Al and Lisa are awesome. I don't write 5 star reviews very frequently but this is well deserved. My fiance and I called them when we moved in together and integrated our furry family of my 2 dogs (lab, golden) and his rambunctious 2 year old chocolate lab. Mine adjusted quickly, but his fluff ball had never moved and developed a bad case of anxiety due to all the changes. Which then slowly infected how the three interacted together, sigh. New unwanted behaviors included peeing in the house, barking at people, barking at other dogs, not listening, not coming on command, pulling on walks, and trying to attack anything that moved outside of what they thought was their front yard. It was intolerable and not how they were trained as puppies. Enter Bark Busters. We hired Bark Busters to look at all 3 dogs, the situation, and we welcomed the feedback.We learned that we let them do this to us as hard as it was to hear. We had to put a stop to these new behaviors and isolate the problems so that they could be retrained and walking peacefully in unison. So that meant correcting our behaviors as much as the dogs. The chocolate lab was identified the ringleader and she was the key to get the group under control. What has changed? Instead of barking - she grumbles softly. She tolerates strange dogs walking past from the balcony. She lets the doorbell ring without pitching a fit. We can almost pass another dog on a walk without her even looking at it. She sleeps during the day instead of howling. No more peeing in the house. I say when they sit, stay, come on command. I go through the door first, always. No destructive chewing. Minimal anxiety outside of the house. We have a ways to go as they are not perfect, but at least we can again go outside and not feel like we have to be on guard. There are moments when she still has anxiety but now we know what to do. What tools/techniques did they use? Well over 5 visits and 6 months later, we tried a lot of things including water bottles, stuffed animals on leashes, new leashes, long leashes, body positioning, growling, speaking authoritatively, walking together, body positioning ... and more and more and more. Each session we would talk about progress, what bad behaviors are still there, and try different techniques to get the right behavior. Best of all - it's all included in the initial price. Yep, one fee, guaranteed improvement. BUT you have to be consistent in training, put in the time, do the homework, and actively work with your dog. They aren't perfect yet, but they are getting there and worth the effort. We love our dogs and Al and Lisa provided much needed and appreciated support to help us get back on track.
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