Howard, Marlene & Brandon Marks dog training reviews

Marlene and Howard, from Bark Busters, are miracle workers. Our 13-week old labradoodle is a sweet puppy, but before yesterday, he barked and jumped and nipped ALL DAY LONG, and was a whirling dervish on the leash. It was exhausting and discouraging. Marlene and Howard came to our house yesterday morning, and changed our life. They stayed for a couple of hours, explained their methods and the philosophy behind them, and worked with my husband and me on basic behavior problems - barking, jumping, nipping, misbehaving on the leash, and a few other basics. By the time they left, our dog was relaxed and manageable. We were worried that he might revert to his former bad self as soon as they walked out the door, but Marlene and Howard emphasized that they were training us, not the dog, and that as long as we remained consistent, he would continue to respond well. When we worked with him this morning, he was relaxed, focused, and manageable. The nonstop barking seems to be a thing of the past; he sits on command and has begun to "stay" pretty well; his nippiness is practically gone; and we have every confidence that his leash behavior will continue to improve. All this after just ONE DAY. Thank you thank you thank you, Marlene and Howard. Permalink

Our 13-week old labradoodle is a sweet puppy, but before yesterday, he barked and jumped and nipped ALL DAY LONG, and was a whirling dervish on the leash. It was exhausting and discouraging. Marlene and Howard came to our house yesterday morning, and changed our life. They stayed for a couple of hours, explained their methods and the philosophy behind them, and worked with my husband and me on basic behavior problems - barking, jumping, nipping, misbehaving on the leash, and a few other basics. By the time they left, our dog was relaxed and manageable. We were worried that he might revert to his former bad self as soon as they walked out the door, but Marlene and Howard emphasized that they were training us, not the dog, and that as long as we remained consistent, he would continue to respond well. When we worked with him this morning, he was relaxed, focused, and manageable. The nonstop barking seems to be a thing of the past; he sits on command and has begun to "stay" pretty well; his nippiness is practically gone; and we have every confidence that his leash behavior will continue to improve. All this after just ONE DAY. Thank you thank you thank you, Marlene and Howard. Permalink

Marlene and Howard restored the peace in our home we had lost! My veterinarian recommended Marlene, Howard and Bark Busters when our 72 pound 6 mo old puppy, Marty was so aggressive in her office toward her and her staff. I e-mailed Marlene about our "problem" dog and she responded right away. Sept. 5th, 2017 was her first visit. My dog charged the front door, barking, growling, jumping. Somehow, they still came inside. I told her on the spot I didn't have any expectations from them or the training. My dog had been in 2 other obedience classes. He knew how to sit, stay, and lay down but that wasn't his problem. He nipped people, could not walk on a leash, aggressive toward dogs and people. He was running our house. I would let him outside and he would sit and stare at me when I called him in. The problem was very clear to Marlene. I hadn't assumed the leadership role so my dog did. I didn't know how to. She patiently taught me how to address our issues. The first visit they stayed over 2 1/2 hours. Educating me, showing me, hands on training. I worked diligently twice a day with my dog. I did everything they suggested and more. Return visit was 2 weeks later, my strong willed dominant Giant and I needed more hands on training. Howard had me walk my dog in the street by the curb to avoid distractions. They offered more suggestions. Week 3 I call it the turnaround week. My dog comes when called, jumping gone, aggression a lot better. On walks he is ignoring people and dogs. My dog was looking to me for direction. Our mornings are peaceful. Week 4 today, I met Marlene and Howard at door and told them "It's going to be a short visit" my dog and I have finally come to terms. I'm the leader, He's the dog! This wouldn't have been possible if Marlene, Howard, and Brandon hadn't taken the time to teach me how to be the leader my dog deserved. Thank you for EVERY-THING! Do I recommend Bark Busters and the Marks'? Without any reservation at all YES, yes, yes! Permalink

Howard and Marlene are AMAZING. We had started having trouble with our English Bulldog Ody walking on the leash he would bite and pull. 6 months ago this behavior carried over into the home, he would jump on us whenever we were in the kitchen or trying to pull something from the oven. After just one session with Howard and Marlene we saw such a notable improvement in Ody's behaviors! I have tried many other dog trainers in the past and had lost hope that someone could help us with our dog, but I'm so happy I tried one last time. I cannot recommend or praise them enough for what they've done for our family. Permalink

I had the initial puppy training five and a half years ago. I was very pleased with their improvement. In recent months, we moved from a fenced yard to a condo building. Between the use of elevators and the needs for daily walks, my dogs both needed training modifications. Marlene came out and accomplished all my hopes in one training session. My dogs and I are doing great. We continue to work on all our training lessons daily. The dogs now have beautiful elevator manners, which have been praised by many in the building. They walk correctly and trust me to be their alpha. I am no longer jerked about on our walks or keeping up with them as they chase squirrels. All those bad habits are in our past! I am so grateful to Barkbusters. My dogs are happier and our home is peaceful! Permalink

Marlene and Howard have been terrific. We have two rescues, one of whom has a largely unknown history. We needed training with regard to aggression of the dogs and leadership by us. Our aggressive rescue is a changed dog. I no longer dread going for walks for fear of negative encounters with both people and dogs. I can now enjoy a leisurely walk and my rescues now enjoy allowing me to be the leader. Thank you! I am so very happy that my husband and I reached out to Marlene and Howard. Permalink

Marlene has done a sensational job left me with the tools and mindsets to be able to properly train my dog she is always available for questions or comments I appreciate the dedication Sidney Rosenberg Permalink

I could cry writing this review because I'm so HAPPY with the results. After our first lesson with Howard and Marlene, Leo was already a changed dog. Leo is a 1.5 year old dachshund who began to develop some behavioral issues. I have had him since he was a puppy and nothing horrible has happened to him, it just felt like one day he decided he didn't like people. I grew up with dachshunds, so I know they are barkers, but Leo's bark is another story... It was aggressive, it was SO loud, it was piercing, and it didn't stop when we were greeted by strangers or when someone was at the door, etc. Then we noticed he attempted to bite couple of guest we had over when they were on their way out... That was our breaking point. I should also add that he is not fond of kids. We have only had 3 lessons so far, and Leo is a changed dog. Last weekend a kid sat down right next to him and he did NOTHING. We can now take him to places where there are lots of people and he doesn't even bark! IT'S AMAZING! I'm honestly still in awe of his transformation. Bark Buster's techniques are not cruel and they teach your dog to think with his brain and not his stomach. We had looked at a couple other training facilities before finding Bark Busters and I'm so glad we went with Bark Busters. I cannot recommend Marlene and Howard enough, they have made my life and Leo's life so much more enjoyable!!! Permalink

when Marlene told me that my dog could be trained, I really didn't think my eight year old rescue dog could change. Marlene's confidence in the program made me give it a try. Marlene gave me the skills I needed to train my dog who had separation anxiety. There were many times that we thought we would have to give her up but we persevered because we knew there was a chance that she would be put down. Our dog was always a sweet dog but she would flip out whenever we left the room or went out somewhere, this was extremely stressful for us. I am more than thrilled to say that my dog has done a complete turn around and the stress level in our house has gone down tremendously. I feel like we have a new dog thanks to Marlene. Permalink