Bark Busters Reviews

Bonnie really helped us to see that although we are clearly the leaders of the house, our dog did not see us that way. It's remarkable how a few simple changes and some practice led to our dog understanding that she is not in charge of security and she can calm down and be quiet. Bonnie had great insight and recommendations. Our pup had seen several trainers and she was still having issues. The wisdom and understanding that Bonnie provided really helped us to get our dog back on track. Thank you Bonnie!

• #Aggression
• #Barking
• #Jumping up
• #Separation anxiety

Susan is amazing! My dogs have had previous training but nothing like this. The relationship that has been built behind the training makes a big difference. I don't have to worry about having a remote or treats to correct a behavior on me, they want to listen. It makes sense when you think about it, I have never seen a pack leader dog give another dog a treat for doing what they should do! Haha! Susan has been such a great support system as i learn to be the pack leader and speak my dogs language!
My two boys would fight over dominance but Susan helped me catch the signs before and take care of that. I highly recommend the investment.

• #Aggression
• #Barking
• #Jumping up
• #Pulling
• #Recall
• #Sibling rivalry
• #Separation anxiety
• #Toileting

Our trainer is Sara and she is a gem to work with! Our pups are sweet but one suffers from separation anxiety severely that often results in barking whenever we leave the apartment. First and foremost, you can tell Sara LOVES dogs and her job. She is so friendly but also knows when it’s time to get serious, both with us and the pups. We loved that Bark Busters approach isn’t a gimmick or special product. It’s simply teaching dog parents how to communicate with their dog in a manner that establishes to the dog that we (the human) are in charge. During the first hour or so, the sole focus was on us learning how to “speak dog”. This part was so important because it lays the foundation for the actual training so that we as humans better understand how dogs communicate. After ensuring we understood that, and answering a million questions, Sara began showing us the corrective technique (yes that is singular - one technique) that has changed the way we interact with our dogs and the way our dogs respond to us. No, this technique does not involve harming or physically hurting the dogs whatsoever, it’s purely a communication thing. Within minutes of applying the corrections, we began to see a shift in the way our Aussie engaged with us. She was looking to us for her guidance rather than the other way around. This included being in her crate, establishing boundaries physically (no jumping), and pulling on leash. So what’s the catch right? It’s not magic and it’s not a one time fix. Our first session was approximately two weeks ago and while the “issues” aren’t gone, here’s what’s changed.

1) barking when left at home: used to be 45 minutes to an hour of persistent barking that began as soon as we left - now is down to 15-30 minutes of intermittent howling that doesn’t start for about 10-15 minutes after we leave. Still lots of room for improvement but this is also the one we’ve been able to dedicate least amount of training time to. Why? Because we only correct her when she howls and since we began training, her intermittent howls can have gaps of up to 15 to 20 minutes. This means that in a best case scenario, we get 3-4 corrections in an hour of training and quite frankly, we don’t have a full hour to dedicate each night (yes that’s an us problem).
2) jumping and invading personal space: this has been fixed almost entirely. The only time it continues to be an issue is when the pups get really excited (someone new at the door or we get back after being gone for several hours) but only requires one correction and the pups back down.
3) pulling on least: before the dogs would “lead” approximately 4-6 feet in front and pull tirelessly. They now will stay in step, if not a bit behind. The Aussie is taking to this better than our yorkie, he’s still trying to lead at times but given a quick correction will step back. They are still easily distracted but we’re working on that. They definitely pay much more attention during walks and are looking to see if we are giving them feedback throughout.
4) barking at door when someone walks by outside or someone is at the door: God bless these dogs, they are protectors at heart. If they hear a sound at the door, they are in go mode. Sprinting and barking at the door. This is still their instinct, but with a single correction, they back away from the door and look to us to lead and handle the situation.

Let’s address the elephant in the room, have our dogs’ personalities changed? That is, do we just have robots now? Nope! The pups still love us, we’re still their best friends. They simply look to us as leaders now. We can provide a correction and within 30 seconds we’re back to cuddling our dog. They still give tons of affection and are just as energetic as ever.

We’re incredibly satisfied with Sara as a trainer and Bark Busters as a program. We can’t wait to continue seeing improvements with our pups, and ourselves as leaders! :)

Enjoy some pup pics.
Aussie: Coral, 4 yo
Yorkie: Ezra, 2 yo

• #Aggression
• #Barking
• #Separation anxiety
• #Other

Heather is amazing. She listens to you and really gets to the heart of the behavior issues. It’s only been 36 hours, but we’re already seeing a HUGE difference. I’ll write another review in a couple months with an update, but so far, I can honestly say that Heather is the best trainer we’ve ever worked with. She gave us some simple tools that have completely changed the dynamics of our relationship with our pups for the better.

• #Hyperactivity
• #Jumping up
• #Puppy management
• #Recall
• #Separation anxiety