spent an extra hour in a sweaty stairwell to make sure we fixed the behavior. When we were done, our dog was parading up and down the steps just to show off. All five of us were downing water and crowding around the air conditioner when we finished. We signed up for the lifetime benefits on the spot. In addition to normal training, even if we move or if it's a year later when the dog has a problem, they'll be back. We talked about a move across the country, and they already know the name of the person who can pick up our case. If BarkBusters can get my 110-lb Newfoundland up and down the steps, they can help your dog with their problem too. They also taught us simple tips to get immediate control of the dog's attention, plenty of literature and homework to extend the training, and even a sign to hang on the door to let our neighbors know we're training. It's an all-inclusive deal, from getting you a leash if you need one, to making sure you can lead the training when they're gone. We had a perfect experience. I would have paid the lifetime fee just to see the dog go down the stairs, but toss in further visits and I'm a lifetime convert. Thanks! Permalink

Brandon is the best trainer Permalink

Bark Busters has been a dream come true for our family and our dogs. Their training methods are so simple, yet so effective it has made training our 2 young dogs a joy. The follow up is very helpful for reinforcement and adding new lessons. Our dogs are so well behaved and happy after just a few training sessions. I can’t thank Marlene and Brandon enough for their help and encouragement. Permalink