Bark Busters Rockland and South Orange Counties Reviews
Reviews
164 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 5 out of 5)
Taylor Q.
3 years ago
— Pearl River, NY
Michelle has been working with me and my Australian Shepherd puppy (Koda) for a couple of sessions now and I am so pleased with our results. I needed Michelle’s help for Koda’s pulling on the leash and for his barking at other dogs while on the leash. After one month of consistent training homework Koda and I have nearly eliminated his leash pulling. We still have a lot of work to do as we move forward but following through with the daily training exercises is key. The amount of respect Koda showed to Michelle the second he met her was unbelievable and very evident. I am confident that if I am consistent with our training exercises every day we will crush our goals together! Michelle has taught me how to speak dog and show Koda that I am a reliable and trustworthy leader. The success that you witness when working with Michelle truly makes you excited to try out the new exercises and achieve improvement and when you do, it feels so good! I highly recommend Michelle for any dog training-just make sure you are committed to putting in the time and effort every single day.
Hi Taylor, Thank you so much, your words mean the world to me. I love empowering my clients to know that they can do this too! Your dedication to Koda and your determination to do right by him is amazing and I'm here for you every step of the way in your on-going journey with him. ~Michelle PS This is such a handsome photo of him <3
Jennifer A Dal C.
3 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
Michelle McCarthy saved our dog's life.
Simply put.
Before I found out about Bark Busters, we had contemplated putting our mixed pup, Tanner, down for aggressive behaviors. He had attacked me and more importantly, my children for the past few months on and off. We had spoken to SEVERAL trainers, watched dozens of videos, and even bought a shock collar as a last result. Nothing worked. We didn't know what else to do. The vet (at the time) said that 'nobody should feel scared from a pet in their own home." While I wholeheartedly agreed with this statement, my gut said there was something we were missing. Was it organic? Was it 'fixable'?
That's when we called Bark Busters. We were assigned to Michelle McCarthy due to our 'area', and now, I wouldn't have anyone else. Within 15 minutes of Michelle entering, we had begun to see what we were doing wrong all along: we weren't speaking his language.
I cannot go into all that Michelle did for us that first night. When Tanner tried getting our attention by pulling down a whole roll of paper towels, Michelle corrected his behavior in 10 seconds, without getting up, raising her voice, or giving unnecessary treats.
Michelle saved Tanner's life.
Michelle eased our hearts and minds.
Michelle IS the dog-whisperer!
NOT ONLY is she affordable, she is here with us for the life of Tanner. I can honestly say though it is my opinion that the reason that is the 'guarantee' is because her techniques are SO good, we probably won't require her for that long!
Having a 'treat free' behavior plan is epic for us. No more junkie treats that were upsetting his belly, and PROVEN not to have any lasting effect with behavior management. I can't wait for our next lesson. I am so blessed to have this woman in Tanner and our lives.
ONE note. DO NOT call if you do not plan on following: the daily homework, working with your dog, or following the new behavior plans. Families have to be 100% on board. You CANNOT have one person doing it, while the others ignore it. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Tanner is a different dog in just 14 days. Why? Because we ALL use the techniques. All 4 of us are doing what Michelle recommends. We are 'tally-marking' the strategies daily.
DO NOT hesitate. Call/schedule immediately. Like I stated in the beginning, Michelle saved Tanner's life.
We are so grateful.
Thank you so much Jennifer! It's been such fun working with you and your family and your dedication to Tanner is amazing! He is truly a great dog and I am always humbled to know that I played such a part in helping a dog and his family. I'm always here to help! ~Michelle PS I LOVE this picture of Tanner!
Jessyka K.
3 years ago
— New City, NY
Michelle from Bark Busters really changed our lives yesterday!! We were feeling lost and out of control with our sweet almost 4 month old deaf puppy Ghost, he was definitely running the show and we were overwhelmed by how much our lives had been taken over by this adorable little terror! We were especially overwhelmed once we learned that he was deaf, and realized we couldn't use our voice to train him. We didn't know how to manage the "puppy crazies" when he would become a lunatic, do laps around the house, chew everything he wasn't supposed to, and bite any body part he could find of ours (and those puppy teeth are super sharp)! Yelling at him and saying "NO!" was doing nothing as he couldn't hear us haha
We also felt lost in terms of how to leash and house train him. We received him from foster care just 3 weeks ago and he was wee-wee pad trained but he's a clumsy puppy so we've been constantly cleaning up pee and poop spillage when he misses the wee-wee pads since he got here, and we desperately wanted to get him to only go outside! Michelle changed all of this in the matter of a few hours, and gave us guidance and a concrete plan for how to move forward. She taught us how to hold ourselves and how to train him to not do these puppy crazy behaviors like biting, jumping and chewing everything in sight! She was patient and made sure we understood how dogs communicate so that we could truly understand the world from Ghost's eyes, especially considering that his eyes were the main way we were going to communicate with our deaf puppy. She explained everything so that it made sense to us, and practiced with us until we felt we could practice with Ghost. She addressed all of our concerns and I feel full of hope and confidence now that we will have a different puppy soon! In fact, he already was truly a different puppy after just the initial session- the dynamics changed thanks to Michelle and we became the leaders, rather than Ghost calling all the shots and making the decisions! Last night he slept THROUGH THE NIGHT, which is a miracle after 3 weeks of waking up between 2-4am to take him to the bathroom because HE asked us to!! Not anymore, we're in charge and that allows Ghost to have rules, structure and respect for us as his parents and feel safer in this world. Michelle trained us to be good parents and leaders for Ghost and we are eternally grateful and can't wait to keep working with Michelle! The initial training session was truly so thorough I've already recommended Bark Buster services to a few friends with puppies!
Hi Jessyka, Thank you so much for your review! Working with every dog is rewarding, but working with a deaf dog is extra special. Watching as Ghost started to understand what you wanted from him and how he wanted to please you was simply magical! Thank you for your referrals to friends and keep me posted! I'm always here to help! ~Michelle PS I LOVE this pic of him! He is so adorable!
Sheira Schlair S.
4 years ago
— Valley Cottage, NY
Michelle McCarthy is a truly fantastic trainer and we have had a successful training experience from the start with her. Our dog changed his ways from the first day that we started to work with her homework and her training style was motivating and supportive. We really appreciate the approach of understanding the dog mindset, which has been enormously helpful as we continue to work daily to reinforce lessons learned. We are now on week 4 and the changes are profound in our dog and in our family dynamic, with a deeper sense of peace and true opportunities to enjoy Bamba. We cannot thank you enough Michelle!
Thank you Sheira! I love helping clients understand how their dogs see things differently and how that affects their behavior with us. They are truly smart and amazing beings and it is so rewarding to take the time to understand their mindset. It's been wonderful to see Bamba fit into your family and I look forward to being here to help when you need me! ~Michelle
Meaghan M.
4 years ago
— Pearl River, NY
My dog Gipper is a 1 year old English Bulldog. Gipper is an amazing dog with a very distinct personality however you could not get through our front door without him jumping all over our guests as well as getting carried away and nipping at them as well. Also walking him was more of a battle or a drag than an actual walk. After just one session I see a complete change in Gipper. The way Michelle explained to us what was going on in his head was so clear and made it so much easier for us to see the world through his eyes. She gave us plenty of tips on how to make those experiences so much easier on him. You are trained just as much if not more in this program than your dog. We are doing our homework with him daily and constantly seeing improvement. We learned so much and look forward to continued positive changes through additional sessions with our boy Gipp.
Thank you so much Meaghan! It was such a pleasure working with you guys and Gipper! He is a great dog and it was such fun to see him respond to you and "get it". He will be happier for it! Well done to both of you and you know I'm always here to help! ~Michelle
brittany l.
4 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
Our dogs are both very misbehaved. We were feeling defeated, as we had tried every technique on our own with no changes. Michelle came and worked first with me and showed me how I needed to act as a leader. Within minutes of trying these new skills there was a significant change in both dogs. Michelle worked with me and my husband and gave us the necessary tools to train our own dogs. We found this to have a significant impact because they learned to listen to US, rather than someone else.
I didn't think it was possible for them to show signs of obedience and calm down enough to listen.
Michelle and the training techniques are incredible! I would highly recommend her and her services to anyone in need of dog training!
Thank you so much Brittany! I have really enjoyed working with you guys and seeing your love and dedication to your dogs. I'm always here to help! ~Michelle
Maria R.
4 years ago
— Tappan, NY
Michelle is awesome! After the very first session we learned so much and saw a change with Beau right away. By the second session 3 weeks later, he was doing so much better! We still have some work to do, but Michelle has been so good with helping us stay consistent with training and I continue to see positive results every week. She is so knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely would recommend
Thank you so much, Maria! I love working with dedicated dog owners like yourselves! Beau is an awesome dog (and so, so handsome!) and I'm so happy to see him doing better. You know I'm always here to help! ~Michelle
Robin C.
4 years ago
— New Windsor, NY
Michelle is the best! She has the patience of a saint! I didn't think that anyone could train me!!! ❤
Thank you Robin! You and Hanky are wonderful students and were a pleasure to train! :) And he is such a handsome boy! Looking forward to seeing your continued progress. I'm always here to help! ~Michelle
Carmen H.
4 years ago
— Valley Cottage, NY
I was so impressed by the progress we made after only one session! I would highly recommend Michelle and Bark busters!
Thank you Carmen! What an amazing job you've done with Romeo. I love working with pitbulls and he truly lives up to his name! Love, love, love this pic of him! You know I'm always here to help! ~Michelle
Christine D.
4 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
We had used Bark Busters over 10 years ago for our previous dogs and had great success then. We just adopted a new dog, a 5 yo Boston terrier named Rocky who is amazing, but has had a rough history. We needed to get him more comfortable with children and other dogs and my first thought was Bark Busters! To my surprise Michelle was still there! I was even more pleasantly surprised that the program had evolved over the years. Better handouts and a color coded guide to how your dog is reacting at a given moment. I loved that. Michelle spent a ton of time with us and she was patient and supportive and we got an email the next day checking in on us. Great value, since it is for the life of your pup. Rocky is already doing better and we've only been working with him for 3 days! Thank you Michelle! You're the best!
Thank you so much Christine! It is always such a thrill to get a call from a client to meet and work with their new pup. Rocky is an awesome little guy and it is my honor and privilege to come out and work with you guys again and get him settled in! You know I'm always here to help! ~Michelle :)
Taylor Q.
3 years ago
— Pearl River, NY
Michelle has been working with me and my Australian Shepherd puppy (Koda) for a couple of sessions now and I am so pleased with our results. I needed Michelle’s help for Koda’s pulling on the leash and for his barking at other dogs while on the leash. After one month of consistent training homework Koda and I have nearly eliminated his leash pulling. We still have a lot of work to do as we move forward but following through with the daily training exercises is key. The amount of respect Koda showed to Michelle the second he met her was unbelievable and very evident. I am confident that if I am consistent with our training exercises every day we will crush our goals together! Michelle has taught me how to speak dog and show Koda that I am a reliable and trustworthy leader. The success that you witness when working with Michelle truly makes you excited to try out the new exercises and achieve improvement and when you do, it feels so good! I highly recommend Michelle for any dog training-just make sure you are committed to putting in the time and effort every single day.
PermalinkJennifer A Dal C.
3 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
Michelle McCarthy saved our dog's life.
PermalinkSimply put.
Before I found out about Bark Busters, we had contemplated putting our mixed pup, Tanner, down for aggressive behaviors. He had attacked me and more importantly, my children for the past few months on and off. We had spoken to SEVERAL trainers, watched dozens of videos, and even bought a shock collar as a last result. Nothing worked. We didn't know what else to do. The vet (at the time) said that 'nobody should feel scared from a pet in their own home." While I wholeheartedly agreed with this statement, my gut said there was something we were missing. Was it organic? Was it 'fixable'?
That's when we called Bark Busters. We were assigned to Michelle McCarthy due to our 'area', and now, I wouldn't have anyone else. Within 15 minutes of Michelle entering, we had begun to see what we were doing wrong all along: we weren't speaking his language.
I cannot go into all that Michelle did for us that first night. When Tanner tried getting our attention by pulling down a whole roll of paper towels, Michelle corrected his behavior in 10 seconds, without getting up, raising her voice, or giving unnecessary treats.
Michelle saved Tanner's life.
Michelle eased our hearts and minds.
Michelle IS the dog-whisperer!
NOT ONLY is she affordable, she is here with us for the life of Tanner. I can honestly say though it is my opinion that the reason that is the 'guarantee' is because her techniques are SO good, we probably won't require her for that long!
Having a 'treat free' behavior plan is epic for us. No more junkie treats that were upsetting his belly, and PROVEN not to have any lasting effect with behavior management. I can't wait for our next lesson. I am so blessed to have this woman in Tanner and our lives.
ONE note. DO NOT call if you do not plan on following: the daily homework, working with your dog, or following the new behavior plans. Families have to be 100% on board. You CANNOT have one person doing it, while the others ignore it. THIS IS CRUCIAL. Tanner is a different dog in just 14 days. Why? Because we ALL use the techniques. All 4 of us are doing what Michelle recommends. We are 'tally-marking' the strategies daily.
DO NOT hesitate. Call/schedule immediately. Like I stated in the beginning, Michelle saved Tanner's life.
We are so grateful.
Jessyka K.
3 years ago
— New City, NY
Michelle from Bark Busters really changed our lives yesterday!! We were feeling lost and out of control with our sweet almost 4 month old deaf puppy Ghost, he was definitely running the show and we were overwhelmed by how much our lives had been taken over by this adorable little terror! We were especially overwhelmed once we learned that he was deaf, and realized we couldn't use our voice to train him. We didn't know how to manage the "puppy crazies" when he would become a lunatic, do laps around the house, chew everything he wasn't supposed to, and bite any body part he could find of ours (and those puppy teeth are super sharp)! Yelling at him and saying "NO!" was doing nothing as he couldn't hear us haha
PermalinkWe also felt lost in terms of how to leash and house train him. We received him from foster care just 3 weeks ago and he was wee-wee pad trained but he's a clumsy puppy so we've been constantly cleaning up pee and poop spillage when he misses the wee-wee pads since he got here, and we desperately wanted to get him to only go outside! Michelle changed all of this in the matter of a few hours, and gave us guidance and a concrete plan for how to move forward. She taught us how to hold ourselves and how to train him to not do these puppy crazy behaviors like biting, jumping and chewing everything in sight! She was patient and made sure we understood how dogs communicate so that we could truly understand the world from Ghost's eyes, especially considering that his eyes were the main way we were going to communicate with our deaf puppy. She explained everything so that it made sense to us, and practiced with us until we felt we could practice with Ghost. She addressed all of our concerns and I feel full of hope and confidence now that we will have a different puppy soon! In fact, he already was truly a different puppy after just the initial session- the dynamics changed thanks to Michelle and we became the leaders, rather than Ghost calling all the shots and making the decisions! Last night he slept THROUGH THE NIGHT, which is a miracle after 3 weeks of waking up between 2-4am to take him to the bathroom because HE asked us to!! Not anymore, we're in charge and that allows Ghost to have rules, structure and respect for us as his parents and feel safer in this world. Michelle trained us to be good parents and leaders for Ghost and we are eternally grateful and can't wait to keep working with Michelle! The initial training session was truly so thorough I've already recommended Bark Buster services to a few friends with puppies!
Sheira Schlair S.
4 years ago
— Valley Cottage, NY
Michelle McCarthy is a truly fantastic trainer and we have had a successful training experience from the start with her. Our dog changed his ways from the first day that we started to work with her homework and her training style was motivating and supportive. We really appreciate the approach of understanding the dog mindset, which has been enormously helpful as we continue to work daily to reinforce lessons learned. We are now on week 4 and the changes are profound in our dog and in our family dynamic, with a deeper sense of peace and true opportunities to enjoy Bamba. We cannot thank you enough Michelle!
PermalinkMeaghan M.
4 years ago
— Pearl River, NY
My dog Gipper is a 1 year old English Bulldog. Gipper is an amazing dog with a very distinct personality however you could not get through our front door without him jumping all over our guests as well as getting carried away and nipping at them as well. Also walking him was more of a battle or a drag than an actual walk. After just one session I see a complete change in Gipper. The way Michelle explained to us what was going on in his head was so clear and made it so much easier for us to see the world through his eyes. She gave us plenty of tips on how to make those experiences so much easier on him. You are trained just as much if not more in this program than your dog. We are doing our homework with him daily and constantly seeing improvement. We learned so much and look forward to continued positive changes through additional sessions with our boy Gipp.
Permalinkbrittany l.
4 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
Our dogs are both very misbehaved. We were feeling defeated, as we had tried every technique on our own with no changes. Michelle came and worked first with me and showed me how I needed to act as a leader. Within minutes of trying these new skills there was a significant change in both dogs. Michelle worked with me and my husband and gave us the necessary tools to train our own dogs. We found this to have a significant impact because they learned to listen to US, rather than someone else.
PermalinkI didn't think it was possible for them to show signs of obedience and calm down enough to listen.
Michelle and the training techniques are incredible! I would highly recommend her and her services to anyone in need of dog training!
Maria R.
4 years ago
— Tappan, NY
Michelle is awesome! After the very first session we learned so much and saw a change with Beau right away. By the second session 3 weeks later, he was doing so much better! We still have some work to do, but Michelle has been so good with helping us stay consistent with training and I continue to see positive results every week. She is so knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely would recommend
PermalinkRobin C.
4 years ago
— New Windsor, NY
Michelle is the best! She has the patience of a saint! I didn't think that anyone could train me!!! ❤
PermalinkCarmen H.
4 years ago
— Valley Cottage, NY
I was so impressed by the progress we made after only one session! I would highly recommend Michelle and Bark busters!
PermalinkChristine D.
4 years ago
— Nanuet, NY
We had used Bark Busters over 10 years ago for our previous dogs and had great success then. We just adopted a new dog, a 5 yo Boston terrier named Rocky who is amazing, but has had a rough history. We needed to get him more comfortable with children and other dogs and my first thought was Bark Busters! To my surprise Michelle was still there! I was even more pleasantly surprised that the program had evolved over the years. Better handouts and a color coded guide to how your dog is reacting at a given moment. I loved that. Michelle spent a ton of time with us and she was patient and supportive and we got an email the next day checking in on us. Great value, since it is for the life of your pup. Rocky is already doing better and we've only been working with him for 3 days! Thank you Michelle! You're the best!
Permalink« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 next »