Client Reviews and Testimonials

Dick repeated and reinforced the basic techniques without being condescending. I liked that there were NO treats required for rewards. Dick is a very dynamic speaker. Dick followed up with a phone call and took his time to re-emphasize important aspects. Permalink

Scheduled us the next day (emergent need) and even skipped her lunch to work with us! Was respectful of our time. She was great with the dog! Permalink

Michael spent an hour with our dog Pudge a 6 yr old Chocolate Lab that we rescued and changed his behavior immediately. Pudge has been changed dog ever since. He is truly a dog whisperer. I would recommend him to anyone.... Permalink

Working with Robin as our trainer was an incredible experience. I had worked with a previous trainer, and the energy and personality did not mesh well at all. As soon as Robin walked through the door, she commanded authority with our dogs. They immediately responded, almost like a magic trick. Her training techniques were not only immediately effective, they have lasted after only one session. Robins energy, diction, and practice were professional, and friendly. She was able to provide the tools we needed to succeed as dog owners. She was able to patiently teach us in a way that was never hurried or frustrating. I was shocked at how quickly our dogs picked up on these training, non violent, techniques. Anyone with a dog should use these training tools. We had some issues with the dogs fighting, and some dominance issues, and she was able to provide ease to our worries with some simple rules and tools to break up a fight and prevent them from even beginning. I plan on using Robin many more times in the future. She was amazing! Permalink

What a change we saw just in the first session! I couldn't believe it! Apollo is a HUGE baby, at 7 months he's already over 100 pounds and nothing we had tried was working. After the first session working on basic commands like "sit" and "stay" he caught right on, and only with using verbal commands and body language. We worked on his barking when people come to the door and he immediately took to the training, a complete 180. Robin was great, and walked us through everything we needed to do. I really like the training method used by Bark Busters because it's more "pack oriented" in a sense. There's no treats needed and no aggression associated with it. Just a pecking order, how a dog's natural instinct will tell him where he stands in a pack environment based on the interactions of his other pack mates. Can't wait to see where he is in a few months from now, I know it will be great for him and for us! Permalink

Mary has been extremely helpful. We adopted a dog about a year old and he is still a puppy in many ways. With both my husband & i working we felt we needed some expert guidance. Mary is always very professional and had a lot of good advice and tips for us. She is always very patient and we look forward to her visits. We never had a trainer before with our other dogs....but we were younger then. I would not hesitate to recommend Bark Busters or Mary for anyone thinking about a dog trainer. Permalink

Greg helped my girlfriend Elissa and I with two different dogs. Our first, a three year old border collie/black lab mix rescue named Bear, was having trouble adjusting to his new home, and we weren't sure of how to exercise leadership best. Greg walked us through basic behavioral training, and not only demonstrated clearly to us how training techniques should be applied, but really taught us how to consistently and effectively apply each individual technique. Bear was having trouble with pulling on the leash outside, jumping up on guests, disobeying commands, as well as with general anxiety within the home. Since working with Greg, Bear is now practically the perfect companion! He's very attentive, and Greg's lessons in leadership and maintenance have consistently allowed us to reinforce positive behavior. He no longer pulls on the leash, and walks soundly next to us like a dream. He used to jump on every person he met; now, it's barely ever an issue-- and what little of it is left, we're able to correct out of him. He's responsive, eager to please, and perhaps most importantly, just as loving and affectionate as he was before training. Our second, an eight year old rescue pug named Oliver, was brought into our household from his old home. His previous owner was dealing with rather complicated medical issues, and felt they were no longer able to provide Oliver with the care he deserved. Oliver transitioned into our home well, but in moving from one loving household to another, he still experienced some stress. He was eager to jump onto furniture, couldn't be left alone, and would whimper constantly if he didn't have his way. Additionally, he hadn't been trained in obedience, and we needed to learn how best to address disciplining an older dog. Greg easily walked us through the steps, and taught us a few new techniques to use to help Oliver to relax, ease into his new space, and to recognize and follow our leadership. We only just recently adopted Oliver, but after one session with Greg, we've already seen marked improvement! He no longer whines and cries, but is instead fully obedient and patient. We've been slowly teaching him new commands and tricks, which he's been responding well to. All in all, Greg has been an excellent help with both of our dogs. He's responsive and easy to coordinate with, and he always shows up eager to help. He's provided us with a number of lessons, as well as supplemental equipment, and is always willing to further recommend other products and services that may help. His lessons are easy to follow, hands on, and have always shown immediate effectiveness. We've learned a lot from him, and will definitely continue to! Permalink

I was amazed at how quickly my 2 dogs stopped barking when someone rang the doorbell and wouldn't try to run out the front door when it was open. I look forward to seeing them continue to improve. Permalink

Very knowledgeable and communicated techniques so we understood. Made us feel comfortable about how we were training so we could work with the dogs on our own. Permalink

I don't even know where to start. My husband and I adopted our then 7 month old potcake from NSAL who was fearful and reactive. This is my husband first pet and the 2nd dog I've had. At the shelter his fearfulness and re activeness wasn't as obvious, we knew we would need to work with him but we didn't realize how much until about the 2nd week we had him. I had trained my previous dog on my own and thought I could with Hunter but I quickly realized we needed help, so we got a trainer. Hunter would bark at anyone and everything, try to nip (especially visitors at home), he would whine constantly, potty training was a struggle (he was house broken but would only go on walks, not in the backyard in a specific spot), he chewed 2 pairs of shoes and a coffee table, jump on the sofa only when we weren't home, was scared of the AC or heat turning on, would pull on leash and bark at everyone and everything, and who can remember what else... So the trainer told us to give him treats ALL THE TIME..When people would come over - constant treats - during walks - constant treats - when he barks - constant treats!! TREATS TREATS TREATS.. as you could guess it didn't work. He would vomit from so many treats and it wasn't good for his health. I literally followed every instruction the trainer gave us perfectly to avoid any issues, I was crazy about it (my poor hubby!!). He and I would argue over Hunter. After about 3/4 months no real changes, living with Hunter was a nightmare and he and I didn't know what to do. We couldn't enjoy walks, have friends or family over, or enjoy our new home! I wanted a dog to bring joy to our lives, I wanted my husband to experience the love a person can have for a dog and a dog towards a person. I had such a wonderful experience with my first dog, also a rescue, that I wanted that again. Needless to say my husband was sick and tired of being sick and tired of Hunter, and honestly, I was getting there too. The shelter told us he was adopted once before and returned because the new owners couldn't deal with him, I remember thinking what a**holes would do that .. and now I was thinking of doing the same..I figured lets try one more trainer and if that doesn't work there was nothing else we could do, we could at least say we did our best. I had to convince my hubby to spend money yet again on training, not an easy thing to do! We both agreed it was the last chance. After our first session with Greg all 3 of our lives changed. I honestly can't say enough good things, he changed everything for us. Hunter is happy and healthy, and we love spending time with him. We now go on hikes, long walks, play in the back yard, have friends over, all without worrying! He went from barking whenever a guest would stand up to go to the bathroom, to waiting by the couch as they entered and then greeting them! He will never be that super friendly dog (which we are ok with) but we can have friends over and not worry. He even stayed with my parents for 2 weeks while we were out of the country and they had NO problems with him! Not to mention they always have people over their house! The best is that Hunter can relax and enjoy his life, he doesn't have to be fearful, and we are so proud to be part of the change in him. I once feared he would bite someone and we would need to put him down..That is not a worry anymore. I know how to be best pet parent for him and what he needs, my husband and I know how to help him navigate through the world. We rescued him but Greg helped us save him. I know this is a long review but we had a tough time and this was our last shot. I honestly can't thank Greg enough. The change has been incredible and it has only been a couple months, people aren't kidding when they see changes in day 1..We didn't think we would but holy cow, instantly we saw a change. And with more work the change continued. We are still working for him and will always have to but even friends say "he is a completely different dog". We finally have the happy little family we wanted. THANK YOU GREG Permalink