Client Reviews and Testimonials

Michelle was very thorough. She demonstrated and observed with feedback and explanations. Her expertise is very valuable and we value her opinion in the ways we move forward in raising a rock star rescue pup! Permalink

I have only glowing, positive comments about Karen! She has helped us with our very rambunctious, energetic 7-month old Pit bull. As he grew from a little, frisky puppy into an enormous 65-lb dog made of solid muscle, he began to get aggressive as a fear response to cars, other dogs and even small children. We knew we had to act fast and ensure that our dog remained just as gentle and lovable outside the home as he was inside the home with our family and older, smaller dogs. Karen's approach was methodical and we mastered it quickly and easily. Our dog took a little longer and over several weeks we graduated to more restrictive - but never painful or punitive - leashes and training methods. Finally, we found the perfect solution! Here is a recent text I sent to Karen in joy and gratitude for her help: "OMG thank you so much for the gentle leader leash and the training your provided us! I just returned from a 45-minute walk around the neighborhood with Smokey, what a difference! At first I stayed close to the house, but as I grew more confident because he remained so calm, I ventured further and further out. We passed cars, children, even other dogs - and he got excited, but he did not lunge or bark and remained close to me the entire time. Occasionally he tried to paw off the gentle leader leash, but I was attentive and distracted him immediately. I talked to him the entire time, I gave him frequent treats but always at random intervals. The contrast was stunning. Thank you for transforming our walks from ordeals into pleasurable excursions!" She has given us our lovable puppy back - inside and out outside our home! Permalink

Theresa came highly recommended by the Lee County Humane Society when I asked them for help with our family dog that had bitten one of the children. After we decided to work together, she sent me some information to get me prepared for our first meeting. Even though she was greeted at the door with loud barks and bared teeth, she kept her cool and within about 1 hour he was eating out of her hand. I was impressed, but the real work was yet to come. She walked me through several different exercises/activities to recondition his behavior and train me to set the tone for what was expected in the house and out on walks, and gave me some equipment to use while training. While neither I nor Bodie were perfect right away, the progress was astounding. She recapped each of the activities with me before she left, and I felt very confident in 6 or 7 of the 8, but that's ok. Part of the package she sent me later was a detailed action plan for the first 4 weeks, including a checklist for the daily activities we are supposed to practice, and a reminder on what I was supposed to do with each one. OK! Even now just a day or two after Theresa has started with us, this dog is the best behaved it's ever been. He used to bark in my face every time I would get dressed because he knew I was going out somewhere and there was a chance he could go on a car ride or a walk. He also used to crowd me in the kitchen while I was making dinner or getting his food ready or his treats ready. But one of the early things she taught me was how to hold a space in the kitchen to work when I want, and to let him in during normal times. I decided to test that right after she left by making myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Normally when he smelled peanut butter he was *right in there* hoping to get some for himself but this time he stood patiently about six feet away, and just watched until I called him and I was finished. It was the same thing for filling his food bowls and stuffing his toys with treats. Amazing!! I cannot tell you how much more enjoyable it is to get dressed in the morning and come downstairs and put my shoes on and have a breakfast without a dog barking in my face the whole time because he expects to go for a walk or go for a ride. He's still there next to me happy as ever, he's just not barking! We're still working on the "loose leash" walking techniques, and it seems weird to have to correct him all the time instead of letting him wander around, but he's starting to figure it out, and that means less corrections. Honestly it's better exercise for both of us when he does it correctly because we keep a good pace. He still gets to pee and poop and enjoy the outside, but we actually get moving well enough to get some real exercise, and it's much more enjoyable and less strain my back if he's not pulling the whole time. I'm excited to see how far Bodie and I can take this training, we're both learning at the same time. I feel like I made the right decision to hire Theresa with Bark Busters, and I look forward to showing her how much progress we've made by the next time we all get together. Thank you for making my dog more fun to be around, and safer too. I can't tell you how much it means, but you saw it on my face. I WISH we had done something like this earlier. If your dog is running your house, and/or sometimes out of your control, please do something about it - call Theresa and get some help. Permalink

Mia's improvements were almost instant! Permalink

Marc made training seem simple, logical and natural. My dog followed him and then me in a matter of minutes. I had tried other trainers and classes before without any of these dramatic instantaneous results. I was wasting time, money and too many useless training treats. I am most grateful Marc made this so easy and my beloved dog will be happier and safer. Permalink

Theresa was great at answering our questions during and after training. She was very knowledgeable and responsive. Permalink

We just got our dog, Ace, last week from a rescue. We did not realize that he was not leash trained until after we brought him home. He showed immediate improvement after our initial training session. We were able to correct a lot of undesired behavior. Keith is an absolute pleasure to work with. We will continue to utilize what we have learned to keep Ace a very happy dog. Permalink

Karen was wonderful. I observed immediately that our Sarge was going to respond very well to her training style. I love that the methods are based on pack behaviors. Permalink

Theresa is amazing! After only one training session our dog, Kenzie, is already behaving better. Theresa showed us how to effectively communicate with Kenzie by establishing ourselves as leaders in the dogs eyes. Having the knowledge to address behavior issues is such a relief. Some of the issues we worked on are growling/barking at people, jumping up on people, claiming our space(eg keeping her out of the kitchen when we’re cooking...), and walking well on a leash with distractions. Kenzie is worn out from the session, so we’re done for today, but I am excited to practice our new skills tomorrow. We were feeling really frustrated with our dog’s behavior and heard about Theresa’s training after trying several other places. The combination of Theresa’s methods and that she came to our home seem to be just what we needed. Permalink

Bark Busters was recommended by a family member, who helped us do research on trainers in the valley. Our Ziggy is an energetic, strong, loving puppy. Though, pre-Michelle he was often described as a non-stop tornado. We tried puppy training at a local pet store, lots of treats, tons of toys, and air sprays without much success. During the first session a light went off for us, and our entire relationship changed with Ziggy. I suppose we did not realize how much he controlled our house. Not only was the initial session enlightening, Ziggy made (or maybe we made) immediate progress. We are thankful to Michelle for continuing to guide us with homework and support us with follow-up touchpoints. And yes, our Ziggy continues to improve daily! We are grateful to Michelle and Bark Busters! Permalink