Client Reviews and Testimonials

The training worked much better than what we were expecting overall. Our lab was out of control and within 3 hours he was a completely different dog. We hope that we can continue all the methods we learned and we recommend this to anybody that are having the same problems we were. Permalink

I would like to comment on the two training sessions we have had with Janie. My dogs are difficult and I am part of the problem. I have not let them know I am the head of the pack so they try to do what I am supposed to do. Janie has been to see us twice. The first time I saw a noticeable difference in both Rocky and Max. They were listening and doing what they were told. Janie is very patient with both the dogs and me. When I get frustrated she stays very calm and makes suggestions on what I should do differently. She never says that I am doing something wrong. And is never negative in any way. She just makes suggestions and demonstrates what I should be doing. One day I called her upset and crying because I felt like I was a lousy owner and no good for my dogs. She talked to me for quite awhile and pointed out what I was doing right. She made me feel like I could actually help my dogs and myself with her help and with Barkbusters method of training. I felt so much better. In closing I just want to say that Janie is very knowldegable, kind, and patient. I can tell she has so much love for dogs and wants to help them. I have so much faith in her and I love the training sessions with her. She is awesome. Permalink

After one visit with Rob, it is like we have a new, calm, and obedient dog! Of course, it is our behavior that has changed. Rob helped us to understand how dogs think. We saw an immediate change in Harley, and she seems happier! We are continuing our exercises, and seeing results. Harley still challenges us but we are sticking to what we now know! Permalink

I have a pack of three Boston Terriers (ages 1, 3, and 4) that I desperately needed to teach better manners when it came to "charging"€ the front door, jumping onto the couch, and not pulling while on the leash. To add to the situation, my 1 year old puppy is deaf. In searching online for local in home trainers, Nicole's name came up. On top of her bios and other professional write ups, it was the other happy customer reviews I read over that sold me on the idea that I needed to reach out to Nicole. Before even meeting her, I got the vibe that Nicole was the "real deal" and was excited to see what techniques she would be bringing to the table to help me with my pack. Nicole worked with 1 dog at a time until they mastered the concept, then we practiced the skill with all 3 dogs at once. Making adjustments to my body language, voice tone, and wording had me speaking "€œdog"€, which had my dogs quickly realize the "€œcharging", jumping, and pulling behaviors are no longer acceptable. With every tool or technique tried, Nicole gave me an explanation as to why she was having me say and do things in the particular manor she was demonstrating, which was much appreciated. Knowing why I'€™m doing something is just as important as understanding how to do it. During this process, I was most impressed with Nicole's ability to teach my deaf high energy puppy the same expectations and skills that the other two were learning. Having her own deaf dog has lead her to be very knowledgeable about best practices and techniques. However, I am confident that if Nicole didn't have prior experience with a deaf dog, or any dog with special needs, she would have taken the time to educate herself prior to coming to the lesson and come prepared with several tools/ techniques available to find the most successful one. From beginning to end, Nicole's demeanor towards myself and my dogs was nothing short of professional. She didn'€™t leave any questions unanswered or apprehensions unaddressed. It is clear that Nicole is truly passionate about what she does and that it isn'€™t "just a job"€ for her. Since our lesson, Nicole has reached out to check in on our progress and is always responsive to emails with questions/ concerns that have arose with helpful information and reminders. I would recommend Nicole to anyone!!!!! Permalink

My husband and I rescued a younger dog two months ago who is great in the house (not taking into account some boundary issues) but is challenging on leash, especially around other dogs. After a month we knew it would be best to get professional help so that we didn't develop bad habits or make the situation worse. After doing some research and reading countless reviews, we found Mike from Bark Busters. And it turns out, the reviews are right! Mike's training approach is quick and effective and the homework assignments he leaves you with are easy to follow and replicate on your own - the perfect recipe for a training success! After a two hour session we've noticed a marked difference in our dog and feel confident that we can keep progressing with the training techniques and behaviors he taught us. Mike and Bark Busters offer a lifetime guarantee which means you can call Mike anytime if you feel you need additional help with your dog's behavior or if something new pops up. Mike doesn't use treats or pain tools like choke collars and e-collars which I LOVE. Permalink

Pure Gold! With just one session and 2 days of our family using the techniques Michael taught us our house is now so much more enjoyable. We have 3 dogs (all rescues, ages 1 year - 8 years) and the barking was unbearable ... door bell, mailman, cars on the road, walkers on the road, squirrels, birds ... nothing was off limits for these guys to start barking, barking, barking.....But now our home is bark free. We have had other trainers come to our house but nothing seemed to work nor were the training techniques sustainable. Michael's formula is quick, easy and sustainable for the entire family to practice and enforce everyday. With his lifetime training guarantee we are looking forward to having him help us with some of the other issues as well! The only question we have is 'Why did we wait so long to call Michael"?!?!?! If you have dog issues you must call Michael today! Permalink

Michael has impressed us with only one visit with his practical techniques to remind our dog that we are the top dogs in the house, not him. We have let our dog take over the house to the point that it was hard for us to have guest as he growls and charges at them. He also has leash agression and agression towards other dogs. We look forward to learning the many techniques that Michael has made available for us to make our "devil dog" the sweet dog we were drawn to at the shelter. Our dog is very fearful still from the shelter, but Michael has assured us he will work with us as long as needed to get our dog to a comfortable place and to teach him that my husband and I are the boss, not him! Permalink

Wow! If anyone in the Stamford or Fairfield county is looking for a dog trainer look no more. My wife and I have a rescue pit bull , Max, who we took into our family 7months ago, He was very energetic( meaning overly hyper) and unresponsive to sort of training we tried. A friend of ours had a co worker who had Mike train their dog and highly recommended him. We got in touch with Mike and him meet Max. Well... not even 2 hours later our lives are changed forever. His behavioral approach to training US, not just max was/ amazing! He followed up with us to make sure we were following our homework with max and how he was responding. HIGHLY RECOMMEND- THANKS MIKE! Permalink

Michael has been great- he is flexible with lesson times and accommodates our busy schedules. Twix has responded well to his techniques and our children enjoy some of the methods- thank you! Permalink

Barkbuster methods and training were easy to understand and seemed to help with the behaviors we were seeing in our dogs right away. There was a lot of information that made sense as far as why the dogs act the way that they do and so what we were being taught followed. Permalink