Bark Busters has changed our lives. James is unlike any trainer, he is always there for anything that comes up. We've been working with him for the last 2 years since getting our dog, and he still comes out when we have questions. He's even helped us with our new puppy and the transition of bringing her into our family. This isn't just a one time, pay for training and be done, this is for the life of your pet. As life changes, as environments change, as your dog matures and other challenges come up, James has been there with us through it all. He's only a text away, and always makes time for us. I couldn't say enough good things about Bark Busters. If you're thinking about it, just do it, its the best investment we've ever made into having a well trained, obedient, and loyal dog. He takes the time to teach you about your dog so you can understand what training works and why. If I went back in time knowing what I do now, I would have only called sooner.
James has been such a phenomenal trainer and person throughout every interaction we have had with him. When we adopted Braxton, we were informed that he had behavioral issues with children and other animals. He had bitten myself within the first few weeks of taking him in so we began to search for someone to help us since we had not experienced this before, and giving him up was NOT an option. On our first visit with James, he took the time to educate us on Braxton's learned and inherited behaviors and certain things that could and could not be completely changed. We learned how to establish dominance and recreate our family dynamic in order for Braxton to feel more secure as well as situations that helped or hindered his traits. After working with James over multiple sessions- Braxton is a COMPLETELY different dog. It has been night and day of a difference. Our bonding has strengthened immensely and he has not bitten myself or my fiance a single time since we learned our new tools. I am telling you- James is an absolute miracle worker and has impacted our life in more ways than we can express. We are so incredibly grateful for his mentorship. 10/10 recommend!
Michelle is great and really passionate/realistic on what you can get out of your dog. Signed up for two dog training and one of our pups passed shortly after signing up and Michelle was prompt and thoughtful to refund us accordingly.
We adopted one puppy intentionally and then fell into a stray puppy a few months later. We were in over our head and were beyond frustrated that our dogs wouldn't listen, chewed everything, barked at neighbors, dug holes, you name it, one or both dogs did it. One was so aggressive when meeting new dogs I thought we would never be able to take them anywhere or have dog friends over. This sounds dramatic, but James from Bark Busters was a life changer. I knew we were the problem, not so much the dogs, but he showed us how to communicate with them in a manner they understand and everything is different now. They are delightful. Perfect? No. But they listen better, we can leave them unsupervised for longer, and their whole demeanor is so much calmer. They are changed dogs because we are better at communicating with them.
James from Bark Busters has been our trainer and has taught us how by learning to lead our 95lb. Boxer mixed dog - Charley, we can modify his behavior tremendously in a positive way. We had been dealing with behavioral territorial, protective, and fear based issues that lead him to bite in 3 different situations. We tried other training methods in the past and nothing seemed to work.
Charley is a sweet good behaved dog when around the people he has always known, but we would always refrained from bringing other people home because of fear of his reaction. James taught us how establishing leadership and following through with consistency can change Charley’s behavior from a fearful reactive dog, to a more calm and secure dog.
Side note: While his fears of thunderstorms were not addressed in the training, by establishing leadership, his fear and anxiety of thunderstorms changed dramatically. Last night we had terrible and really loud storms in Summerville and in the past he would have jumped on the bed between my husband and I and would have been alert and shivering, but last night, I dragged his bed close to ours and instructed him to stay in his bed. Although he was alert to the noises, there were no signs of anxiety, panting, or whining and he eventually fell asleep through the storm. I truly believe that learning to lead Charley through the methods taught by Bark Busters added life quality for my family and our dog. We truly recommend them!
We adopted our lab mix, Penny, about a year ago and she is a year and 3 months old now. When we got her, people hadn’t been over much because it was still during covid times, but we noticed after a couple of months, if anyone did come over, she would bark at them the entire time. She also was terrible on the leash. She would pull all over the place and would be constantly trying to sniff and eat everything we walked by. In the summer of 2021, we had sold our house and moved into an apartment temporarily for a few months. Penny barked at every single person that we walked by in the hallway, outside, in the elevator, even if someone walked by the apartment while we were inside. Since she was a little older, her bark sounded scary and aggressive. We know she is a sweetheart, but it was scaring people. She also would lunge at them while she was barking, which did not help. We could not deal with it anymore. We had so much anxiety every time we had to take her out. That is when we decided to call Bark Busters. We worked with James, who was super nice and knowledgeable. Penny barked her head off at him when he walked in and he stopped it right away without any contact with her (no shock/beep collars, etc.), which is what we wanted. The first session was so informative and life-changing. It basically was a dog psychology lesson and was more about training you to be a leader for the dog. Penny was barking at everyone because we did not do a good job of showing her that we were the leaders of the pack, so she thought she had to protect us. Once we knew how to do that properly, she backed off and let us lead, meaning no more barking and pulling on the leash. Her behavior changed drastically in just one session. It takes, work, though! It’s really up to the owner(s) to get results, but it made a world of difference for us. We are so thankful for the help we got from Bark Busters! It honestly improved our quality of life!
Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value
If only I had a time machine… I would’ve consulted Michelle and James much sooner. If you are looking for honest, straight forward, and knowledgeable help with your dog’s behavior, this would be my recommendation. I look forward to working with Michelle again in the future.
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value ;
After raising 3 sons and 5 dogs, all from babies, my husband and I brought home Sigi, an 8 week old large boned German Shepherd. With his expected size to be 125 pounds, I knew that even as experienced dog owners, we needed help! Our vet recommended Bark Busters and James Rodriquez became our friend and Trainer! James has given us a better understanding of how our dog sees us and the world and how to relate to him in ways that he enjoys and help us to be good dog parents.
Training with James is simple, goal oriented, and practical. He focuses on helping your dog become a good citizen. Sigi is now 9 months and 100 pounds, I can walk and hike anywhere with Sigi and be confident that he is under control. I have never been able to do this with my other dogs. I cannot say enough good things about James and his methods. He teaches control without cruelty! Very positive and supportive, working with James is the best investment for you and your dog!
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value :
I can't speak highly enough of our experiences thus far with James (& Michelle). I'm not inexperienced with dogs, but felt at the end of my rope with a few behaviors our 3 year old dog couldn't shake. Within hours of implementing the changes James suggested, we saw drastic changes for the better and continue to feel so encouraged. If the price tag feels intimidating, divide it by the years your dog will likely be in your life. In our case, if our dog lived to be 12 years old, we would end up paying around $150/year to have a dog that was a delight to live with. That feels MORE than worth it.
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value
James is amazing! He really understands both the dog and their human handlers to be able to correct behaviors. Scheduling a visit could not have been easier and I always received a quick response from the team. I would highly recommend Bark Busters - even old dogs can learn new tricks. Thanks again for being so awesome with my fur baby!
Leslie S.
24 months ago
— North Charleston, SC
Bark Busters has changed our lives. James is unlike any trainer, he is always there for anything that comes up. We've been working with him for the last 2 years since getting our dog, and he still comes out when we have questions. He's even helped us with our new puppy and the transition of bringing her into our family. This isn't just a one time, pay for training and be done, this is for the life of your pet. As life changes, as environments change, as your dog matures and other challenges come up, James has been there with us through it all. He's only a text away, and always makes time for us. I couldn't say enough good things about Bark Busters. If you're thinking about it, just do it, its the best investment we've ever made into having a well trained, obedient, and loyal dog. He takes the time to teach you about your dog so you can understand what training works and why. If I went back in time knowing what I do now, I would have only called sooner.
PermalinkAlexis L.
24 months ago
— Bluffton, SC
James has been such a phenomenal trainer and person throughout every interaction we have had with him. When we adopted Braxton, we were informed that he had behavioral issues with children and other animals. He had bitten myself within the first few weeks of taking him in so we began to search for someone to help us since we had not experienced this before, and giving him up was NOT an option. On our first visit with James, he took the time to educate us on Braxton's learned and inherited behaviors and certain things that could and could not be completely changed. We learned how to establish dominance and recreate our family dynamic in order for Braxton to feel more secure as well as situations that helped or hindered his traits. After working with James over multiple sessions- Braxton is a COMPLETELY different dog. It has been night and day of a difference. Our bonding has strengthened immensely and he has not bitten myself or my fiance a single time since we learned our new tools. I am telling you- James is an absolute miracle worker and has impacted our life in more ways than we can express. We are so incredibly grateful for his mentorship. 10/10 recommend!
PermalinkThomas R.
2 years ago
— Charleston, SC
Michelle is great and really passionate/realistic on what you can get out of your dog. Signed up for two dog training and one of our pups passed shortly after signing up and Michelle was prompt and thoughtful to refund us accordingly.
PermalinkMeredith J.
2 years ago
— Goose Creek, SC
We adopted one puppy intentionally and then fell into a stray puppy a few months later. We were in over our head and were beyond frustrated that our dogs wouldn't listen, chewed everything, barked at neighbors, dug holes, you name it, one or both dogs did it. One was so aggressive when meeting new dogs I thought we would never be able to take them anywhere or have dog friends over. This sounds dramatic, but James from Bark Busters was a life changer. I knew we were the problem, not so much the dogs, but he showed us how to communicate with them in a manner they understand and everything is different now. They are delightful. Perfect? No. But they listen better, we can leave them unsupervised for longer, and their whole demeanor is so much calmer. They are changed dogs because we are better at communicating with them.
PermalinkDiana W.
2 years ago
— Summerville, SC
James from Bark Busters has been our trainer and has taught us how by learning to lead our 95lb. Boxer mixed dog - Charley, we can modify his behavior tremendously in a positive way. We had been dealing with behavioral territorial, protective, and fear based issues that lead him to bite in 3 different situations. We tried other training methods in the past and nothing seemed to work.
PermalinkCharley is a sweet good behaved dog when around the people he has always known, but we would always refrained from bringing other people home because of fear of his reaction. James taught us how establishing leadership and following through with consistency can change Charley’s behavior from a fearful reactive dog, to a more calm and secure dog.
Side note: While his fears of thunderstorms were not addressed in the training, by establishing leadership, his fear and anxiety of thunderstorms changed dramatically. Last night we had terrible and really loud storms in Summerville and in the past he would have jumped on the bed between my husband and I and would have been alert and shivering, but last night, I dragged his bed close to ours and instructed him to stay in his bed. Although he was alert to the noises, there were no signs of anxiety, panting, or whining and he eventually fell asleep through the storm. I truly believe that learning to lead Charley through the methods taught by Bark Busters added life quality for my family and our dog. We truly recommend them!
Whitney A.
2 years ago
— Mount Pleasant, SC
Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value -
PermalinkWe adopted our lab mix, Penny, about a year ago and she is a year and 3 months old now. When we got her, people hadn’t been over much because it was still during covid times, but we noticed after a couple of months, if anyone did come over, she would bark at them the entire time. She also was terrible on the leash. She would pull all over the place and would be constantly trying to sniff and eat everything we walked by. In the summer of 2021, we had sold our house and moved into an apartment temporarily for a few months. Penny barked at every single person that we walked by in the hallway, outside, in the elevator, even if someone walked by the apartment while we were inside. Since she was a little older, her bark sounded scary and aggressive. We know she is a sweetheart, but it was scaring people. She also would lunge at them while she was barking, which did not help. We could not deal with it anymore. We had so much anxiety every time we had to take her out. That is when we decided to call Bark Busters. We worked with James, who was super nice and knowledgeable. Penny barked her head off at him when he walked in and he stopped it right away without any contact with her (no shock/beep collars, etc.), which is what we wanted. The first session was so informative and life-changing. It basically was a dog psychology lesson and was more about training you to be a leader for the dog. Penny was barking at everyone because we did not do a good job of showing her that we were the leaders of the pack, so she thought she had to protect us. Once we knew how to do that properly, she backed off and let us lead, meaning no more barking and pulling on the leash. Her behavior changed drastically in just one session. It takes, work, though! It’s really up to the owner(s) to get results, but it made a world of difference for us. We are so thankful for the help we got from Bark Busters! It honestly improved our quality of life!
Megan M.
2 years ago
— Johns Island, SC
Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value
PermalinkIf only I had a time machine… I would’ve consulted Michelle and James much sooner. If you are looking for honest, straight forward, and knowledgeable help with your dog’s behavior, this would be my recommendation. I look forward to working with Michelle again in the future.
Jayne H.
3 years ago
— Mount Pleasant, SC
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value ;
PermalinkAfter raising 3 sons and 5 dogs, all from babies, my husband and I brought home Sigi, an 8 week old large boned German Shepherd. With his expected size to be 125 pounds, I knew that even as experienced dog owners, we needed help! Our vet recommended Bark Busters and James Rodriquez became our friend and Trainer! James has given us a better understanding of how our dog sees us and the world and how to relate to him in ways that he enjoys and help us to be good dog parents.
Training with James is simple, goal oriented, and practical. He focuses on helping your dog become a good citizen. Sigi is now 9 months and 100 pounds, I can walk and hike anywhere with Sigi and be confident that he is under control. I have never been able to do this with my other dogs. I cannot say enough good things about James and his methods. He teaches control without cruelty! Very positive and supportive, working with James is the best investment for you and your dog!
Joy T.
3 years ago
— Mount Pleasant, SC
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value :
PermalinkI can't speak highly enough of our experiences thus far with James (& Michelle). I'm not inexperienced with dogs, but felt at the end of my rope with a few behaviors our 3 year old dog couldn't shake. Within hours of implementing the changes James suggested, we saw drastic changes for the better and continue to feel so encouraged. If the price tag feels intimidating, divide it by the years your dog will likely be in your life. In our case, if our dog lived to be 12 years old, we would end up paying around $150/year to have a dog that was a delight to live with. That feels MORE than worth it.
Sydney S.
3 years ago
— Charleston, South Carolina
Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value
PermalinkJames is amazing! He really understands both the dog and their human handlers to be able to correct behaviors. Scheduling a visit could not have been easier and I always received a quick response from the team. I would highly recommend Bark Busters - even old dogs can learn new tricks. Thanks again for being so awesome with my fur baby!
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