Client Reviews and Testimonials

James and Michelle have beyond exceeded our expectations. We thought we had an unsolvable situation with our dogs (mine being dog aggressive), and had tried a few other dog trainers and classes with little or no success. We were trying to integrate two households ( 2 dogs from each household) and thought this was going to be impossible. My main focus was seeing if and how to train mine to be less dog aggressive. I have an 8 year old female Pit/Hound mix and a 7 year old male Boxer/Great Dane Mix. She is definitely the alpha female, and he is more laid back. Both love people, but other dogs were another story. My female was attacked at a young age by another dog, and it almost flipped a switch with her. She no longer got along with other dogs (with the exception of her brother) to the point of barking ,lunging, snarling, etc anytime another dog would pass us or just pass the house. Obviously this made walks a nightmare too. I had stopped "socializing" the other one due to her lack of control around other dogs. He too began exhibiting the same behaviors, which left me at a point that I only let them play in the backyard with occasional walks. My girlfriend has a 1 year old female Pit/lab mix and a 3 year old female Yorkie. The Yorkie is a people lover and a bit of a Diva. The Pit/lab mix has the sweetest temperament and gets along with all dogs and people, but she is very timid around children. So we were at a crossroads to see if it would even be possible for our dogs to get along let alone live in the same household. After many emails with Michelle about advice on what to do (she was so helpful), we set up our first appointment. James came over and met with us and all 4 of our dogs to see if they could help. Let me just say I wish we would have called them sooner. He went over everything with us as well as different "plans" they offer. He really taught us exactly how to fix and correct all of our dogs different behaviors. Of course this wasn't going to happen overnight, but with simple commands and really taking control of the situation we started to see results in the first week. We have met with James once a month for 4 months now each time learning something new to work on with the dogs. And as of now all 4 dogs are hanging out together (still under some supervision), but if you would have told me we would be where we are here 4 months ago I would have told you it would be impossible. We can't say enough good things about Bark Busters and James and Michelle! Permalink

Nola was aggressive towards neighborhood children and growled at my own daughter. My wife wanted me to get rid of her, but I decided to try behavioral therapy instead. So glad I did! She is now fine around everyone. Permalink

Jack's 2 hour visit and training verged on miraculous! I have a 6 year old lab mutt who is a love. When he turned 6 everything seemed to click with him and he remembered and used all the dog manners he had been taught in his 6 years - except for barking. He'd bark when people came to the door, came in the door, when he was outside and wanted in, when he was in the back yard and I was in the front yard and he wanted to join me... Not just one bark, but often long,ongoing, very annoying barking. Because we have several dogs in the family we often swap dog-sitting. His barking was getting less and less welcome. This had to stop! With 2 very simple tips from Jack, in a very short period of time, less than an hour, my dog would sit outside the designated greeting area in the front hall, quiet as a mouse, would stay there until Jack and I proceeded out of sight, into the kitchen, until I called him to join me. Amazing! A few days later at the home of one of my kids, after only one reminder he sat quietly outside the slider door, just watching us inside. Before, he had jumped and barked and barked. What a transformation! He still barks when he hears someone outside (which I want him to do) but once I join him in the front hall he is quiet and sits outside the greeting area. So simple! So quick! So amazing! Jack and his training methods are unbeatable! Permalink

We are so pleased with our first training session with Deb. She provided insights that we'd never thought of that have already significantly improved our relationship with our dog. We look forward to continuing our homework and watching out dog (and ourselves!) improve every day. I would highly recommend Deb, she has worked miracles in our house! Permalink

Amazing! I fostered Tillman off the e-list from Pinal County on May 27, 2016. He had spent just over 6 months at the shelter and had come in as a stray. He was estimated to be 2 years old when I picked him up in May. He is a Pit Bull mix. He was a good dog, but still had some issues. He and my 8 year old German Shepherd mix female did not always play nice. He pulled and had to be ahead of my Shepherd on walks. He tended to jump on people when they came to the door. He is a big boy so this posed a risk to kids and older people, plus I just did not condone the jumping. Tillman also was starting to bark at certain people out of fear, which scared many people because of his breed and size. After my first session with Michelle, Tillman allows me to climb and descend the stairs first, he heels on our walks even with Daisy the 8 year old Shepherd. Tillman no longer jumps on anybody. The playing between Tillman and Daisy is now happy playing not any sort of aggression or aggravation from either dog. We still need to work on fine tuning greeting people at the door. Tillman's barking at people has diminished about 90% so still a little bit of work there, but the training tips are helping greatly. Tillman has gone from a good dog to a great dog with Michelle's help. The training tools and tips are highly effective and easy to enforce. Permalink

Nick is excellent. We rescued Emmie from New York City where she was found on the streets. The biggest problem we had with her is that she would bark and bite people on the ankles, especially men, who came to visit. Nick's training has made The situation so much better. She still has some anxiety when strangers walk in, but I am able to easily control her behavior and calm her down within a few minutes. Permalink

Richard and Vicki were and are extremely helpful with helping to train myself and my son with our fur baby Ginger!! The tools are friendly and easy to follow - we as pet owners just have to follow them lol If you are on the fence or have questions please reach out to Richard and Vicki, you will not be disappointed!!!!! Permalink

Ruth was very helpful in reducing Bambi's barking within the first few hours! She gave us great tips to train her and we couldn't be more thankful. Bambi has become a whole new dog and we haven't even had the follow up appointment yet! Permalink

I am so glad I hired Bark Busters! I had taken Bella to training at 3 other places but was only taught how to give commands, nothing addressed her bad behavior at home. I wish I'd started out with Marsha Engel. My dog countersurfed, jumped on people, and pulled on leash. All solved! Permalink

Jeri is a fun-loving, caring and warm person! She always listens to our dog's needs. She finds easy ways to teach our family about what is best for our pup. We like to use Jeri's name to coach our dog into better behavior, and it has worked thus far! The best thing about Jeri is that she is in touch with our animal and sets us up for solving every day mishaps with him. Jeri has made a difference in our home with our pet and we appreciate her for all she does! She is very dedicated to her profession:) Permalink