Bark Busters Houston Reviews

Donna at Bark Busters did a fantastic job and we saw immediate improvement and responsiveness from our dog who is still well into the puppy stage! We worked on a number of things from the very start including jumping on people, staying away from the door when guests arrive, barking at the yard man, walking on leash. Even our dog seems to appreciate the better communication we now have, and we have a better understanding of how to convey what we want him to do. I highly recommend Donna. Her approach is fast and effective and has had a lasting positive impact.

• #Jumping up
• #Pulling

I asked Donna to help me with my dog Roy. I have never had a dog before, and after getting a rescue who was generally well behaved, I still felt like I needed some guidance about how to walk with him and assert myself as pack leader. All of the guidance Donna has given me made sense, and was explained to me in a thoughtful and respectful way. Roy responded really well during the training session with Donna, and during our subsequent practice sessions. I saw a really nice gradual, steady improvement with Roy within a matter of a couple days of practice. While he still has some bad days, he's not pulling me nearly as much, and every day I see an improvement. I recommend Donna for not just the big problems, but the little ones as well. As a doting new dog mom, I needed someone there who could answer all of my questions, and teach my dog in a respectful, easy to understand, and natural way that just made sense. Donna did just that!

• #Pulling

The training session was EXCELLENT! Donna Smith was extremely knowledgeable and assessed the situation thoroughly and efficiently. Her intuition about my dog's personality, our relationship and his issues was spot on. She taught me how to work with Buster during our session, observed me interacting with him and guided me in training him. The plan she devised for me has worked perfectly. I was desperate for help and she was my angel because I have had incredible results following her plan and implementing her suggestions. I have also found great peace of mind in resolving this problem. Buster was becoming increasingly aggressive toward dogs who walked by our property whether they were running loose on their own or on a leash walking with their owners. Buster is enclosed by an in-ground wire fence and would run the fence line barking at dogs when they passed by our house. He also would frequently get shocked by the fence while running and barking because he would not mind the warnings from his receiver collar in his agitated state. Although he had not violated the fence line, I was afraid he would ultimately cross it with his increasing agitation and apparent aggression. Luckily, after Donna had been working with us for an hour or so during our session, a neighbor came by with her dog on a leash and Donna got to see Buster "in action." She worked with him giving him corrections as the neighbor passed by our house a few times (we asked the lady to walk by repeatedly for us). On their last pass by us, Donna had Buster sitting down and not even pulling on the leash attempting to run at them. Observing that, I was convinced this would work for us. Her session with me was on Sunday and after working with him per her recommendations twice on Monday and once Tuesday morning, I had the opportunity to work with Buster while a neighbor and her dog walked by on Tuesday afternoon. He came to me on command and sat down by me while we watched the dog and owner walk by our house. Buster whined as he sat but did not run or bark at them and remained in control after those few training sessions!!!! I continue to work with him and continue to see improvement. The training is so effective. One month later, I now can control him purely with voice command (without him being on a leash) when dogs walk by our house. Buster is a one year old lab/retriever mix whom I adopted six months ago. Now, thanks to Bark Busters, I know he has a long future with us. Thank you so much!!!

• #Aggression

I contacted Donna because my 9-month-old Coton was constantly yapping at everything outside and inside the house. He was restless and driving me crazy. I could not let him greet people because I wasn't sure what he was going to do, and he had to be crated if had children visiting my house. He was also pulling on the leash and I felt embarrassed taking him for a walk due to his aggressive barking at people. We had done some basic puppy training based on operant conditioning (rewarding the dog with a treat) with him elsewhere so the dog knew the basics. However, it wasn't until Donna got here when the he understood what was really expected of him. After a two-hour session with Donna the barking, pulling and ambivalent behavior was gone. And this was all accomplished without the treats, which I found a lot more convenient and natural for me. The next day after Donna's visit I wasn't sure if the dog was sick because he was so peaceful. He wasn't sick. He simply knew what was his role now. I was the alpha in the house, not him. I would protect the house so that the dog didn't have to do it. The yapping, pulling, aggressive and otherwise ambivalent behavior around strangers and children was gone. When someone knocks at the door now, he knows that he's not supposed to bark and run to the door but he'll wait and do what is expected of him. I believe that dogs do well if they can. Before Donna got here my dog couldn't. Donna gave me the dog I always wanted. I highly recommend her. Thank you so much!