James & Michelle Rodriguez dog training reviews

We called James and Michelle because our new rescue (a 3 year old, pit bull terrier named Blue) was aggressive towards other animals. We didn't call them first though. The other company we called rejected us. Stating that it would take many months of one on one behavior training, thousands of dollars and worried we would end up having to put her down due to a possible rocky past. We were devastated but we didn’t want to give up on our new family member and decided to invest in her no matter how long it took. Michelle put me at ease right away. She gave me some information I could use while we waited to meet James at our first appointment. James sat with us for close to 2 hours answering questions and teaching us to understand Blue. We were so excited to get started. James gave us lots to work on and Blue took right to it. The more we stepped up as leaders the better she responded. We are continuing to work with her everyday and she is no longer reacting to other dogs as we pass. We are so grateful to not be pulled across the road every time another animal is spotted. These are not the only things James taught us but these were the biggies. Overall Experience: We enjoyed learning more about our dog and how she thinks. James is a great teacher, very encouraging and helpful. He is a fantastic support system. Anytime we felt we had a set back or a question we could count on James to lend us support over the phone. Price: I wish we would have known Blue would have responded so well to training. We would have gone with the smallest package. So we over paid but it is wonderful to know Blue better and to be more confident in our own skills as Blue’s new family pack. Permalink

Excellent results. Dolly is walking on leash calmly and looking to me for direction. Still working on lunging at small dogs but that behavior will hopefully decrease as we get further along in training. Permalink

For some time my dogs had been annoying me and my neighbors with their random barking and though I know my pups are harmless they sounded vicious. After one session with James I could already see an improvement in my 5 and 3 year old Shepherd mixes. In my opinion, the biggest thing that Bark Busters did was help me to understand HOW to communicate with my dogs through my behavior and actions. I am a vet tech so what I have learned has even helped me at work and I now recommend them to ALL of my clients! Permalink

I learned about Bark Busters through my work as a vet assistant. It is amazing. James came to our house professional and on time to help with both of our dogs barking and running to the door when the doorbell rings, one of my dogs would growl at people that she didn't know. My other dog had multiple accidents in the house and walked very poorly on leash. James came over and took control, knew exactly what he was doing and the things he teaches really do work!! It's mostly training you as a dog owner, which can be difficult in the beginning but now I do it without even thinking about it. All of the issues I had with both dogs are now resolved. When the doorbell rings both now run straight to their beds and stay until I release them. On walks they both walk quietly next to me. It is such a relief! If you are having any issues with your dog I now highly recommend Bark Busters. Permalink

James spent 2 hours and twenty minutes with us on the first meeting to discuss issues we wanted to work on with our dog, Kacie, such as counter surfing, trash diving, jumping up and worse of all aggression with some dogs and with veterinary staff. He explained how to become her leader and the need to be consistent. We saw some results the first visit! She is much better in all aspects and muzzle training at home continues to get her accustomed so she can safely been seen at the vets. On our second meeting a few weeks later I told him of a terrible walk we went on where she pulled so hard she tore the skin on my palm and the walk was terminated after a half block. James outfitted her with a training leash and we went for a walk. It was magical, within a few minutes we were able to walk without any pulling and a calm willing walking partner. I now have a dog who is a pleasure to walk with and who has learned house manners. We still have work to do and I must continue to be consistent with guiding her but it is 100% better than before Bark Busters. Thanks James! Permalink

I was referred to Bark Busters by both my vet and Charleston Animal Society. When we rescued our Lab/Golden "puppy", Rupp, he was a 70 pound stray with absolutely ZERO social skills or domestication. He was basically a wild animal. Rupp didn't know a single command (not even SIT), had never worn a leash, and had no exposure to other dogs. He also had EXTREME separation anxiety, and could not be left alone for any period of time. To say I was desperate when I called James is an understatement! Walks were virtually impossible, and we couldn't let him out of our sight for a second....admittedly, I was almost in tears daily. This service is worth every penny. In my opinion, the most valuable part is that James trained ME to train my dog. He has an awesome understanding of dog behavior and psychology, which is really the most important part of training. James is also SUPER patient. Rupp is an EXTREMELY hyper, energetic, "spirited" dog, and he requires A LOT of discipline & consistency. James has worked with us for hours, and never seems to get irritated or frustrated (like I do). Most importantly, his tips and training tools WORK, and he truly seems to care about Rupp's progress. He also doesn't use treats as training tools, which is awesome and unique. The other thing I like so much about James is that he is realistic and honest, which helps me manage my expectations for Rupp. He asked me to make a list of things I wanted to work on, and it was three pages long. Instead of cramming everything into one session, we took baby steps and the results have been AMAZING. Rupp is now crate trained, walks effortlessly on the leash (with his leader), goes to his bed on command, stays off the furniture, and has even started walking past other dogs without reacting. The list goes on and on. It has been less than three months, and we have had three sessions with James. Rupp is like a completely different dog. His progress has been unbelievable, and there is literally no way we could have gotten to this point without James. Which reminds me I need to book session #4. I would 100% recommend Bark Busters to anyone and everyone! Permalink

James has been awesome!! We adopted Hunter 4 months ago and didn't know he had aggression. After having him bite us numerous times, and knowing we were his only hope at a happy life, we contacted James and Michelle. After just one visit, we learned ways to handle Hunter, and no one has been bit in 5 weeks! James taught us how to be leaders to Hunter, and now everyone is feeling more comfortable. We also worked on barking, and housebreaking! I don't know where we'd be without James! We are so grateful! Permalink

James did a wonderful job of explaining why dogs do what they do. His training method is clear and easy to implement. My 1 year old shih tzu showed improvement within one day -- no more demanding barking or nipping at me when she wants something. Training takes time and patience and if you're willing to put in the effort you'll see results using Bark Busters training methods. Permalink

James and Michelle are amazing! James came to our home and we saw an improvement in our 7 yr old dog and 10 month old puppy within 30 mins! They teach you the fundamentals in the beginning to take control of your canine family members using words, sounds, and commands, it's awesome! We just had a newborn so we've only had one session so far, but once we get settled in at home we will definitely be contacting Bark Busters again for further training!! Permalink

James and Bark Busters have made it where we can truly enjoy our dogs! We got a new rescue lab puppy in July and she was driving us crazy...counter surfing, chewing, biting, jumping etc. After our initial meeting with James and the training provided, we started seeing results. The methods are logical and easy to implement...and we learned that consistency on our part is the secret. We'd had other training in the past with our other dog but had seen mixed results...we're truly sold on the Bark Busters method and recommend it to anyone who wants to control their dog rather than the other way around. Permalink