Gusty has completely transformed both my life and my dog Benny's--after just two sessions.
Benny is a one-year-old mixed-breed rescue who had experienced significant trauma before I adopted him. When we started working with Gusty, we were dealing with several behavioral challenges: barking and biting, leash reactivity, and difficulty adjusting to my two resident cats--whom Benny felt the need to "protect" me from. He was also very territorial on walks, often lunging and snapping at anyone with an unusual appearance--people in big jackets, those with a unique gait, or wearing medical masks. He even reacted to other dogs wearing sweaters. On top of that, he had a habit of scavenging and displayed food aggression.
Gusty not only helped me see that Benny is an incredibly intelligent dog, but also gave me the tools and structure to bring out the best in him. With just a few consistent rules, Benny has blossomed into a calm, focused, and eager-to-learn companion. Thanks to Gusty's guidance:
- Benny no longer barks at people passing our apartment.
- He's calm and responsive on leash--no more lunging.
- He sits at crosswalks, comes when called, and no longer demands attention by barking.
- I no longer need to rely on endless chew toys or treats to keep him occupied.
- He drops trash when asked and responds beautifully to direction.
- Most importantly, our bond has grown stronger than ever.
While he still occasionally reacts to the cats' presence, he is MUCH calmer, only barks and them once or twice and then immediately goes to lay down after I tell him to. The fact that he can disengage from something that once distracted him so totally that I was concerned about his safety and the cats is actually incredible.
With Gusty's encouragement, I'm now excited to take things further--we're starting agility training, and I'm working on getting Benny comfortable in busier environments with the goal of certifying him as an emotional support animal so he can eventually travel with me.
Thank you, Gusty and the Bark Busters team! Your dedication to educating dog owners is inspiring, and the results speak for themselves. This has been one of the best investments I've ever made.
Gusty is terrific. She came in and assessed our needs quickly and jumped right in with skills and exercises to practice. I saw improvement in my chiweenie right away. Highly recommend Gusty to anyone needing dog training!
We are so incredibly grateful for Gusty and the help she gave our family. We have two miniature Australian Shepherds, one of whom is just over a year old and had recently developed reactive aggression. Over the last few weeks, things escalated to the point where she began attacking our other dog whenever someone came to the door or a package was delivered. During one of these incidents, my husband was accidentally bitten while trying to break up a fight. That's when we realized we needed professional help -- fast. It had gotten so serious that we had even begun discussing the heartbreaking possibility of rehoming her, simply for the safety of everyone involved. That fear, and the emotional pain that came with it, weighed heavily on our hearts. But after just one session with Gusty, that painful thought is now firmly in the past. Enter Gusty. In just one session, our lives changed. The nuisance barking stopped entirely. Our dog no longer jumps up on us when we walk through the door, even when she's excited. Her nipping and playfully aggressive behavior has been replaced by belly-up submissiveness and endless kisses. She's calmer, more docile, and truly feels like a different dog. What impressed me most was that all of this happened while my four-year-old son was in the background, constantly needing my attention. Gusty was incredibly patient, understanding, and focused throughout. She clearly cares deeply about what she does and wants nothing more than to help dogs and their human family. During our next sessions, we'll work on leash training and eventually help our dog learn that she doesn't need to be so protective of our son. Based on what we've already seen, I have no doubt that training will go just as smoothly. I can't recommend Gusty enough. She's a life-changer -- compassionate, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does.
Wow - Gusty is truly an incredible trainer and we saw significant improvements in our dog's behavior after just 1 session. My husband was hesitant about Bark Busters since we have tried so many different techniques with moderate success. But after Gusty left our house, my husband said "That was AMAZING!". We have a 3 year old pitbull (Moo) who is super smart and trainable, but we struggle to redirect her barking when guests come over/people come in our yard, she jumps on guests, and she has some leash reactivity. Gusty immediately tuned into Moo's needs and established her role as a trainer - truly training my husband and I to better train/support our dog. Using the Bark Busters harness, Moo is walking right next to us and is much calmer on walks. She is also responding well to respecting the front door as a "no go zone" and relaxing after she's notified us that there is a visitor. I highly recommend Gusty - we wish we would have found her years ago!!
Thank you so much Morgan! It was a pleasure to work with you and our husband and Moo!
Kacie J.
10 months ago
— Oakland, CA
I had hit a real low with my two pups and I was feeling anxious and hopeless when I reached out to Gusty and Bark Busters for help.
After a series of moves, my girls were hyper reactive to *everything* and I couldn't get them to stop barking nonstop in the house, attacking our gate when anyone walked by, and getting majorly out of control with passing people and pets when we went on walks.
Then Gusty came over for a few hours, read into the situation, and thoughtfully explained that I wasn't asserting leadership in a way my dogs could understand, so they thought they needed to protect me at all times.
*I* just needed some training. :)
She taught me to understand and communicate with my girls in a way I didn't know was possible, and gave me confidence in my ability to manage any situation.
The progress we've made in the last week is nothing short of a miracle.
- We have peace in our house.
- I can work uninterrupted.
- The dogs are relaxed.
- They sunbathe instead of screaming at the neighbors.
- We go on walks where they don't react at all to other dogs, to deer directly in our path, to mail trucks and carriers, to multiple people walking by.
Previously, this was something I only dreamed about. It's unprecedented.
I cannot recommend Gusty more highly. She feels like a friend you've known for years and her experience is invaluable. In a short time, she has improved my life (and my relationship with my dogs) —drastically.
Gusty is fantastic. We had a new, problematic puppy that, among other behavioral issues, was not letting us sleep. With her first visit, Gusty quickly diagnosed the situation and our puppy stayed silent in her crate that night. She also recognized subtle behavioral issues with our older dog. We cannot recommend Gusty highly enough!
Gusty is beyond amazing in training our little rescue 3-year-old Bichon. We've had her already for five weeks and she is a completely different dog all thanks to Gusty. She is gradually opening up her trust to us and it touches our hearts to the core to see these changes. We are learning patience that definitely pays off. We are so grateful and happy that Universe brought Gusty to our home. Highly recommend - If we could give Gusty ten stars, we would. RK
Gusty is absolutely fantastic! Working with her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My wonderful puppy, Cobie, was beginning to make my life miserable because I did not have the right skills to teach him good behavior. I saw immediate, life changing results during the very first lesson and our home is once again happy and harmonious. I am so grateful for Gusty and her superior ability to teach dog owners how to help their dogs be the best they can be. It’s the least we can do to give our pups the wonderful lives they deserve. The Bark Busters training system is worth every penny. I wholeheartedly recommend it and, especially, Gusty. You will not be disappointed!
Gusty was able in 2 hours to train my wife and I to transform our dog Roger into a so much better behave dog after just one session. We will to continue use the training techniques daily to make Roger even a better dog and companion. We look forward to our next training session to continue learn more exercises that we can pass on to Roger. So yes, we would highly recommend Gutsy for in home dog training.
Gusty was a spectacular teacher. She was thoughtful, well versed, knowledgeable, and great with Ossie and Ginji. Ossie is 8 and Ginji 4 months. Justy made the generational differentiation, and gave us helpful education for both. A real educator and compassionate trainer.
Alison
3 months ago
— Oakland & Alameda County
Gusty has completely transformed both my life and my dog Benny's--after just two sessions.
PermalinkBenny is a one-year-old mixed-breed rescue who had experienced significant trauma before I adopted him. When we started working with Gusty, we were dealing with several behavioral challenges: barking and biting, leash reactivity, and difficulty adjusting to my two resident cats--whom Benny felt the need to "protect" me from. He was also very territorial on walks, often lunging and snapping at anyone with an unusual appearance--people in big jackets, those with a unique gait, or wearing medical masks. He even reacted to other dogs wearing sweaters. On top of that, he had a habit of scavenging and displayed food aggression.
Gusty not only helped me see that Benny is an incredibly intelligent dog, but also gave me the tools and structure to bring out the best in him. With just a few consistent rules, Benny has blossomed into a calm, focused, and eager-to-learn companion. Thanks to Gusty's guidance:
- Benny no longer barks at people passing our apartment.
- He's calm and responsive on leash--no more lunging.
- He sits at crosswalks, comes when called, and no longer demands attention by barking.
- I no longer need to rely on endless chew toys or treats to keep him occupied.
- He drops trash when asked and responds beautifully to direction.
- Most importantly, our bond has grown stronger than ever.
While he still occasionally reacts to the cats' presence, he is MUCH calmer, only barks and them once or twice and then immediately goes to lay down after I tell him to. The fact that he can disengage from something that once distracted him so totally that I was concerned about his safety and the cats is actually incredible.
With Gusty's encouragement, I'm now excited to take things further--we're starting agility training, and I'm working on getting Benny comfortable in busier environments with the goal of certifying him as an emotional support animal so he can eventually travel with me.
Thank you, Gusty and the Bark Busters team! Your dedication to educating dog owners is inspiring, and the results speak for themselves. This has been one of the best investments I've ever made.
Debra
3 months ago
— Oakland & Alameda County
Gusty is terrific. She came in and assessed our needs quickly and jumped right in with skills and exercises to practice. I saw improvement in my chiweenie right away. Highly recommend Gusty to anyone needing dog training!
PermalinkJessica N.
4 months ago
— Oakland & Alameda County
We are so incredibly grateful for Gusty and the help she gave our family. We have two miniature Australian Shepherds, one of whom is just over a year old and had recently developed reactive aggression. Over the last few weeks, things escalated to the point where she began attacking our other dog whenever someone came to the door or a package was delivered. During one of these incidents, my husband was accidentally bitten while trying to break up a fight. That's when we realized we needed professional help -- fast. It had gotten so serious that we had even begun discussing the heartbreaking possibility of rehoming her, simply for the safety of everyone involved. That fear, and the emotional pain that came with it, weighed heavily on our hearts. But after just one session with Gusty, that painful thought is now firmly in the past. Enter Gusty. In just one session, our lives changed. The nuisance barking stopped entirely. Our dog no longer jumps up on us when we walk through the door, even when she's excited. Her nipping and playfully aggressive behavior has been replaced by belly-up submissiveness and endless kisses. She's calmer, more docile, and truly feels like a different dog. What impressed me most was that all of this happened while my four-year-old son was in the background, constantly needing my attention. Gusty was incredibly patient, understanding, and focused throughout. She clearly cares deeply about what she does and wants nothing more than to help dogs and their human family. During our next sessions, we'll work on leash training and eventually help our dog learn that she doesn't need to be so protective of our son. Based on what we've already seen, I have no doubt that training will go just as smoothly. I can't recommend Gusty enough. She's a life-changer -- compassionate, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does.
PermalinkMorgan
4 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Wow - Gusty is truly an incredible trainer and we saw significant improvements in our dog's behavior after just 1 session. My husband was hesitant about Bark Busters since we have tried so many different techniques with moderate success. But after Gusty left our house, my husband said "That was AMAZING!". We have a 3 year old pitbull (Moo) who is super smart and trainable, but we struggle to redirect her barking when guests come over/people come in our yard, she jumps on guests, and she has some leash reactivity. Gusty immediately tuned into Moo's needs and established her role as a trainer - truly training my husband and I to better train/support our dog. Using the Bark Busters harness, Moo is walking right next to us and is much calmer on walks. She is also responding well to respecting the front door as a "no go zone" and relaxing after she's notified us that there is a visitor. I highly recommend Gusty - we wish we would have found her years ago!!
PermalinkKacie J.
10 months ago
— Oakland, CA
I had hit a real low with my two pups and I was feeling anxious and hopeless when I reached out to Gusty and Bark Busters for help.
PermalinkAfter a series of moves, my girls were hyper reactive to *everything* and I couldn't get them to stop barking nonstop in the house, attacking our gate when anyone walked by, and getting majorly out of control with passing people and pets when we went on walks.
Then Gusty came over for a few hours, read into the situation, and thoughtfully explained that I wasn't asserting leadership in a way my dogs could understand, so they thought they needed to protect me at all times.
*I* just needed some training. :)
She taught me to understand and communicate with my girls in a way I didn't know was possible, and gave me confidence in my ability to manage any situation.
The progress we've made in the last week is nothing short of a miracle.
- We have peace in our house.
- I can work uninterrupted.
- The dogs are relaxed.
- They sunbathe instead of screaming at the neighbors.
- We go on walks where they don't react at all to other dogs, to deer directly in our path, to mail trucks and carriers, to multiple people walking by.
Previously, this was something I only dreamed about. It's unprecedented.
I cannot recommend Gusty more highly. She feels like a friend you've known for years and her experience is invaluable. In a short time, she has improved my life (and my relationship with my dogs) —drastically.
Tim F.
10 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty is fantastic. We had a new, problematic puppy that, among other behavioral issues, was not letting us sleep. With her first visit, Gusty quickly diagnosed the situation and our puppy stayed silent in her crate that night. She also recognized subtle behavioral issues with our older dog. We cannot recommend Gusty highly enough!
PermalinkRita Kae R.
12 months ago
— Alameda, CA
Gusty is beyond amazing in training our little rescue 3-year-old Bichon. We've had her already for five weeks and she is a completely different dog all thanks to Gusty. She is gradually opening up her trust to us and it touches our hearts to the core to see these changes. We are learning patience that definitely pays off. We are so grateful and happy that Universe brought Gusty to our home. Highly recommend - If we could give Gusty ten stars, we would. RK
PermalinkDaryl R.
12 months ago
— Berkeley, CA
Gusty is absolutely fantastic! Working with her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My wonderful puppy, Cobie, was beginning to make my life miserable because I did not have the right skills to teach him good behavior. I saw immediate, life changing results during the very first lesson and our home is once again happy and harmonious. I am so grateful for Gusty and her superior ability to teach dog owners how to help their dogs be the best they can be. It’s the least we can do to give our pups the wonderful lives they deserve. The Bark Busters training system is worth every penny. I wholeheartedly recommend it and, especially, Gusty. You will not be disappointed!
PermalinkJohn S.
14 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty was able in 2 hours to train my wife and I to transform our dog Roger into a so much better behave dog after just one session. We will to continue use the training techniques daily to make Roger even a better dog and companion. We look forward to our next training session to continue learn more exercises that we can pass on to Roger. So yes, we would highly recommend Gutsy for in home dog training.
PermalinkGeorge
16 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty was a spectacular teacher. She was thoughtful, well versed, knowledgeable, and great with Ossie and Ginji. Ossie is 8 and Ginji 4 months. Justy made the generational differentiation, and gave us helpful education for both. A real educator and compassionate trainer.
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