Great, affordable training! Marlene and Howard were very fantastic and caring. They worked with our (sometimes moving) schedule to help transform our year-old anxious, howling shelter dog into a wonderful pet. We tried other obedience trainers but had little results. This program is very affordable, showed results immediately, and worth it. Thanks!
I can't speak highly enough about Howard and Marlene. Our dogs, Tyson (Boxer, 1 years old) and Beau (Boston Terrier, 4 years old), were a lot to handle. They would bark at my husband and I until they got attention, they would fight each other over bones or for attention from our friends and family members, and taking them on walks was an absolute nightmare. Having company over was extremely difficult and embarrassing, because our dogs would go crazy. When I got pregnant with our first child, we decided we needed to do something about their behavior. From the moment we called Howard and Marlene, they have been nothing but supportive. They have been incredibly patient with us and our dogs, and the behavior of our dogs has changed dramatically. We can take them on walks that we can actually enjoy now and we are now able to control their constant barking out the windows and barking/whining for attention. We don't even have to crate them anymore when we leave the house, whereas before we called Howard and Marlene, if we left the dogs with the run of the house, we would come home to a disaster. Marlene and Howard have gone above and beyond to give us the help we need in order to correctly train our dogs. We are so happy with the results thus far, and would recommend them to anyone who needs help training their dog. If they can help our dogs, they can help any dog! We look forward to our next appointment with Howard and Marlene!
It was wonderful to be able to work with these committed people. They had a beautiful baby boy and moved to a new neighborhood. The dog's are doing great and have acclimated to the new baby and home.
Anonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
My experience with Howard and Marlene has been absolutely wonderful (for me and my dog!). Not only are they helpful, friendly, supportive and reliable but there was an instant improvement in my dog's behavior during their first visit. I was amazed at how their strategies and philosophy worked so well, and so quickly. I don't know what I would have done without them!!
Marlene and Howard: We practiced "attentiveness training" on our walk this morning. We're all falling into line very well. I am rather amazed at how Elvis & Kima snapped-to. Thanks for the refresher yesterday. We're off to a good start. Many thanks!
Marlene and Howard turned a terrible situation into a wonderful one. After moving to a new apartment, I had received multiple complaints of barking. After only one session, the barking decreased so much that my neighbors were congratulating me on how quickly I resolved the issue. For the first time, the holidays were not a stressful event. My family was thrilled at the behavioral changes in my dog. It was the best money I ever spent!
Dear Marlene and Howard: Many Thanks for coming over to give us and Mr. Peabody a "refresher" session this weekend! Your presence was nothing short of magical. The Bark Busters system and principles are so sensible, and your way of presenting them so clear and enjoyable. We are so pleased to have invested in the lifetime Bark Busters support. It is the best thing we ever did for Mr. Peabody, after rescuing him from the pound! Best friendly regards, John, Teresa, Mia, & Mr. Peabody
We adopted our wonderful Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Cricket, when he was six. We were told in the adoption process that he was a "talker". They weren't kidding! He is a wonderful dog with a great temperament, but in some cases, he would start barking and not know when to stop. For example, when the door bell rang, he would go nuts, and not settle down until about ten minutes after the door had been answered. He was also very vocal about making sure we knew what he wanted and when he wanted it. After four years of life with Cricket, we found his "talking" habits growing worse and nothing seemed to help. After seeing Bark Busters in our neighborhood, we decided to give them a call and decided it was our Christmas present to ourselves. Wow! What a fantastic present. Marlene demonstrated pack leadership to us, and helped us work with Cricket on his barking and how to curb his inappropriate barking with the infamous "BAH". After only one day, it was clear that we had a different dog on our hands! It is amazing how much more we are in control and leading the pack, instead of Cricket. Thanks to Marlene's work, we are now the leader, and Cricket actually looks up to us. After her initial 2½ hour visit, Marlene made a follow-up visit, to ensure that all was well and to answer our questions. She then introduced some new techniques to us and helped us clarify what our goals for the training were. Through consistent use of the BAH and other techniques, Cricket is well on his way to being an even greater, more loving dog than he was before. We are surprised at how much of his personality is now shining through, since he is no longer trying to "muscle" us for leadership and barking so much. It is amazing how you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks, Marlene!
In August, on a very hot summer day, I think it was around 95 degrees, I was taking out the garbage in the alley. I heard a dog crying a couple of houses down and investigated where it was coming from, and found a crate with a very cute dog inside. This was the same kind of crate used to transport animals on a plane. At first blush, I thought the owner was inside the house and would take the dog in after dropping off her luggage. About a half hour went by and I had this gnawing feeling about the dog in the crate. I came back outside and saw one of our neighbors and asked if she knew anything about the dog. The neighbor did not know, but said the dog was there for about 2 hours. I then peered into the crate and saw that the dog was very mangy, very matted looking and there was a foul order coming from it. I opened the crate and the dog ran out and away. I chased after this dog for over an hour, and then gave up. As I was walking back home, our neighbor corralled the dog in her yard and gave him to me. My husband Danny and I found the dog in very bad shape. The smell was coming from its ears that were bulging out like cauliflower. As we went to look deeper in its ears, it turned around and bit me. Immediately, we took the dog and ran to the vet where the dog was quarantined for 2 weeks. He also had severe ear trauma, fleas, well, you name it - the bottom line is that dog was neglected and put out in 95 degree weather to die. We visited the dog at the vet and we decided to keep him. We named him Ollie. For a couple of weeks back in our house he was great. We have another dog and they seemed to get along just fine. Then, one day, as we were putting drops in his ears, he turned around and bit me again. This occurred a couple of times, but the last time, it was pretty bad. Now we had to decide if we were going to keep Ollie or if we were going to take him to a shelter. As we were thinking about the shelter, we felt that it would not be right to give him up to one since he had bitten me a few times and he was now hard of hearing because of the damage done to his ears. So, now we're thinking we had to put him down or get help. We contacted our vet and he recommended that we call Bark Busters. Marlene and Howard came to our home and we immediately saw that the techniques and their knowledge of dog behaviors were the best fit for us. After one lesson, Ollie showed great improvement. Marlene and Howard showed us how to communicate with him without using any shock collars, prong collars, or electronic collars. Rather, they showed us how to be a leader in the household by using training exercises coupled with voice tones and body language. These exercises have helped us to now have a trust and bond with Ollie. We know we have a way to go, but we are on the right path and we have laid the foundation to be part of our household pack. We highly recommend Marlene and Howard Marks and Bark Busters as trainers and to help fix unwanted behaviors with your dog. We did, and we did not have to euthanize Ollie.
We have a rescue pointer-mix, Gordon, who had been in a number of dog fights and had bitten a person in the five months we had him. Marlene and Howard's first visit calmed Gordon down noticeably. And that Marlene and Howard are now his trainers just took the pressure off and has given us the tools to keep him calm, to bond with us, to bit by bit teach him the behaviors that have yielded a beautiful, loving pet. Gordon almost seemed to sense the day he met them that all was now well. Many many small successes and steps keep building a better and better relationship between him and us and with our neighbors and their dogs. He's not a done deal, but we now know what to do. The Bark Busters program together with Marlene and Howard gave us hope and tangible progress when the week before they came, we had called the rescue org to return him. We have had no incidents with other dogs or with people since that day. He might still get excited but he has not gotten out of control because we correct him and guide him with positive methods so he knows what to do and believes we are in control. Though he still tests us a bit, the tests are becoming fewer. The walk is now a pleasure rather than such physical exertion the way it was before. We highly recommend Marlene and Howard for anyone who has a dog that needs training. Period. There is no abuse involved in their training methods. The methods are sound and sure and produce results and have from the first day.
BEST DOG TRAINING IN SKOKIE! I called Marlene of Bark Busters on the recommendation of my dog walker. In one brief conversation, Marlene understood the issues and had a clear idea of what would help. I highly recommend Marlene and Bark Busters. Ivy is a 4-year-old Vizsla that I adopted when she was 3, after being in 3 or 4 other homes. Ivy had issues of listening and responding to commands only on her terms and not mine (or others) along with guarding and some other fear-related issues. Marlene immediately identified these issues as leadership-related. In one single session with Marlene, I learned that I was not consistently leading Ivy and Marlene taught us (me and Ivy) some very simple actions that solved the issues. I just need my voice now and don't have to worry about using treats to bribe her. Ivy now has the respect for me (and others) to look to me for leadership and this all happened by Marlene explaining just a few very simple concepts and showing us some easily repeatable actions. Ivy was a sweet and happy dog before but now she is even happier and very clearly more comfortable with herself and others. Marlene has followed up to make sure Ivy and I are doing well. Do not hesitate to call Marlene of Bark Busters, you will be amazed at Marlene's problem solving ability and success with issues you have with your dogs.
2 Years later, we received a call from a friend who was watching Ivy at their vacation home and was concerned about their other dog fighting with her. We talked for about 45 minutes and I received a voice mail telling me how wonderfully behaved Ivy was with sharing toys and listening to them.
Anonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
Great, affordable training! Marlene and Howard were very fantastic and caring. They worked with our (sometimes moving) schedule to help transform our year-old anxious, howling shelter dog into a wonderful pet. We tried other obedience trainers but had little results. This program is very affordable, showed results immediately, and worth it. Thanks!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
I can't speak highly enough about Howard and Marlene. Our dogs, Tyson (Boxer, 1 years old) and Beau (Boston Terrier, 4 years old), were a lot to handle. They would bark at my husband and I until they got attention, they would fight each other over bones or for attention from our friends and family members, and taking them on walks was an absolute nightmare. Having company over was extremely difficult and embarrassing, because our dogs would go crazy. When I got pregnant with our first child, we decided we needed to do something about their behavior. From the moment we called Howard and Marlene, they have been nothing but supportive. They have been incredibly patient with us and our dogs, and the behavior of our dogs has changed dramatically. We can take them on walks that we can actually enjoy now and we are now able to control their constant barking out the windows and barking/whining for attention. We don't even have to crate them anymore when we leave the house, whereas before we called Howard and Marlene, if we left the dogs with the run of the house, we would come home to a disaster. Marlene and Howard have gone above and beyond to give us the help we need in order to correctly train our dogs. We are so happy with the results thus far, and would recommend them to anyone who needs help training their dog. If they can help our dogs, they can help any dog! We look forward to our next appointment with Howard and Marlene!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
My experience with Howard and Marlene has been absolutely wonderful (for me and my dog!). Not only are they helpful, friendly, supportive and reliable but there was an instant improvement in my dog's behavior during their first visit. I was amazed at how their strategies and philosophy worked so well, and so quickly. I don't know what I would have done without them!!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
Marlene and Howard: We practiced "attentiveness training" on our walk this morning. We're all falling into line very well. I am rather amazed at how Elvis & Kima snapped-to. Thanks for the refresher yesterday. We're off to a good start. Many thanks!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
Marlene and Howard turned a terrible situation into a wonderful one. After moving to a new apartment, I had received multiple complaints of barking. After only one session, the barking decreased so much that my neighbors were congratulating me on how quickly I resolved the issue. For the first time, the holidays were not a stressful event. My family was thrilled at the behavioral changes in my dog. It was the best money I ever spent!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
Dear Marlene and Howard: Many Thanks for coming over to give us and Mr. Peabody a "refresher" session this weekend! Your presence was nothing short of magical. The Bark Busters system and principles are so sensible, and your way of presenting them so clear and enjoyable. We are so pleased to have invested in the lifetime Bark Busters support. It is the best thing we ever did for Mr. Peabody, after rescuing him from the pound! Best friendly regards, John, Teresa, Mia, & Mr. Peabody
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
We adopted our wonderful Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Cricket, when he was six. We were told in the adoption process that he was a "talker". They weren't kidding! He is a wonderful dog with a great temperament, but in some cases, he would start barking and not know when to stop. For example, when the door bell rang, he would go nuts, and not settle down until about ten minutes after the door had been answered. He was also very vocal about making sure we knew what he wanted and when he wanted it. After four years of life with Cricket, we found his "talking" habits growing worse and nothing seemed to help. After seeing Bark Busters in our neighborhood, we decided to give them a call and decided it was our Christmas present to ourselves. Wow! What a fantastic present. Marlene demonstrated pack leadership to us, and helped us work with Cricket on his barking and how to curb his inappropriate barking with the infamous "BAH". After only one day, it was clear that we had a different dog on our hands! It is amazing how much more we are in control and leading the pack, instead of Cricket. Thanks to Marlene's work, we are now the leader, and Cricket actually looks up to us. After her initial 2½ hour visit, Marlene made a follow-up visit, to ensure that all was well and to answer our questions. She then introduced some new techniques to us and helped us clarify what our goals for the training were. Through consistent use of the BAH and other techniques, Cricket is well on his way to being an even greater, more loving dog than he was before. We are surprised at how much of his personality is now shining through, since he is no longer trying to "muscle" us for leadership and barking so much. It is amazing how you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks, Marlene!
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
In August, on a very hot summer day, I think it was around 95 degrees, I was taking out the garbage in the alley. I heard a dog crying a couple of houses down and investigated where it was coming from, and found a crate with a very cute dog inside. This was the same kind of crate used to transport animals on a plane. At first blush, I thought the owner was inside the house and would take the dog in after dropping off her luggage. About a half hour went by and I had this gnawing feeling about the dog in the crate. I came back outside and saw one of our neighbors and asked if she knew anything about the dog. The neighbor did not know, but said the dog was there for about 2 hours. I then peered into the crate and saw that the dog was very mangy, very matted looking and there was a foul order coming from it. I opened the crate and the dog ran out and away. I chased after this dog for over an hour, and then gave up. As I was walking back home, our neighbor corralled the dog in her yard and gave him to me. My husband Danny and I found the dog in very bad shape. The smell was coming from its ears that were bulging out like cauliflower. As we went to look deeper in its ears, it turned around and bit me. Immediately, we took the dog and ran to the vet where the dog was quarantined for 2 weeks. He also had severe ear trauma, fleas, well, you name it - the bottom line is that dog was neglected and put out in 95 degree weather to die. We visited the dog at the vet and we decided to keep him. We named him Ollie. For a couple of weeks back in our house he was great. We have another dog and they seemed to get along just fine. Then, one day, as we were putting drops in his ears, he turned around and bit me again. This occurred a couple of times, but the last time, it was pretty bad. Now we had to decide if we were going to keep Ollie or if we were going to take him to a shelter. As we were thinking about the shelter, we felt that it would not be right to give him up to one since he had bitten me a few times and he was now hard of hearing because of the damage done to his ears. So, now we're thinking we had to put him down or get help. We contacted our vet and he recommended that we call Bark Busters. Marlene and Howard came to our home and we immediately saw that the techniques and their knowledge of dog behaviors were the best fit for us. After one lesson, Ollie showed great improvement. Marlene and Howard showed us how to communicate with him without using any shock collars, prong collars, or electronic collars. Rather, they showed us how to be a leader in the household by using training exercises coupled with voice tones and body language. These exercises have helped us to now have a trust and bond with Ollie. We know we have a way to go, but we are on the right path and we have laid the foundation to be part of our household pack. We highly recommend Marlene and Howard Marks and Bark Busters as trainers and to help fix unwanted behaviors with your dog. We did, and we did not have to euthanize Ollie.
PermalinkAnonymous
14 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
We have a rescue pointer-mix, Gordon, who had been in a number of dog fights and had bitten a person in the five months we had him. Marlene and Howard's first visit calmed Gordon down noticeably. And that Marlene and Howard are now his trainers just took the pressure off and has given us the tools to keep him calm, to bond with us, to bit by bit teach him the behaviors that have yielded a beautiful, loving pet. Gordon almost seemed to sense the day he met them that all was now well. Many many small successes and steps keep building a better and better relationship between him and us and with our neighbors and their dogs. He's not a done deal, but we now know what to do. The Bark Busters program together with Marlene and Howard gave us hope and tangible progress when the week before they came, we had called the rescue org to return him. We have had no incidents with other dogs or with people since that day. He might still get excited but he has not gotten out of control because we correct him and guide him with positive methods so he knows what to do and believes we are in control. Though he still tests us a bit, the tests are becoming fewer. The walk is now a pleasure rather than such physical exertion the way it was before. We highly recommend Marlene and Howard for anyone who has a dog that needs training. Period. There is no abuse involved in their training methods. The methods are sound and sure and produce results and have from the first day.
PermalinkAnonymous
14 years ago
— Chicago, Illinois
BEST DOG TRAINING IN SKOKIE! I called Marlene of Bark Busters on the recommendation of my dog walker. In one brief conversation, Marlene understood the issues and had a clear idea of what would help. I highly recommend Marlene and Bark Busters. Ivy is a 4-year-old Vizsla that I adopted when she was 3, after being in 3 or 4 other homes. Ivy had issues of listening and responding to commands only on her terms and not mine (or others) along with guarding and some other fear-related issues. Marlene immediately identified these issues as leadership-related. In one single session with Marlene, I learned that I was not consistently leading Ivy and Marlene taught us (me and Ivy) some very simple actions that solved the issues. I just need my voice now and don't have to worry about using treats to bribe her. Ivy now has the respect for me (and others) to look to me for leadership and this all happened by Marlene explaining just a few very simple concepts and showing us some easily repeatable actions. Ivy was a sweet and happy dog before but now she is even happier and very clearly more comfortable with herself and others. Marlene has followed up to make sure Ivy and I are doing well. Do not hesitate to call Marlene of Bark Busters, you will be amazed at Marlene's problem solving ability and success with issues you have with your dogs.
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