Client Reviews and Testimonials

We called Bark Busters to help us with our 2-year old bloodhound's fear and anxiety relating to people visiting our house. Paige has always been friendly with strangers she meets on walks, or in parks, pet stores, Farmer's Market, etc, but since we moved to a new house in the Summer, my husband and I had noticed Paige becoming increasingly anxious when people she didn't know would come to visit. It seemed to be a very uncomfortable experience for both pup and visitors! Deb Boswell came to see us in early February and while I was nervous for how Paige would react to a new stranger in the house, I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised with how she reacted to Deb's visit, which I credit completely to Deb's understanding of how to interact with dogs. She allowed Paige to come to her at her own discretion and did not force interaction with Paige, which allowed Paige to assess Deb on her own terms and feel comfortable on her own. During the first lesson, Deb evaluated Paige's behavior and pointed out some of her behaviors which indicate she sees herself as the pack leader, rather than my husband and I. Deb gave us some insight into how dogs view social hierarchy and the importance of the pack leader role. In the last two years, we believed everything we did for our dog was to show her that she was loved and a member of the family, but in reality, we have reinforced in her mind that she is running the show. We now feel that we have the understanding critical to help Paige realize that she does not have to be the "head of security" of the house, and that she can just relax and be a dog. While we know we have many months of consistent training work to do with Paige, we have already noticed an improvement in her greeting strangers at the house, following us instead of leading on walks, and allowing my husband and I to take on the leadership role. Many many thanks to Deb and Bark Busters for their great work and continued support! Permalink

Thank you for teaching us how to properly address our bully's demanding attention seeking behavior. Once we started properly correcting him, we saw an immediate difference! Permalink

It was a very pleasant and enlightening experience. We realize that both Trixie and us have a lot to learn and that is a goal that we will be able to reach with the helpful instructions and guidance that John has put into play. By being calm and practicing these training methods daily, we are convinced that Trixie will be the dog we know she can be. We do intend to continue our work with her, and hopefully with John's guidance she just gets better as we will too. Believe it or not, in just 4 days, we can see some improvement already ! John is an excellent trainer and so patient and easy to work with. Permalink

The training session was both enlightening and educational, for us humans as well as our dog Trixie. We now have some techniques that we can use and practice with our dog that will surely help her become the dog we know she can be. John's explanations of our leadership and relationship with Trixie was and is the most important thing we must focus on. The new tools and techniques he showed us, will continue to help us to reach our goal of being able to take Trixie with us almost anywhere, and not worry when we entertain. She loves people and now she will have the manners to match that enthusiasm for her human friends. It has only been 4 days and we can see a bit of a difference already. Such a good experience for all of us. Thanks John, can't wait for your next visit, you will be surprised :) Permalink

Reaching out to Bark Busters was the best decision. Richard was great. Our first session with Sassy went very well, beyond what I expected. The results were amazing. Permalink

Dear Terry, If my owners had not met you, then I would have been sent back to Tennessee. You taught me how to sit, walk on a leash, reduce my separation anxiety, sleep better and be a much better dog. Thank you, Terry! You are the best! Love, Hot Sauce Permalink

Love Joanne - she makes it all so simple and basic and she has such a calmness! I have recommended Bark Busters to several friends already. Great company! Permalink

Loved the flip-chart presentation. Visuals are a great help! Noticed some positive results almost immediately. Very basic, sensible techniques using no "treat" rewards! Learned so much about the dog's perspective and learned how to improve my training methods. Have already recommended Bark Busters. June and Colin are delightful, knowledgeable, low-key instructors. Great assets for your Company. Permalink

We are extremely pleased with our training with Mary and her human and canine helpers. She is very attentive to her trainees both human and canine and has certainly impressed upon us our role as "pack leaders" and how this translates to our pups. Results were seen almost immediately and we are confident via her leadership that we will be in control of our dogs behavior from this point forward. She patiently answered a variety of our questions until she felt we were either satisfied with the response or she was confident that we were clear. Her stories of teacher-student relationships applied very well to owner-dog relationships. We would whole-heartedly recommend her training as she exudes a calm demeanor and confident overall presence which is a pleasure to learn from. Permalink

The trainer was very clear and easy to understand - our puppy responded in a very positive way to the training and the trainer. Permalink