Bark Busters Stamford & Greater Fairfield County Reviews
Reviews
222 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 4.97 out of 5)
Cathy C.
9 years ago
— Stamford, CT
I met with Mike last week, and I couldn't be happier. I have a 2 year old French bulldog, who in my opinion has a very complex personality. He can be the sweetest, most playful guy but would sometimes snap for sometimes no reason, and I couldn't understand it. Mike had explained to me that he felt he was the boss of the house, and basically felt that he needed to protect me all the time. Which is not a job that I want my dog to feel he needs to uphold.
In one hour of some very simple training skills, my dog immediately started to realize that he was no longer going to be in charge. Of course I know that I will have to consistently work at training him, but I have no doubt that Mike's methods will work. The best part, is that I don't have to inflict pain or bribe my dog to get him to do what I want.I'm looking forward to seeing more of his progress. Also Michael is always available whenever I have questions, and when I ran out of food...he supplied me with some more until I was able to get it!!! What a guy!
Bottom line up front: I whole heartedly recommend Mike the dog trainer to anyone who has a dog.
This is my first and only review I've written and it is because I strongly believe in Mike's training program and teaching style. My dog is a little 30-pound shepherd mix named Arnie and was having increasing aggression, barking, and jumping as he was entering his adolescence. He is my first dog that I raised from a puppy and I thought I was doing everything right. I read the puppy books, went to puppy school through the ASPCA, socialized him early and often, but as he got older he got more and more aggressive, especially on the leash. I became discouraged with training assistance form most sources because most of what you find out there is positive reinforcement only, which is fantastic for training a wanted behavior, but not effective for removing unwanted behaviors. Mike had a unique approach from what I read with his style focusing on training the human, rather than the dog. I figured that Arnie's issues were coming from anxiety with him being so small and Mike agreed and also added in a very tactful manner that my dog didn't truly respect me and is the primary reason why he doesn't listen and didn't feel calm and comfortable with me when we were out together.
I would summarize Mike's style as dog whispererish, but without ever laying your hands on your dog as punishment. As Mike says, "hands are for petting". It is very much about continually reinforcing your dominance through every interaction with your dog so that your dog respects you in a 100% humane manner. There are no treats, there is no violence, and no pain brought upon your dog in any way. His method is based off of continuous communication. What does that mean you ask? Mike taught me the tools to communicate with my dog through body language, a modified growl (sounds silly and takes some getting used to but is extremely effective) and a couple of tricks. Mike walks you through the process every step of the way and gives continuous feedback on how to improve.
Within 1 day of implementing Mike's teachings my dog's unwanted behaviors almost entirely vanished. I was able to loose leash walk him in a distraction free environment and he did not bark or jump on guests when they entered the house. I'm now about 6 months out of Mikes session (which only took about 2 and 1/2 hours and he came to our house) and I can loose leash walk him through a high distraction area with passing cars and barking dogs and Arnie will calmly walk through with only minimal corrections on my part. This is because Mike taught me how to forge a relationship of trust and respect with my dog, so even though he is an anxious little fella, he knows that if there is a threat to him (which is almost everything in his eyes) that I will take care of it and so he remains calm and happy and thus I remain calm and happy. I have found that through the brilliance of the basics that Mike teaches you most of the problem behaviors just go away, and when a problem behavior does emerge, because your dog trusts and respects you he will actually listen even if there is a great big distraction.
I will emphasize that this is by no means a "magic bullet". Mike will give you the tools to communicate with you dog and then it is on you to continuously and consistently use these techniques, but Mike is readily available to take questions or even come back for additional training sessions if ever needed. I can't recommend his services enough.
I was referred to Michael By BARC after I reached out for help for my 3 yr old female pit bull Zoey. Zoey has always been a little unpredictable and very territorial. Over the last 4/5 months things with Zoey had gotten worse to the point I had thoughts of giving her up or putting her down. Zoey was becoming very hardheaded to the point where she wouldn't listen to commands from my husband or I. She would run up to the gates and scare neighbors and people walking by. It was hard for me to have people come over because she will run up to the door and proceed to bark aggressively. Zoey would jump on people and when we would let our second dog out to play who is another Pit Bull named Royalty they would both get so hyper they would knock people and things over. Royalty also had the problem with jumping on people, extremely hyper, running up to our fence and barking at people passing our home. Michael showed us a few strategies to help with all the areas listed above within one hour we had our home back!!! We could open the door with out them charging to get out or at people, they were walking side by side in the yard , less barking and must importantly they were not charging at the gates when people walk by. We couldn't believe it, they were different dogs by the end of the session. With consistency and patients after working with Michael we no longer feel we need to give Zoey up. We gained control of our home and in future if we ever need help I know exactly who to call. Thank you Michael!!!
In an hours time Mike helped us to completely change the way our puppy reacts and responds to the door bell, visitors and us! We learned so much from Mike and are grateful for his time and energy in helping us communicate more effectively with our lovely puppy! The training he did was easy to understand, explained well and is easy to follow through with at home leading to great results so far! Would recommend Mike to anyone who'd like the simplest or most complicated dog issue sorted! Thank you SO much, Mike 😊
My husband and I contacted Mike when we picked up our first puppy, Lemmy. I had grown up with a family dog and my husband had never had a dog. While I grew up with a dog, I had not been involved in the training aspect whatsoever. Both of us are pretty inexperienced. Lemmy is a rescue, we got her when she was only about 4 months old. Lemmy was overly protective of our house, barked constantly at people and other dogs, she'd wake us up barking at the top of her lungs every morning. Mike has truly helped us with our little girl. After the first session she was truly a different dog. She couldn't be better now and she's still only just a puppy, she's off to a great start thanks to Mike. Not only has Mike been awesome when working directly with Lemmy, he also provides support whenever you need it, he's just a phone call away. We couldn't be happier with our pup now. Mike has taught us a lot. Highly recommended!
We adopted a pitbull mix about 4 moths ago, his continuous mis behavior led me to be fearful of him.
He would run around the house, jump on me and other people, it was just a nightmare. Keep in mind that he is 75lb's and so strong!
The coaching from Michael literately changed our lives. I was one day away from getting ready to send him back, and with just one day of training Bruno's behavior has completely changed. I now feel like the dog respects both of the humans in the household as his pack leader. With his knowledge of dog behavior as well as their nutrition I am confident that Michael can help create a better situation for any house hold.
Michael, we are so thankful for how much you care about making people understand how dogs need to be taught and become part of a happy family!
We had an easy life with our two five-yr old female dogs, Lana and Jojo but we decided to get a rescue dog, so Rocco came along. For three weeks my husband and I were exhausted and tired of trying to keep peace in the house. Lana and Jojo continually growled and snapped at him. and he just wanted to play. We had many other issues before Rocco came along but didn't realize they were that bad until I read Barkbusters questionnaire. I was drawn to Michael's website and am so glad i called him. He squeezed us into his hectic schedule immediately. I was so stressed and about to send Rocco back to the rescue the very morning Michael came to my house, but I called him and he said just give me one chance "I think I can make a change". All i can say now is "wow". The method he taught us is incredible. By showing our dogs that we are the pack leader, there is now peace in the house. Amazingly from just two hours, we have a new life, and Rocco, our new son, is here to stay forever.
Yesterday was our first training for our 1 year old Maltese who would bark at anything and everything he heard, would mark around the house and he would take us for walks we didn't walk him.
After spending two hours with Mike our dog is a completely different dog . Mike leaves you with exercises you must do that take tops a half hour (because we are also doing the walking). We did our door routine today for 10 minutes and nothing got our dog barking. When our neighbors are leaving or coming he doesn't even look at the door. This has been a great experience and I recommend it to anyone !
Cathy C.
9 years ago
— Stamford, CT
I met with Mike last week, and I couldn't be happier. I have a 2 year old French bulldog, who in my opinion has a very complex personality. He can be the sweetest, most playful guy but would sometimes snap for sometimes no reason, and I couldn't understand it. Mike had explained to me that he felt he was the boss of the house, and basically felt that he needed to protect me all the time. Which is not a job that I want my dog to feel he needs to uphold.
PermalinkIn one hour of some very simple training skills, my dog immediately started to realize that he was no longer going to be in charge. Of course I know that I will have to consistently work at training him, but I have no doubt that Mike's methods will work. The best part, is that I don't have to inflict pain or bribe my dog to get him to do what I want.I'm looking forward to seeing more of his progress. Also Michael is always available whenever I have questions, and when I ran out of food...he supplied me with some more until I was able to get it!!! What a guy!
Ben F.
9 years ago
— Norwalk, CT
Bottom line up front: I whole heartedly recommend Mike the dog trainer to anyone who has a dog.
PermalinkThis is my first and only review I've written and it is because I strongly believe in Mike's training program and teaching style. My dog is a little 30-pound shepherd mix named Arnie and was having increasing aggression, barking, and jumping as he was entering his adolescence. He is my first dog that I raised from a puppy and I thought I was doing everything right. I read the puppy books, went to puppy school through the ASPCA, socialized him early and often, but as he got older he got more and more aggressive, especially on the leash. I became discouraged with training assistance form most sources because most of what you find out there is positive reinforcement only, which is fantastic for training a wanted behavior, but not effective for removing unwanted behaviors. Mike had a unique approach from what I read with his style focusing on training the human, rather than the dog. I figured that Arnie's issues were coming from anxiety with him being so small and Mike agreed and also added in a very tactful manner that my dog didn't truly respect me and is the primary reason why he doesn't listen and didn't feel calm and comfortable with me when we were out together.
I would summarize Mike's style as dog whispererish, but without ever laying your hands on your dog as punishment. As Mike says, "hands are for petting". It is very much about continually reinforcing your dominance through every interaction with your dog so that your dog respects you in a 100% humane manner. There are no treats, there is no violence, and no pain brought upon your dog in any way. His method is based off of continuous communication. What does that mean you ask? Mike taught me the tools to communicate with my dog through body language, a modified growl (sounds silly and takes some getting used to but is extremely effective) and a couple of tricks. Mike walks you through the process every step of the way and gives continuous feedback on how to improve.
Within 1 day of implementing Mike's teachings my dog's unwanted behaviors almost entirely vanished. I was able to loose leash walk him in a distraction free environment and he did not bark or jump on guests when they entered the house. I'm now about 6 months out of Mikes session (which only took about 2 and 1/2 hours and he came to our house) and I can loose leash walk him through a high distraction area with passing cars and barking dogs and Arnie will calmly walk through with only minimal corrections on my part. This is because Mike taught me how to forge a relationship of trust and respect with my dog, so even though he is an anxious little fella, he knows that if there is a threat to him (which is almost everything in his eyes) that I will take care of it and so he remains calm and happy and thus I remain calm and happy. I have found that through the brilliance of the basics that Mike teaches you most of the problem behaviors just go away, and when a problem behavior does emerge, because your dog trusts and respects you he will actually listen even if there is a great big distraction.
I will emphasize that this is by no means a "magic bullet". Mike will give you the tools to communicate with you dog and then it is on you to continuously and consistently use these techniques, but Mike is readily available to take questions or even come back for additional training sessions if ever needed. I can't recommend his services enough.
Kimberly S.
10 years ago
— Bridgeport, CT
I was referred to Michael By BARC after I reached out for help for my 3 yr old female pit bull Zoey. Zoey has always been a little unpredictable and very territorial. Over the last 4/5 months things with Zoey had gotten worse to the point I had thoughts of giving her up or putting her down. Zoey was becoming very hardheaded to the point where she wouldn't listen to commands from my husband or I. She would run up to the gates and scare neighbors and people walking by. It was hard for me to have people come over because she will run up to the door and proceed to bark aggressively. Zoey would jump on people and when we would let our second dog out to play who is another Pit Bull named Royalty they would both get so hyper they would knock people and things over. Royalty also had the problem with jumping on people, extremely hyper, running up to our fence and barking at people passing our home. Michael showed us a few strategies to help with all the areas listed above within one hour we had our home back!!! We could open the door with out them charging to get out or at people, they were walking side by side in the yard , less barking and must importantly they were not charging at the gates when people walk by. We couldn't believe it, they were different dogs by the end of the session. With consistency and patients after working with Michael we no longer feel we need to give Zoey up. We gained control of our home and in future if we ever need help I know exactly who to call. Thank you Michael!!!
PermalinkChelsea M.
10 years ago
— Stamford, CT
In an hours time Mike helped us to completely change the way our puppy reacts and responds to the door bell, visitors and us! We learned so much from Mike and are grateful for his time and energy in helping us communicate more effectively with our lovely puppy! The training he did was easy to understand, explained well and is easy to follow through with at home leading to great results so far! Would recommend Mike to anyone who'd like the simplest or most complicated dog issue sorted! Thank you SO much, Mike 😊
PermalinkBrooke R.
10 years ago
— Stamford, CT
My husband and I contacted Mike when we picked up our first puppy, Lemmy. I had grown up with a family dog and my husband had never had a dog. While I grew up with a dog, I had not been involved in the training aspect whatsoever. Both of us are pretty inexperienced. Lemmy is a rescue, we got her when she was only about 4 months old. Lemmy was overly protective of our house, barked constantly at people and other dogs, she'd wake us up barking at the top of her lungs every morning. Mike has truly helped us with our little girl. After the first session she was truly a different dog. She couldn't be better now and she's still only just a puppy, she's off to a great start thanks to Mike. Not only has Mike been awesome when working directly with Lemmy, he also provides support whenever you need it, he's just a phone call away. We couldn't be happier with our pup now. Mike has taught us a lot. Highly recommended!
PermalinkJackie & Anthony T.
10 years ago
— Norwalk, CT
I had originally called Michael to help us introduce a foster dog into our home in hopes that they would get along and I would be able to adopt. My dogs were not well socialized and Tuck my mastiff/pit mix being over 130 lbs made me nervous as the new dog was only 40 lbs.. I met Mike in the driveway and was literally crying because I was scared it wouldn't work and I would have to get rid of new dog. He immediately put me at ease. Once he began working with dogs it was instant the change. He taught my fiancé and I how to take back our home. It was because of his training we were able to successfully introduce the dogs. It is because of Mike teaching us how to be the pack leaders that we were able to go from a pack of 4 to a pack of 5. The level of knowledge and expertise he offers is incredible. He answered anytime I called him with questions and even stopped by to check in:) I have never been so grateful in my life to work with someone. Thank you Mike for helping us to take our lives back and showing us how to take charge of our home!
PermalinkAngelica D.
10 years ago
— Stamford, CT
We adopted a pitbull mix about 4 moths ago, his continuous mis behavior led me to be fearful of him.
PermalinkHe would run around the house, jump on me and other people, it was just a nightmare. Keep in mind that he is 75lb's and so strong!
The coaching from Michael literately changed our lives. I was one day away from getting ready to send him back, and with just one day of training Bruno's behavior has completely changed. I now feel like the dog respects both of the humans in the household as his pack leader. With his knowledge of dog behavior as well as their nutrition I am confident that Michael can help create a better situation for any house hold.
Michael, we are so thankful for how much you care about making people understand how dogs need to be taught and become part of a happy family!
lisa m.
10 years ago
— Norwalk, CT
We had an easy life with our two five-yr old female dogs, Lana and Jojo but we decided to get a rescue dog, so Rocco came along. For three weeks my husband and I were exhausted and tired of trying to keep peace in the house. Lana and Jojo continually growled and snapped at him. and he just wanted to play. We had many other issues before Rocco came along but didn't realize they were that bad until I read Barkbusters questionnaire. I was drawn to Michael's website and am so glad i called him. He squeezed us into his hectic schedule immediately. I was so stressed and about to send Rocco back to the rescue the very morning Michael came to my house, but I called him and he said just give me one chance "I think I can make a change". All i can say now is "wow". The method he taught us is incredible. By showing our dogs that we are the pack leader, there is now peace in the house. Amazingly from just two hours, we have a new life, and Rocco, our new son, is here to stay forever.
PermalinkTiffany U.
10 years ago
— Bridgeport, CT
Yesterday was our first training for our 1 year old Maltese who would bark at anything and everything he heard, would mark around the house and he would take us for walks we didn't walk him.
PermalinkAfter spending two hours with Mike our dog is a completely different dog . Mike leaves you with exercises you must do that take tops a half hour (because we are also doing the walking). We did our door routine today for 10 minutes and nothing got our dog barking. When our neighbors are leaving or coming he doesn't even look at the door. This has been a great experience and I recommend it to anyone !
Thank you Mike !!!
Tanya F.
10 years ago
— Stamford, CT
Thank you very much for your help!!! I really learned techniques to calm down my dogs. I truly recommended Michael!!! .Thank you again!!!
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