Bark Busters Reviews and Customer Testimonials
1st November 2013 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression, Jumping up, Pulling, Puppy management, Recall, Separation anxiety, Sibling rivalry
Brilliant day Jo was with us for 5 hours and got the whole family involved. We had lots of fun & learnt lots and lots, have been putting what we learnt into practice and it has really helped. Using the “watch†technique has really helped with Hendrix’s fear and aggression towards Chloe. Chloe is improving daily and family life is much improved. Now that the issue of the incorrect e-mail address has been sorted out the follow up help has been really good too. Thanks Jo we are all looking forward to the next session.
Trainer note from Graham
This family had 2 dogs, Hendrix and Chloe and when they got a lovely new puppy Roxy they decided it was time to get some help for Hendrix and Chloe so Roxy wouldn’t copy their behaviour. Hendrix is very noise sensitive and when triggered by noise he would turn his frustration onto Chloe and the two dogs would squabble and fight. This can be viewed as sibling rivalry, but the source of the aggression is not actually rivalry and requires a different type of management within the family so the dogs don’t fight. The family have made great progress to date and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them on tackling all of their doggy issues.
This family had 2 dogs, Hendrix and Chloe and when they got a lovely new puppy Roxy they decided it was time to get some help for Hendrix and Chloe so Roxy wouldn’t copy their behaviour. Hendrix is very noise sensitive and when triggered by noise he would turn his frustration onto Chloe and the two dogs would squabble and fight. This can be viewed as sibling rivalry, but the source of the aggression is not actually rivalry and requires a different type of management within the family so the dogs don’t fight. The family have made great progress to date and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them on tackling all of their doggy issues.
31st October 2013 - Sharon Chapman
Sharon dealt with Aggression, Separation anxiety
Sharon was very knowledgeable about the behavioural problems which Eddie has and which training techniques to use. The training techniques are straight forward to follow and dog friendly which I wanted. I was also very impressed that Eddie was responding to the training straight away. Thanks Sharon
30th October 2013 - Kevin McDonnell
Kevin dealt with Aggression, Barking, Jumping up, Pulling, Sibling rivalry
Excellent! So helpful, reassuring and nothing was too much trouble. I've learnt so much already, my dogs have responded very well and we are well on the way to being a happy family again!
29th October 2013 - Alex Fraser
Alex dealt with Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Recall, Other
Cosmo is a fun loving little boy and we like to encourage his curiosity and playful nature, so we didn't want an oppressive training which would knock the stuffing out of him. As he is a SBT, however, it is important for us to be in control as sadly SBTs have a poor and unjust reputation.
Alex explained a few simple techniques and taught us the way to make Cosmo see us as in charge and not himself!!! This was a break through and something which made complete sense to us. This allowed us to take the training on board easily and it felt intuitive once we started.
Alex himself is a star, he spent time understanding Cosmo and delivered training which he thought Cosmo would understand and respond to. It didn't feel like it was "one training fits all".
After only 2 visits we and Alex feel Cosmo has come on leaps and bounds but let's admit it now, it's John and I who have come on leaps and bounds really. We are now the pack leaders Cosmo needs so he can enjoy life understanding John and I are in control. I wonder if it will work on John too :o
Trainer note from Alex
Cosmo, like so many other SBTs I have worked with, is an absolute delight. It's been a pleasure to work with Cosmo and his owners, retaining all the fun, just building in the boundaries all dogs want and need to be happy, confident and well adjusted. Job well done on your part guys. Cosmo is a shining example of a SBT that will do his breed proud. Regarding partner training, I recommend my wife. 😉
Cosmo, like so many other SBTs I have worked with, is an absolute delight. It's been a pleasure to work with Cosmo and his owners, retaining all the fun, just building in the boundaries all dogs want and need to be happy, confident and well adjusted. Job well done on your part guys. Cosmo is a shining example of a SBT that will do his breed proud. Regarding partner training, I recommend my wife. 😉
29th October 2013 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Other
We did really thought we tried it all, but after a sleepless thundery night with the dog jumping on the bed scratching us etc I decided to e-mail Barkbusters. We'd never get rid of our dog, but we definitely needed help with his fear of noises.
Our Border Collie Darcy is now 11 years old and over recent years developed fears of fireworks and thunder. He always had a hate for noise, as when he was a pup he had to deal with refurbishing works a couple of houses down, which probably progressed over the years to this. I did try the famous noise desensitizing, but our dog seemed to know it was fake. I thought I was going mad, but Jo confirmed I wasn't. Being a Border Collie he is too smart for his own good in a way and indeed knows fully well it isn't real and therefore doesn't feel the same threat. Hence a cd becomes useless, instead we got the advice of using something else that triggers him to train him. Eg the hoover, the one thing all dogs appear to hate. He expressed his fear differently (barking, trying to nip it), but in the end it's fear.
We tried DAP before but didn't appear to get the result the product claimed we would have. Turns out the only thing we did right with it was plug it in. What is needed together with the product is someone that helps with how to use it all round to get that success. We created him a safe space as advised by Jo around the Dap diffuser, leave his treats in there every night and noticed this area is now his own chosen safe place. He retreats to this area when he hears a bang and we won't see him till he is ready to return. We put on his thunderjacket everyday as well and this also appears to have a calming effect on him. Again it is a tool that only works if you know how, which we now know. :) The dog needs to associate it as "wonderful" first, not as "I am terrified and now I am dealing with my owner as well trying to put something I don't know on me!"
T-touch was explained to us as well and this really calms him down. Similar to a massage or meditation with humans.
I don't think we're out of the woods yet (we were told honestly there are no quick fixes), but we are definitely on our way. Still not looking forward to bonfire night, but I think we will actually cope better than other years.
Day by day, step by step we'll get there.
Trainer note from Graham
Border Collies are known for noise sensitivity. They are bred to have acute hearing and in some poor dogs this very acuteness can mean that any crash bang and wallop can send them into a frenzy of fear. Darcys' owners really had tried it all in their bid to help their dog. Much of the advice was correct - using CD's or other "noises" that trigger him so he can become de-sensitised, but that doesn't work with all dogs (Darcy being a case in point) and they really were at their wits end. Fortunately for Darcy he had owners who were willing to work on a whole program to provide a true safe place for him and the use of a range of calming exercises (where to go when frightened), techniques (calming touch) and products (a DAP diffuser and Thundershirt). They have had great results with all the recent Thunderstorms and are now fully prepared for fireworks (including already dealing with the early bangs we always get from keen firework buyers!) You can't stop a noise sensitive dog being noise sensitive, but you can prevent the extremes Darcys owners were dealing with (trying to dig his way through walls for example)and make Thunderstorms and Fireworks night a lot less frightening for a dog. It has been a real pleasure to get Darcy's owner updates and hear how well he is doing. It proves that even an older dog can have a much better quality of life when he has caring and thoughtful owners willing to help their noise sensitive dog.
Border Collies are known for noise sensitivity. They are bred to have acute hearing and in some poor dogs this very acuteness can mean that any crash bang and wallop can send them into a frenzy of fear. Darcys' owners really had tried it all in their bid to help their dog. Much of the advice was correct - using CD's or other "noises" that trigger him so he can become de-sensitised, but that doesn't work with all dogs (Darcy being a case in point) and they really were at their wits end. Fortunately for Darcy he had owners who were willing to work on a whole program to provide a true safe place for him and the use of a range of calming exercises (where to go when frightened), techniques (calming touch) and products (a DAP diffuser and Thundershirt). They have had great results with all the recent Thunderstorms and are now fully prepared for fireworks (including already dealing with the early bangs we always get from keen firework buyers!) You can't stop a noise sensitive dog being noise sensitive, but you can prevent the extremes Darcys owners were dealing with (trying to dig his way through walls for example)and make Thunderstorms and Fireworks night a lot less frightening for a dog. It has been a real pleasure to get Darcy's owner updates and hear how well he is doing. It proves that even an older dog can have a much better quality of life when he has caring and thoughtful owners willing to help their noise sensitive dog.
28th October 2013 - Sharon Chapman
Sharon dealt with Aggression, Barking
A very constructive lesson. Sharon put us at ease straight away. She gave some insure into Hattie's behaviour and how it can be managed and modified. We are seeing some early results and hope to progress. Knowing that Sharon is there when ever we need input is very reassuring.
28th October 2013 - Neil Price
Neil dealt with Pulling, Recall
Thought Neil was very knowledgeable - too early for anything else!
28th October 2013 - Lee Hardy
Lee dealt with Barking
The training was well explained and demonstrated and Ozzy responded well.
28th October 2013 - Alex Fraser
Alex dealt with Aggression, Jumping up, Separation anxiety
Chloe was a rescue dog, 9 years old, with no history and a lot of problems. She was testing boundaries, jumping all over the place, hated other dogs and suffered from separation anxiety. My partner and I were at a loss of what to do - we adored her but her behaviour was very challenging. Just taking her for a walk was giving me a stress headache.
Alex really helped. He showed us techniques for calming her down (90% improvement in the home!) and for when we were out walking her. She really is a better behaved, happier dog.
I don't think we are ever going to completely resolve her fear of other dogs (I hate to think what happened in the past to her) but because I can control her, understand the signs and feel an awful lot calmer after working with Alex, walking her is nearly a stress free experience.
Trainer note from Alex
Chloe has a real fear of other dogs and was extremely hyper in the home. I am delighted with how she has progressed since I have been working with her and her owners. Some behavioural issues such as fear of other dogs can take a long time to resolve, but in order to do so it is crucial that the owner manages the situation. Staying calm on walks when a dog's adrenalin kicks in is vital. With a consistent and calm approach I am confident that she will continue to improve so that both Chloe and her owners can enjoy their walks. Keep up the good work.
Chloe has a real fear of other dogs and was extremely hyper in the home. I am delighted with how she has progressed since I have been working with her and her owners. Some behavioural issues such as fear of other dogs can take a long time to resolve, but in order to do so it is crucial that the owner manages the situation. Staying calm on walks when a dog's adrenalin kicks in is vital. With a consistent and calm approach I am confident that she will continue to improve so that both Chloe and her owners can enjoy their walks. Keep up the good work.
27th October 2013 - Neil Price
Neil dealt with Jumping up
Fantastic! Couldn't believe how well and quickly Oscar responded to the training and hopefully he will continue to progress. Thank you so much
25th October 2013 - Kevin McDonnell
Kevin dealt with Aggression, Barking, Jumping up
Training benson today was absolutely brilliant, Kevin explained and showed everything to us thoroughly. After only a few hours we had amazing results without any physical contact at all. We started with a very dominant dog who was constantly trying to be the leader of the pack and have finished with a calm submissive dog that's following commands that he never did before. Very, very happy and looking forward to the future with our dog. Worth every penny.
25th October 2013 - Lee Hardy
Lee dealt with Aggression, Barking
Lee was with us for a few hours and in that time i learnt what had been the trigger for my dogs nervous aggression and in that time started to work on methods to start to take control back and make her feel less nervous. i am on week one of the initial training and i am very hopeful as i have already notice a change in her behaviour i think it will be a while until she is totally happy with strangers but am confident Lee will help us make her into a happier dog who is a pleasure to walk.
