Dog training reviews

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

Incredible way to teach the humans pack leadership and the dogs good behavior. The techniques used are easy and our dogs reacted incredibly quick. Bark Busters will make living with our dogs so much more enjoyable. Pat did a great job and was great to work with. Permalink

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We noticed a change in Gibson immediately on how he responded tot Patrick. We are going to continue with what he taught us going forward. Patrick was very knowledgeable and shared many techniques with us during our time together. I will highly recommend the Bark Busters Dog Training. Thank you Patrick for taking the time to help us and Gibson. Permalink

Linda has been a blessing to us. We fostered then adopted our Xander last July. He was 5 years old and had some unique behavioral challenges. He was very anxious and obsessed with lights/reflections. Linda has showed me how to be more patient while still being the "pack leader" and redirecting his behavior. Her training methods are very straight forward. Overall, we have seen improvement in Xander's behavior and his level of anxiety, as have our friends and neighbors. Xander suffered an injury in March and Linda still continued to work with us via calls and emails up until our most recent visit yesterday. I appreciate her calming nature and the way she follows up with us. We are now working toward our AKC Canine Good Citizen test in August. We always look forward to seeing her! Permalink

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Jim was very knowledgeable! Permalink

Everything we were taught made sense! Permalink

I am very impressed with the improvement my dogs have shown after one session with Donna. She really worked some magic. A large part was that we needed to establish who was in charge, which she showed us how to do without any need to frighten, intimidate, or hurt the animals. I think Teddie the Corgi used to be the leader of the family pack: but he wasn't really happy in that role, and seems more secure now. He's a smart dog who needed leadership, as Donna explained. Hugo also is learning to come when called, and that's a big step forward. We are very happy with the training so far. Tried another group last year and quit after one session even thought that meant giving up a considerable sum of money because I didn't like the approach of the trainer, either to me or the dogs. The difference between that experience and working with Donna is amazing. She's knowledgeable, professional, fun, and gets results. Permalink

The lesson was great & easy to understand. I am already impressed with the results with Roscoe's & Ranger's behavior. I am so excited that they are now so well behaved. Pat was great and made sure we were doing everything correct! I would highly recommend Pat & Bark Busters to family and friends. Permalink