Bark Busters Des Moines Reviews

Reviews

278 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 4.91 out of 5)

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  • Tori S.
    9 years ago — Ankeny, IA

    Photo of Priscilla I would have never imagined my baby acting so well. Priscilla is a 8 yr old lasa mix who I adopted 5 yrs ago. We reached out to Bark Busters to help us with her aggression issues. After the first hour, I realized what we had been doing wrong, we have always protected our baby and centered our world around our dogs. But with the training we received, it was clear what we had been doing wrong. After our first session, she was a different dog. A week later we have had stranger in our home and it was the most pleasant experience we have had in 5 yrs. Our life is so peaceful after the first week, I can't imagine how much better it will be after our next appointment.
    My only regret is that I would have called sooner. Thank you Deb for the great advice, we look forward to your continued support and direction.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    Trainer Note:
    I am so happy for you all! Thank you for your kind words.
  • Julie K.
    9 years ago — Des Moines, IA

    Photo of Kia It's a miracle! Kia came to me 7 years ago as a rescue. It was obvious she had been abused and had a number of issues, She has always been a sweetie with a good heart, but panics at the thought of being alone. I've lost curtains, book shelves, window sills, doors, and most recently a couple dining room chairs to her destructiveness when I'm gone. Deb has been an angel - giving me a number of exercises to work on with her, food and toy options, and showing that an old dog can learn new tricks! After just the first session I had a number of people tell me they could already see a difference. She is much calmer, looks to me for direction, and is getting better each day. I should have called sooner! Thank you Deb and BarkBusters!

    • #Barking
    • #Pulling
    • #Separation anxiety
    Trainer Note:
    I appreciate your kind words! Kia is so worth the effort you've invested into the training! I am happy for BOTH of you!
  • Felicia A.
    9 years ago — Ankeny, IA

    We were very pleased with our first training session with Deb. Deb is amazing to work with. She is patient, but consistent and uses techniques that get results. We were able to see improvements by the end of our first session. We are excited to continue working with our dogs and train them to be the best they can be!

    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
    • #Recall
    Trainer Note:
    Thank you! You have great dogs and I know you will continue to see improvement.
  • Andrea H.
    9 years ago — Ankeny, IA

    We had fostered Toby with the intent of placing him for the rescue group we work with. However, Toby was not socializing and was a bit of a challenge. He had come from an abusive situation when he was taken to a shelter and could bite when scared. After a while, we realized that he wouldn't be safe to place. We adopted him and he slowly began to adjust. We took in another challenge (Petey) who was not adjusting to the shelter and would not be adoptable due to his timid nature and that he could bite. We took both of these guys as far as we could and knew we needed help with the barking and the risk of biting. After the first visit, I felt equipped to help curb these issues. They will continue to need work, but I can now enjoy my time with them. I learned how to work with their personalities and help them feel more secure. Things are improving quicker than I anticipated. I am very grateful for the training.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Pulling
    Trainer Note:
    You have done an awesome job with these two. I am happy to help you get to the next level. Thank you for you kind words!
  • Melodie K.
    9 years ago — West Des Moines, IA

    Photo of Bella I adopted my first pet this January. She is a Staffordshire Terrier Mix, so very similar to a pitbull. She is 7 years old and bears the scars of fights with dogs on her face and legs, and also the scars of being returned to the shelter twice before I adopted her. She is very very loving, but also very very aggressive towards other dogs. She also barked at everything and everyone that came near the place, or just at noises she would hear. And, she needed to be by me 24-7, followed me everywhere. After working with Deb, she explained how Bella was feeling, and why she was reacting the way she was. We have had two sessions, and really the second session was to show off how well Bella was doing. Don't get me wrong, she is not perfect now, but she is much more manageable in terms of listening to me, not needing to be around me all the time, walking by me and not leading me, and lastly, not lunging aggressively and barking at every dog we see. I don't think Bella will ever be a dog that can be around other dogs, but with Deb's training, I have learned to be more alert than Bella and calm her before her adrenaline kicks in to start barking or going after another dog. Deb has great skills and lessons to teach, but she is not teaching your dog, she is teaching YOU. You have to listen, and do the work, and with her lessons, you can have a well-behaved dog. I've gotten compliments now on the changes in Bella's behavior, and listening to me. I'm more confident walking her now, and now, she will only bark once when the bell rings, before I give her the command and she goes to where she is supposed to. Thanks Deb for all your help, and I am so thankful for the option of continual support.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Recall
    • #Separation anxiety
  • Alison S.
    9 years ago — Urbandale, IA

    Deb did a great job of getting us to understand why our dog does what he does, and how to correct unwanted behavior. We saw improvement in just a few days and has made a world of difference!

    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Recall
    • #Separation anxiety
  • Gail B.
    9 years ago — Urbandale, IA

    Photo of Copley and Ozzy I tend to adopt dogs from shelters - typically dogs who were abused in the past. Unfortunately that means lots of behavior problems. We couldn't take our dogs for walks, they barked all the time, and one was pretty aggressive. I have to be honest, after the first session, I had my doubts but did the assigned exercises. After the first visit, there was a noticeable decrease with indoor barking and people can ring the doorbell without fear of being attacked. Since the second visit, I was able to take one dog for a walk and while we were outside the next door neighbor commented that he saw the bark buster van in our driveway and the dogs really cut down on barking. There is still a lot of work to be done. One dog is still limited to walking up and down the driveway, but I just keep remembering Deb talking about baby steps. It is just amazing how she was able to come in to our home and bond with the dogs as well as she did. I love the emphasis training with positive reinforcement. I think the biggest change of her training was me...and helping me understand that it is ok to be the alpha dog and having the dogs run amok hurt them more than helped. She is patient not only with the dogs, but with their owners.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Pulling
    • #Other
    Trainer Note:
    I am so happy to hear that things are improving! Keep up the great work. Thanks for your kind words!
  • Danny And Donna T.
    9 years ago — Des Moines, IA

    Photo of Samson and Jordan After our appointment with Deb Boswell our dogs behaviors have definitely improved. It takes time and patience, but by using Deb's training techniques we are now able to walk both our dogs with out the pulling and barking issues. She also taught us the value of using correction in the proper way and at just the right time, we are now the leaders of our pack! Thanks Deb!

    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
    • #Sibling rivalry
    • #Separation anxiety
    Trainer Note:
    I am so glad you have seen improvement in the first 3 weeks of training. Keep up the good work!!
  • Tom R.
    9 years ago — Clive, IA

    Deb has a great rapport with our 1 year old Rottweiler. The way he follows her commands is amazing. We're slowly learning her magic. If we spend the time with Baloo, we know her methods will work!

    • #Aggression
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Puppy management
    • #Recall
    Trainer Note:
    Thank you for your kind words! Remember - I am available whenever you need a refresher!
  • Laura L.
    9 years ago — Johnston, IA

    We started seeing immediate results with some pretty simple changes in how we interact with our dog.

    Spencer was barking and charging at the door, overprotective, sometimes nipping at visitors, and always pacing. A thunderstorm or fireworks would have him and us up all night and very anxious.

    Deb taught me how to take charge of the dog as the leader, and this immediately let Spencer relax and become much calmer. We started seeing changes within a day.

    While I realize that to gain full benefit of the training techniques requires consistent and some longer term work on my part, I have a path to a solution.

    Thank you Deb !

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Pulling
    • #Recall
    • #Other
    Trainer Note:
    I am so happy that Spencer is calmer. You have done an awesome job of working with him!