Efficient, Holistic, and Results-Oriented Dog Training in Southwest Portland

Experiencing behavioral issues with your dog? Our compassionate, in-home dog training in Southwest Portland empowers you to overcome challenges fast. 

We teach in your home, where your dog feels the most secure. Through our focused, results-driven approach, you’ll learn how to lead and communicate clearly with your dog, so you can enjoy a calmer, happier life together.

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Personalized Dog & Puppy Training

Every dog is different. That’s why we work with you to create a tailored training plan and bring our experienced trainers to your home on your schedule. Whether you’re looking for puppy training in Southwest Portland or help with an older dog, we’ve got you covered!

Nurturing, Dog-Friendly Approach

We don’t rely on bribes or punishment. Our proven methods are based on respect, leadership, and trust, the core values that build lasting changes and better behavior.

A Lifetime of Support

With our Gold Service, your Bark Busters Southwest Portland, Oregon trainer is a single call away and ready to help at any point in your dog’s life at no additional cost.

Common Dog Behavioral Issues We Address

Our expert puppy training, dog training, and dog behavior services in Southwest Portland resolve the most challenging dog behavior issues including:

  • Aggression
  • Adjusting to New Home
  • Barking
  • Biting
  • Chewing
  • Destruction
  • Digging
  • Focus & Listening
  • Housebreaking
  • Improving Confidence
  • Jumping
  • Leash Pulling
  • Marking/Peeing
  • New Baby Preparation
  • Obsessiveness
  • Respecting Other Pets
  • Running Away
  • Separation Anxiety
  • Sibling Rivalry – in House Tensions/ Fights


Not sure where your dog could use improvement? Take our free behavioral quiz today.

Meet Miguel, Your Local Professional Dog Trainer

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Home Dog Training in Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Wilsonville,  Sherwood & Portland Metro Area!

Welcome. I am Miguel Munoz, your Bark Busters Dog Trainer and Dog Behavioral Therapist. If you are in the Tualatin, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Wilsonville, Sherwood, Hillsboro or greater Portland Metro area looking for private dog training that cares about your needs, I am here to help you.

I was born and raised in Oregon and am a proud husband and father of four young children and two dogs. After serving as a veteran for 20 years, one of my greatest joys in life is teaching people and dogs to grow and learn, and watching those relationships become stronger.

I know the challenges you face in getting your dog to just listen or calm down or to not be afraid. It's overwhelming, but I am here to guide you on how to make it all work in a healthy way for you and your dog. We train in your home, with scenarios and situations that you deal with on a daily basis, every dog is different and special and so are you.

Just like young children, dogs need structure, discipline and a path to establish positive habits and routines. How? Dogs all speak the same language, they don’t need translators no matter where they are in the world, dogs speak dog and we will also. We use the same elements in communicating that a dog would use.

You don’t have a bad dog, you are not a bad dog parent, we just need to make changes from small ones to big ones. I have experience resolving challenging dog behaviors like overwhelming anxiety, separation anxiety, sibling rivalry to behaviors that get the neighbors talking such as door manners, walking on a leash, jumping.

Customized program.  Your schedule, your goals, 100% focus on your dog. We use simple, efficient yet powerful methods based on canine thinking and communication. All training is done in your home / neighborhood / location of the problem behavior. 

Dog-friendly methods. Our non-physical approach allows your dog to learn appropriate behavior in a positive way. 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!  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. 

Veteran Owned Bark Busters Home Dog Training

Client Reviews

See what our clients in Greater Portland have to say

...I'm amazed at the progress our dog's are making in such a short period. We've had great results with Miguel's training, compared to no very limited results with the board and train camps we tried.

I highly recommend Miguel to anyone looking for a compassionate, skilled, and knowledgeable dog trainer.
Kelley J.
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We had Miguel come in today to get our crazy barker under control. He dove straight into the lesson, asserting his techniques, and quickly got Roger under control! He then taught us how to implement those, to have effective communication with my dog. Now I have total control over him. Completely amazed, and highly recommended!
Kevin G.
Carolina, Puerto Rico
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Miguel was easy to work with, and very knowledgeable about dogs. He came with tools to help us get control of a dog we had just adopted. He took his time with us and our dog. He returned phone calls. He gave us good information about the breed and what to expect.
With Miguel's help, things improved within a week.
Delores W.
West Linn, OR
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Miguel was very patient and thorough with our two corgies and with us! We loved that you come out to the home vs our past dog training experiences were in distracting groups full if other dogs. This was 1/1 with my husband and I and our dogs. He was very mindful of our home and removed his shoes on entry and brought them to our back yard. Our pups were very responsive to the training and are still responding to our commands on day two! Miguel also recommended a special leash and sent a link we asked for as well. We highly recommend him and Bark Busters and I immediately made a Facebook post to that effect with a link to them and Miguel’s card. You will not be disappointed!
Rich
Canby, OR
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Miguel was extremely helpful with our dogs. Judi our main concern seemed to take to it so easily. Rooney actually became the more resistant to training, but since the first session, she has had great progress. I feel like the whole family has a better understanding between each other. I would highly recommend Barkbusters and Miguel for anyone. Especially because it’s life long so it’s comforting to know I can just contact Miguel with questions or schedule another session whenever.
Nicole
Hillsboro, OR
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We were at our wit's end with our energetic 8-month-old Golden Retriever, Rufus. Jumping, pulling on walks, destructive behavior and ignoring commands – it felt overwhelming. Then we found Miguel, and it was a game-changer!

Miguel's positive, patient, and knowledgeable approach led to immediate results and is helping us have the confidence to be better leaders for Rufus. Miguel’s training methods are clear and effective. He is sensitive to the needs and barriers of our household and able to offer helpful suggestions tailored to our unique circumstances.

In just a short time, Rufus has become a calmer and more obedient pup. We can finally enjoy walks and time playing or relaxing at home together.

We can't recommend Miguel highly enough! If you're looking for a trainer who will not only train your dog but also empower you as an owner, look no further than Miguel!
April B.
Tualatin, OR
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Miguel is awesome! We are a CA transplant and Miguel has been so good to us. His communication is wonderful, he's professional, and so good with Lou, my mini golden doodle. Every time he leaves, I have more confidence and direction of what to do and how best to help Lou. Thanks Miguel!
Kristine W.
Gladstone, OR
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Miguel is awesome! We are a CA transplant and Miguel has been so good to us. His communication is wonderful, he's professional, and so good with Lou, my mini golden doodle. Every time he leaves, I have more confidence and direction of what to do and how best to help Lou. Thanks Miguel!
Kristine W.
Gladstone, OR
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Just as listed, Miguel spent a couple hours with us on the first meeting, observing the dogs (my dog and wife's dog. Discussing what we wanted and observing the dog's interactions with each other and and ours with them as well as discussing what we wanted to accomplish. He gave us quite a lot of written information as well as spoken to base our training program on. We couldn't have ask for a better trainer. He taught us by both spoken word as well as example what to do and how to do it to accomplish our goals for the our dog. He has come back for our last two meeting to teach further as well as check the degree of success we have had implementing his teaching instructions. We marvel how much we have learned from him in the short of time and how much progress our dog has made. We Highly recommend him without any reservation to anyone desiring a home trainer,
Tim J.
Oregon City, OR
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Miguel is fantastic! We appreciate how he took the time to get to know us and our dog, Lola. And customized things to fit our situation. He also made the ‘homework’ easy to add to our routine while still having plenty of time to play or snuggle with our girl. Lola quickly dropped some bad habits and now knows we will be her protector. She doesn’t need to protect us. We are more confident taking her anywhere now too. We highly recommend Miguel!
Kim H.
Hillsboro, OR
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What a difference a lesson can make in your life and the life of your dog! I didn't realize how much I was allowing the dog to control our household until Miguel came over. Now that the tables have turned, what a great dynamic we all have! No more barking, growling at other dogs on leash and ignoring my commands. Oh and the door manners -- it's like night and day. If your waiting to train your dog, don't.
Charles R.
Dundee, OR
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Wow! what an amazing trainer. Miguel was able to turn my crazy, out of control Lab into a sweet, calm, gentle dog. I know this will take practice and time on my end to keep this going, however I'm already blown away with how well these methods work.
If you are in need of a great dog/people trainer, I would call Miguel and Bark Busters immediately, you won’t regret it. Thanks Miguel for everything .
Scott S.
Beaverton, OR
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Miguel provided a great session. I have an older dog which I thought I’d have to deal with a few issues for the rest of the dogs lifetime. However, Miguel was able to help me improve his walking, actions at the door around visitors and also my communication with my dog. Looking forward to getting my dog from a few issues to none. Looks like the old dog is learning new stuff and quite easily. I also really like the style of communication over treat training.
Alysa P.
Lake Oswego, OR
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Dick Messenger did an amazing job of providing us with the tools we needed to train our Staffordshire Terrier successfully!
Michelle K.
Sherwood, OR
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We are so happy with Bark Busters and Dick Messenger!

Dick is a dynamic, educational and empowering teacher/trainer.

He most certainly respects and honors the Bark Busters methodology …..

….. and the results of our dog’s training are amazing!
Leslie R.
Gresham, OR
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WOW! We highly recommend Bark Busters training with Dick Messenger. After trying all sorts of other training techniques that didn't work, from day one after our first training session at home with Dick, our little Lexi was a changed dog. Lexi is relaxed, happy and obedient, and the nuisance barking has stopped. She is a pleasure to take on walks, and training is actually fun! We will continue to reap the positive rewards for years to come.
Peggy E.
Milwaukie, OR
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Dick obviously knew what he was doing from the moment we started. He trained us on how to train our dogs. We now walk our dogs with ease, set our own schedule (instead of scheduling around them!), and they are not jumping on us or our friends. Whatever dog problems we have he has the answer for, we recommend him highly!!
Dave D.
Tigard, OR
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I cannot say enough great things about experience with Dick and his training our puppy Duke. He was thorough, sincere and easy to follow. We learned so much in those couple of hours, I am amazed at Duke's progress already. We decided to include our 9 year old in the training and Dick was patient and kind, and so easy to work with. My daughter is doing such a great job, and we can only thank Dick for that. Dick helped us come up with a plan on how to proceed with our puppy and we're excited to complete our daily trainings with Duke as he gets better with every day.
Aubre W.
West Linn, OR
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Mr Messenger was a very intelligent and professional trainer - but still very personable. He showed the perfect combination of firm and care. With the few things I worried about (ie. greeting Boomer as soon as I return from work), he was able to explain the reasoning behind the preferred actions. I was very pleased with the immediate progress and am excited for future sessions to see what they produce. C.J. Smith.
CJ and Brittany S.
Sherwood, OR
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We have a 4 month old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy who was suffering from some separation anxiety and nipping at our 4 year old son. We called Dick very desperate for some help. Before Dick even came to our house or met our family, he offered us some tools over the phone. He was very compassionate and willing to help with our sleepless nights we were suffering due to our anxious little puppy! After the first session with Dick we already noticed some positive changes in Major's behavior. He was more confident and within 24 hours had completely stopped nipping at our son. He also stopped chewing on all of our shoes/furniture/clothes/etc. He is now walking on a leash better than some more mature dogs we know and he is listening better too!

Dick changed the way we communicate with our dog and restored order back into our household! One thing we really appreciated is he spends time training you instead of your dog. He gives you the tools to be successful even after your sessions are over. We are looking forward to watching our puppy grow up into a well behaved, loving and fun pet - thanks to Dick!
Lauren M.
Tigard, OR
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The positive impact of the training started to show immediately! it was about 4 days before we saw any testing by Billy. There are challenging days, but there is a real underlying change in his behavior that is really great for us and for Billy. The training Dick provides really works!
Doug & Candy F.
West Linn, OR
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Dick was a great trainer! His professionalism and commitment to our dog, Benji, was a key component of Benji’s success. We rescued Benji from a meat farm in Korea and he has needed a lot of socialization. We have made tremendous progress in just a few weeks with Dick’s training! We can’t wait to keep working with him and help Benji continue to grow.
Brad F.
Tigard, OR
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Oh My Gosh what a change in my puppy. When Dick started with us our little 15# 8/month old Bear was totally out of control: barking, jumping up on everyone and everything, chewing up whatever he could get in his mouth, digging and nipping at us for attention and never standing still long enough to catch him. Now, 4 weeks later he is a different puppy. He walks/heels on leash, has stopped aggrrssive behavior toward us, obeys commands to stop jumping up and barking. Dick Messenger is such a good trainer and Bear is progressing better than any of us could imagine. I highly recommend that you give him a call.
Marlene F.
Tigard, OR
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Were were having control issues with our 18 mo old yellow lab. He had major surgery at 9 mos & could do nothing for 6 mos. He forgot all his puppy training and was a 72 lb difficult to control big baby. Dick came to the rescue & trained us to train him. It is a big commitment but it also has big payoffs. You have to be willing to train your dog for 20 min every day. Dick was a huge help to us & is still available to help whenever we need him. I highly recommend Bark Busters & especially Dick, he was wonderful.
Cindy O.
Sherwood, OR
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After our 13 year old female died, our 2 year old male started showing signs of aggression. Walks became volatile and nerve wracking and I knew we needed help. Dick came to our house and taught us what to do. I loved this technique because he had us do everything. He never touched our dog or the leash, he simply taught us what to do. The results were immediate. We had no idea how many subtle things we were doing that sent the wrong message to our dog. Dick gave us clear instructions and explained everything he asked us to do. Consistency is key, change can be challenging, but it's SO WORTH IT. We're just beginning this process but the change is already significant. Our dog is happy and calm, our walks are lovely outings, better than ever, and we owe it all to Dick Messenger.
Amanda D.
Portland, OR
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Having trouble training your dog? I assure you that Dick Messenger has the answers you've been wanting and looking for. Dick Messenger's professionalism and experience was evident from the moment he greeted our 4-month old chocolate lab puppy Mora and us. His light-hearted and humorous approach made us feel at ease in knowing that we were not alone with the challenges we were facing while raising a puppy, and most importantly, that they are trainable behaviors. When we first got our puppy we had enrolled in a group Puppy 101 class at a local facility and found ourselves in an overcrowded room with a training that was extremely subpar, at that point, we knew we had to find a better alternative. We are so pleased that we found Dick as a dog trainer and made the commitment to Bark Busters, it started with a thorough phone call with him in preparation for an incredible training session in person, since then, we have seen profound progress in our puppy and can confidently say that the value is there, especially considering that this Dick's support and Bark Busters commitment to our dog's success stays with her for the rest of her life. From our experience we highly recommend Dick Messenger to anyone looking for the magic answer on how to best train a dog, we have already spread the word to our friends and family! It's a game changer, what are you waiting for?
Annie C.
Portland, OR
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Dog Training Tips For Every Situation

Our clients in the greater Portland area ask us for advice on a variety of dog training issues, both big and small. If you have any questions about your dog's behavior, let me know! Contact me today.

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Struggling with Your Dog's Behavior? We're Experts in Finding the Solution.

Reactive dog pulling on leash

What is Reactive Dog Behavior?

Dogs that react with abnormal or excessive intensity to everyday situations are often referred to as reactive. A common example of reactive behavior is leash reactivity. Leash reactivity can look like barking, lunging, or pulling when they see other dogs, people, or even cars. When reactive dogs get overly excited and react to other dogs on the leash, it can oftentimes be mistaken for aggression.

What Causes Reactivity?

Professional dog trainers specializing in aggressive dog behavior can help identify reactive behaviors and address the root causes behind them. Reactivity in dogs is often linked to a lack of emotional self-control. This can result from a lack of proper or positive socialization while a puppy, or from a past traumatic experience that left the dog triggered.

Resolving Reactive Behavior

At Bark Buster Portland, we focus on giving you practical tools and tips to help your dog feel more confident and relaxed, especially on the leash. It's all about teaching them to trust your lead, manage their excitement, and understand that they don’t have to protect or chase everything that moves. If you’re ready to have calm and stress-free walks, contact Bark Busters Portland today.

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What Makes Bark Busters Southwest Portland Unique

Bark Busters is a global leader in home-based training, with more than 30 years of experience helping families create better relationships with their dogs. We focus on the root cause of behavior problems by improving communication between you and your dog.

Dogs learn best in a safe, familiar setting, which is why we come to you. Your trainer works with you where behavior matters most, then helps you build skills that hold up around everyday distractions.

We teach you how to communicate through body language, tone of voice, timing, and calm leadership so your dog can follow your guidance with confidence.

Any breed. Any age. Any issue. We are here to help you move forward with clarity, support, and results.

Home Dog Training

Our Services

Bark Busters trainers conduct the one-on-one training in your home, without the distraction of other dogs or the stress of being sent away for dog obedience training at a kennel. Once you and your dog are ready, your Southwest Portland dog trainer, Miguel, will work with you outside and around real distractions — in your neighborhood, on your streets, where it matters most.

Explore Our Dog Training Services
Life of Dog Support Guarantee

Life of Dog Support Guarantee

Bark Busters Home Dog Training provides a Life of Dog Support Guarantee that is unique in the industry.

For families seeking in-home dog training in Southwest Portland our Life of Dog Support Guarantee means Miguel will always be just a call away — ready to help at no additional cost.

Learn About Our Support Guarantee
Dog Behavior Issues

Tips & Advice

We're here to help. From general dog training tips, to puppy toilet training best practices, to learning about various dog breeds we've worked with, Bark Busters offers our free tips and advice on common dog behavior problems including guidance tailored to dog owners in Southwest Portland.

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Professional Dog Training Near You!

Servicing: Aurora, Beavercreek, Beaverton, Boring, Canby, Carlton, Clackamas, Cornelius, Damascus, Dayton, Donald, Dundee, Forest Grove, Gervais, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Hillsboro, Hubbard, Lafayette, Lake Oswego, Marylhurst, Mcminnville, Milwaukie, Molalla, Mulino, Newberg, Oregon City, Portland, Saint Paul, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, Woodburn, Yamhill

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