Meet Your Dog Trainer, Deb Boswell
Certified, Professional, Dog Trainer and Dog Behavioral Therapist
In-Home Dog Training in Greater Des Moines, IA!
Hello! My name is Deb Boswell your local Bark Busters Dog Trainer and Dog Behavioral Therapist in Des Moines/Central Iowa. I have owned Bark Busters of Greater Des Moines since October of 2007. I have a bachelors and master’s degrees in journalism. I followed my dream to help dog owners have a more rewarding relationship with their dog.
I am a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed [CPDT-KA] that requires a specified experience level, recommendations from veterinarians and clients simply to be allowed to sit for a grueling 4-hour exam.
I have trained over 2,000 dogs the Bark Busters way on the local level and have helped fix every imaginable issue dog owners encounter. If you’re like me, your dog means the world to you. Maybe he’s 95% awesome but it’s that 5% that makes life a challenge. I can guide you to the dog of your dreams in the dog you already have!
Immediate results. What if I told you that most of my dog behavior clients see positive changes by the end of the first 2-3 hour lesson? It happens all the time! With minor tweaking on the home front, most clients are well on their way to a well-behaved dog in a matter of days. Whether you have an 8-week-old puppy or a 12-year-old Great Dane, I will solve your problems. Any age, any breed, any issue.
In-Home Dog Training. My whole-dog, natural approach is customized to the needs of each client and dog! Bark Busters trains in your home because that is where most of the problem behaviors happen – not in a classroom with 10 other dogs. All of the solutions that I give you are proven effective in real life situations. I love helping dog owners learn how to communicate and read their dog and seeing their amazement when the dog they felt was beyond help, begins to understand what their human wants. The once “stubborn” pup is suddenly responding and eager to please.
Customized program – your schedule, your goals, 100% focus on your dog. Uses a simple, efficient yet powerful method based on canine thinking and communication. All training is done in your home / neighborhood / location of the problem behavior with fast results. Free ongoing support for the life of your dog! The help you need doesn’t expire at the end of a set time or number of lessons. Help is always a phone call away!
Dog-friendly methods. Non-physical approach allows your dog to learn appropriate behavior in a positive way. No clicker or treat training or dominance. I coach you to train your dog. This training/growth process will enrich the bond between you and your dog(s). Bond, trust and respect are the foundation of a stable relationship and a happy, calm dog! The approach I teach you is “less is more”. You will learn how to make your dog feel secure in your decisions and, in seeing you as the decision-maker, your dog will start to be calmer. Bark Busters International was founded over 30 years ago in Australia and is now the largest in-home dog training company in the world. As such, each trainer is backed by the knowledge base of hundreds of fellow trainers.
Contact me today
Visit my Dog Training Des Moines Website
Client Reviews
See what our clients in Greater Des Moines have to say
...I knew I needed professional help! Deb got through to our dog (and us!) immediately. On the first day we noticed a much calmer dog and we had effective tools to start training her. Gracie wouldn’t even acknowledge her crate prior to her first lesson and this was her willingly going into and relaxing in her crate that first night. We all still have work to do but we feel much more prepared and able to efficiently do homework each night.
Deb came over to our home to help my Fiancé and I with our 14mo old German Shepherd, Luna, who is incredibly reactive to other dogs (whether passing them on the street, or seeing them out a window). She also barks whenever company comes over, and when she hears noises!
Deb was extremely patient, and answered all of our questions. She provided a plethora of knowledge as to why Luna is acting this way, and what we can do to help her. Absolutely recommend Deb and Bark Busters for all of your dog training needs!
Deb came over to help with our sweet moose who thinks he is on Security duty 24/7. The moment anyone walks in he usually barks constantly. Deb was able to walk in and he only barked a handful of times before he went up and said hello!! This was already a huge success for us. Zach and I are looking forward to implementing what we have learned and to see moose learn.
After just two weeks, what a difference! Between Lesson 1 and 2, we had followup emails, and Deb responded to the notes we sent.
Amelia is much calmer. Random barking still an issue, but reduced frequency. Now we can get her on a leash and out the door without a major tangle. She responds to being re-focused.
It's been a process for the humans to remember how to respond consistently, but we're getting better, and encouraged that we can keep this up. Even the neighbors have noticed about how much better Amelia acts on a leash and during walks. For the first time in 2 years I feel that I could let someone else walk her without fear that they'd get knocked down or tangled up with another dog.
We've used Deb's suggestions for keeping Amelia busy with Lick-Mat and Kong; that also helps her people and dogs walking by our house.
Working with Deb, and getting her support is definitely worth the investment. Deb has brought about major change in everyone's behaviors, and things are much calmer. We appreciate the reinforcement we get with the emails, and knowing that Deb responds promptly to questions.
As you can see in the photo, Amelia now enjoys the fact that she is no longer Head of Security, which allows for more nap time.
Deb Boswell is a good teacher of both the humans and the dog. She explained the process, what was expected of us, before we introduced her to the dog. She wanted us to understand the plan before we were distracted with trying to control the dog.
Amelia is a 4y/o lab mix who was rescued 2 years ago after being abandoned while pregnant. Through a series of shelters and transport teams, we adopted her. As you can see in the photo, she worries. About many things. But the last 6 months she's increased her barking, so that it's now all the time at everything and everyone outside. We live on a bike path, and in a neighborhood with lots of kids and dogs. Out of nowhere Amelia would jump up, start barking madly, and run from door to windows and back, getting more wound up. Sometimes we see what she barks at; other times there doesn't seem to be anything. When packages were delivered, she'll run to the door, causing a major pile-up as we try to get the package. On a walk sometimes she'll react to some dogs, not consistently, and it's hard to tell if she wants to play or fight; she's managed to knock both of us down by a sudden lunge -- and that was on flat ground, without any ice or snow. Walking in winter is like a circus act. As she now weighs 70lbs, getting her under control on a leash is an important issue. Trying to take her where there were other dogs, or noises, or on travel, was a challenge.
We all were very frustrated.
Then Deb came, and in the initial session helped diagnose what was triggering Amelia, showed us ways to address the anxiety, barking, to establish our control, and gave suggestions for keeping her busy. Most she laid out a straightforward plan, that we could use consistently, and that Amelia responded to.
I really appreciated Deb's method of working with us before Amelia was invited to join the group, and her advice that we needed to fire Amelia from her job as Head of Security. That helped us think about what we were just letting Amelia do, because she was the boss of us.
I was skeptical in the promise that after one lesson, we could see meaningful change.
After Session One, I have hope that we can all adapt, and create a calmer environment.
We have a follow-up session set for about 3 weeks; Deb has also encouraged us to call or email her with any progress notes, or for help getting unstuck.
Definitely glad that we chose Deb of BarkBusters Des Moines.
We recently moved to the Des Moines area and our dogs were having issues adjusting to the new house and their respective roles/jobs in our new home. My wife called Bark Busters as we signed up our dogs for training previously with Bark Busters when we lived in another state. One of the major reasons we chose Bark Busters was because they offered life long support for the life of our dogs, even if we moved. Deb responded to our inquiry in a timely manner and she came to our home to assist. Deb made more of a connection with her refresher course than we had gotten from the original training.
We have known Deb for a lot of years since she helped us with our Lab Retriever, Maggie Mae. So when we got a rescue dog named Daisy and had some concerns with going down stairs, nutrition and separation anxiety., we called Deb We,ve had one session a few weeks ago and with Debs help have made improvements.Deb is very easy to talk to, listened to our concerns We are very happy with the results Daisy is a beagle terrier mix 7 years old., She is training us and Daisy You can tell her heart is in it and she cares.
Frankie is our 1-year-old male Schipperke. They are a strong willed and very intense breed. We were experiencing some behavior issues with him, and I heard about Bark Busters at our veterinary office. I signed him up and Deb Boswell came out to our place in early February. She immediately got his attention and started showing us some of the training techniques they teach. We were quite surprised in how quickly he learned that he was not the boss anymore.
Deb has made one other follow up visit, and we have her phone number if we have any questions or need further visits.
He is making progress and are very satisfied with the Bark Busters program.
Deb is amazing! She listens to everything we have to say regarding our dogs’ behaviors. She goes out of her way to give us her resources and knowledge to help our dogs be their best selves. We’re so happy we have Deb as a trainer!
Deb was great to work with. We especially liked that her training methods weren’t treat based. She sets you and your dog up for success. After one training session with Deb, and some at home practicing, we’ve seen a huge improvement in our 3 year old Border Doodle. Highly recommend Deb with Bark Busters, you won’t regret it.
We have been working with Deb Boswell and are so happy with our progress and with Deb's work with us.
Deb has been to our home and has given us suggestions about our house and yard. She has also given us tools to understand our labradoodle and help our 10 month old puppy understand who is really calling the shots and which of us is running this household.
She has demonstrated the techniques and worked with us to practice them.
She has advised us on nutrition and play toys.
She is only a text message or phone call away and has been responsive to us.
We look forward to continued work with Deb.
Deb is great to work with and has been very thorough and responsive to my questions and issues with my two pups. Support remains ongoing as we work through behavioral issues, but I'm seeing some improvement already after just a few weeks.
Bark Busters provides support for a variety of behavioral issues and also provides advice on things such as diet. As a result we have switched to higher quality dog food as it was potentially causing some of the underlying stressful behaviors.
My husband and I chose Bark Busters to help with our rescue pup a few years ago and we couldn’t be happier. When we first adopted our dog, Nomi, she was unsocialized and afraid of everything, including us. We did our best to get her comfortable in our home but after a few months of very slow progress we realized we needed help.
After our first session with Deb, we saw a huge transition in our dog. She gave us the tools to help Nomi feel more confident which led to her being more social and less scared. After practicing what Deb taught us we were able to get Nomi on walks (something she was too scared to do before), learn basic commands and not be so scared of new people. After a few months of reinforcing the training Deb gave us, Nomi was a completely different dog! She’s so happy, loves to play, loves people and is such a good and sweet dog.
We recently reached out to Deb because Nomi was getting aggressive towards other dogs while on walks. She came out to our house again and showed us how to work with Nomi to stop her aggressive behavior. After just a week of working with Nomi we’re already seeing a change. There is still work to do, but I am confident if we keep working with her she will stop the unwanted aggression.
I would highly recommend Bark Busters to anyone who needs help with their dog. Deb is professional, patient and very good at explaining how to communicate with your dog.
I was utterly impressed with the improvement in behavior in just one session. Deb is great and came prepared with information that would help each of our dogs individually (we have three) and helped us learn the skills we need to be the leaders of the pack
Marlowe has shown tremendous improvement after just one lesson! I am looking forward to working more with Deb so I can help Marlowe reach his full potential. Deb's techniques and advice gave me an increased sense of confidence in my ability to guide Marlowe to success.
Deb is the dog whisperer! I was about to rehome my fur baby as I wasn’t getting anywhere with training her. Deb came to my home and spent hours working with us and it has made a huge difference. My neighbors can’t believe how much better behaved my fur baby is and neither can I! Thank you so much Deb, you don’t know how much I appreciate your help and knowledge!! Carrie and Reba
We decided to go with Bark Busters for our one year old (new) Boxer. Deb came to our home and immediately we were comfortable with her. She got right to it, teaching us skills and how to be a good positive leader for our Boxer. The training is positive rewards vs snacks, which is wonderful. Our homework is working and our dog is responding. We are very happy with our choice to have Deb come to our home!
Absolutely amazing! I have 2 Jack Russell Terriers and a Black Lab that (between them) have ALL of the bad behavior issues. Deb was able to bring peace to my home and address all of their behaviors in one session. I definitely feel very confident that I have the proper training tools now to keep my dogs under control and train them the right way. I honestly cannot thank her enough! I will most definitely be recommending her to others. I wish I knew about her sooner!
We just had Deb at our home this afternoon to work with our 5 month old Golden Retriever. Deb was very thorough in explaining all aspects of the training protocol and we were happy with the immediate results we saw with our puppy. We would have no hesitation recommending Deb and Barkbuster to our friends with pets
I met with Deb for the first time today, and was beyond impressed! My boy has shown reactiveness, separation anxiety, and food aggression for 8ish months now. I had tried everything I could think of. I could see a difference in my boys behavior before we even started actually working with him, and continue to see improvements in his behavior as the night goes on. I am so thankful for Debs help!
Deb from Bark Busters totally changed my relationship with my dogs. I have two dogs, one is 4 years old hound mix and the other is 7 months old corgi mix. There has been some sibling rivalry, some aggressive behavior around feeding time (coming from the corgi towards the hound), and the typical barking, jumping, etc. I took a dog training course with the hound but when I tried training the corgi he wouldn't listen, just wanted the treat. Deb came to our home and totally flipped the script on how to handle my dogs. It's only been one week and we still have some work to do in certain areas but I noticed my dogs are a lot more relaxed and when your dog sitter texts you saying "Holy *beep*! What did you guys do? They didn't jump on me when I came into the house!" I find that a great success and the steps to the right direction! Thank you, Deb!
This training is amazing and I'm seeing results with my puppy in a very short period of time. I had the initial training about 2 weeks ago. And now Neighbors and friends commenting on my puppy's improved behavior when greeting them outside. I highly recommend Bark Busters!!
Deb came over to our home to help my Fiancé and I with our 14mo old German Shepherd, Luna, who is incredibly reactive to other dogs (whether passing them on the street, or seeing them out a window). She also barks whenever company comes over, and when she hears noises!
Deb was extremely patient, and answered all of our questions. She provided a plethora of knowledge as to why Luna is acting this way, and what we can do to help her. Absolutely recommend Deb and Bark Busters for all of your dog training needs!
We needed Deb to help train our 2 year old bernedoodle before our baby due in June. By the time our first session was over, we already saw major behavior changes in our dog and are still seeing them three days later. We learned valuable skills and strategies to use that prevent barking, pulling on leash, and grabbing items that aren’t supposed to be chewed on. The best part is Deb shows you exactly what to do and lets you practice while she’s there. Deb also went above and beyond to give us helpful information about how to introduce our dog to the new baby. What we learned from this session is SO valuable!
Deb came over to help with our sweet Moose who thinks he is on Security duty 24/7. The moment anyone walks in he usually barks constantly. Deb was able to walk in and he only barked a handful of times before he went up and said hello!! This was already a huge success for us. Zach and I are looking forward to implementing what we have learned and to see Moose learn.
Deb was thorough and the training is very effective. My male poochon was getting very aggressive at times. He also thought he was the boss. The training is working and we are practicing every day. The barking is getting under control. He now listens to me. Thank you, Deb. Well worth it.
While researching Bark Busters, I was cautious with so many highly-rated reviews and wondered if some of them were fake or bots. However, after just one session with Deb, I was completely blown away! My young Jack Russell Terrier was naturally very hyper and after she was attacked by two large dogs we were really struggling with her behavior. Intense leash pulling, fearful/aggressive reactions to dogs and birds, barking, etc. I wasn't sure if her anxious behavior could be improved. Deb quickly showed me how to effectively communicate with my dog and we can actually enjoy walks together now. It was an immediate improvement after just one visit with Deb and my dog enjoys the training. I only wish I had booked an appointment with Deb sooner - money very well spent!
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