Bark Busters Reviews and Customer Testimonials
26th March 2018 - Graham Milgrew
Jo was absolutely lovely. She calmed our "new puppy parent" anxiety and answered the thousands of questions we had for her. She also had a plethora of useful tips outside our questions, things to look out for, toys specific to our puppy breed, and how to travel with him etc. She has a very loving approach but it gets results. We were dealing with issues such as toilet training, responding to being called, playing with other dogs, basic discipline and chewing. We felt the information given by Jo came from personal experience both in her own home and professionally, it was nothing that one could simply read up online, so we really felt lucky with our trainer. Her training is also very useful as she has several dogs herself all different sizes, so Benzo could train with different breeds and sizes.
Trainer note from Graham
Benzo is a Jack Russell puppy and lives with his owners in a particularly busy part of London so needs to be a real "urban dog" capable of coping with busy streets where everyone wants to meet him and also the wide expanses of a park full of tourists on hired bikes, horse riders, lakes and also lots of water birds. He is a friendly confident dog that loves people and dogs and is very responsive to his owners, but as with many pups doesn't always recognise danger and needs appropriate guidance in his interactions. Recall is important to every puppy and dog, but is essential with such a high level of distractions on a daily basis and his owners have prioritised this knowing that Jack Russell's are generally faarless independent dogs that were not bred to be under close command of their owner. He has met our German Shepherd and I am looking forward to introducing him to more of our dogs in the future so we can do more "live" practice.
Benzo is a Jack Russell puppy and lives with his owners in a particularly busy part of London so needs to be a real "urban dog" capable of coping with busy streets where everyone wants to meet him and also the wide expanses of a park full of tourists on hired bikes, horse riders, lakes and also lots of water birds. He is a friendly confident dog that loves people and dogs and is very responsive to his owners, but as with many pups doesn't always recognise danger and needs appropriate guidance in his interactions. Recall is important to every puppy and dog, but is essential with such a high level of distractions on a daily basis and his owners have prioritised this knowing that Jack Russell's are generally faarless independent dogs that were not bred to be under close command of their owner. He has met our German Shepherd and I am looking forward to introducing him to more of our dogs in the future so we can do more "live" practice.
26th March 2018 - Lee Hardy
Lee dealt with Aggression, Barking, Toileting
A very good start to the training and we have already seen a significant improvement in both of the dogs.
26th March 2018 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Puppy management, Other
Very friendly and explained everything in an easy understandable way. Have now changed her diet and her coat is gleaming and Cassie has put on weight. We are still having a few problems but have taken on board what we were told and things are slowly improving
Trainer note from Graham
Cassie is a very small Cocker Spaniel and is physically developmentally a little bit behind. This is not unusual and puppies generally catch up over time, but it does mean that extra time and attention is needed to help these pups. It can be frustrating for owners as their attention span is short for learning but they can also be attention seeking. Cassie frequently demands attention, hates being on her own, jumps up constantly, mouths and bites, lead pulls, struggles to learn/retain basic commands and her toileting is very hit and miss. This can describe pretty much any puppy, but it is that little bit harder for the owners when their puppy is slow to develop as the issues take so much longer to resolve. Fortunately Cassie has owners who are prepared to work with her and provide the boundaries and training she needs while taking into account that she needs that extra bit of time.
Cassie is a very small Cocker Spaniel and is physically developmentally a little bit behind. This is not unusual and puppies generally catch up over time, but it does mean that extra time and attention is needed to help these pups. It can be frustrating for owners as their attention span is short for learning but they can also be attention seeking. Cassie frequently demands attention, hates being on her own, jumps up constantly, mouths and bites, lead pulls, struggles to learn/retain basic commands and her toileting is very hit and miss. This can describe pretty much any puppy, but it is that little bit harder for the owners when their puppy is slow to develop as the issues take so much longer to resolve. Fortunately Cassie has owners who are prepared to work with her and provide the boundaries and training she needs while taking into account that she needs that extra bit of time.
25th March 2018 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression, Barking, Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Pulling, Separation anxiety
As always, Graham is quick to pick up on what exactly is the root of the problem we are dealing with, our Joe is being overly protective and not listening to us on walks, making it extremely difficult to walk with him. He offered several ways to dealing with the issue, and demonstrated to us. We then went out to practice this live and the results are amazing, there was such a difference after one session. Over the years we've tried many different trainers, and from the start, Jo & Graham have helped us resolve anxiety and separation issues with our other dog Nicki too, and also helped us through some difficult times before and after she passed away. They have done so with incredible dedication, support and understanding, even after the lessons and on the phone when needed, they are always happy to help. We would highly recommend them to anyone with any kind of issues with their dogs.
Trainer note from Graham
We met this family when Joe was an adolescent Golden Retriever and they had an older sight hound Nicki as well. They had been through a very rough time as they had been evicted for the barking their dogs did when they were out, but were determined to put their dogs first and get to the bottom of what was going wrong. They were very open minded even though they had had other dog training advice which directly contradicted Jo's initial advice. (The barking was separation anxiety not territorial barking as advised)and were able to resolve the issues both dogs were experiencing. They also dealt with other issues they were experiencing with Nicki and she became a much happier and more settled dog. She had a truly lovely nature and unfortunately died of cancer while she was still relatively young. Joe has grown up into a fabulous dog but pregnancy has brought out the protective side of his nature. This is much more common than people think and can be dealt with when owners know how to behave when their dog is guarding. Needless to say we know these owners will put Grahams advice into effect and will keep in touch if they need further help.
We met this family when Joe was an adolescent Golden Retriever and they had an older sight hound Nicki as well. They had been through a very rough time as they had been evicted for the barking their dogs did when they were out, but were determined to put their dogs first and get to the bottom of what was going wrong. They were very open minded even though they had had other dog training advice which directly contradicted Jo's initial advice. (The barking was separation anxiety not territorial barking as advised)and were able to resolve the issues both dogs were experiencing. They also dealt with other issues they were experiencing with Nicki and she became a much happier and more settled dog. She had a truly lovely nature and unfortunately died of cancer while she was still relatively young. Joe has grown up into a fabulous dog but pregnancy has brought out the protective side of his nature. This is much more common than people think and can be dealt with when owners know how to behave when their dog is guarding. Needless to say we know these owners will put Grahams advice into effect and will keep in touch if they need further help.
23rd March 2018 - Kevin McDonnell
Kevin dealt with Chewing, Digging, Jumping up, Pulling, Recall
Very impressed with the quick results from the training for Bertie. Kevin was friendly and informative and has now made our lives a lot easier with an obedient, calmer dog. Thank you.
21st March 2018 - Kevin McDonnell
Kevin dealt with Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Pulling, Recall
I can not recommend Kevin enough. I was so amazed when I read through all of his reviews and so many of the issues people raised and asked Kevin to help them correct, were so familiar. We thought we had such a friendly cocker spaniel girl, however it started to show that she was possibly too friendy and the more training we tried to put in, the more I felt like I was failing her, I longed for a dog that would walk to heel and had good recall, and was well mannered and obedient, which is something I didn't have with my previous dog. As it came closer to Kevin's visit, we became sceptical of how it would work in such a short time, as well so nervous about inviting Kevin into our home and worried he would judge us and the training we had or hadn't managed. We could not of been more wrong, Kevin was so nice, friendly and understanding and never once made us feel uneasy and reassured us that we could turn things around. Within an hour of being with us, he gave us the skills to regain control, it was at this point that we then realised how in control our girl had been and were amazed at the difference we saw. For the first time we managed to walk on the lead to heel without lunging and jumping and off lead was a pleasure and all our fears and worries disappeared. While we have had some resistance and our little girl has tried to push back in the weeks after Kevin had been out, Kevin has been with us every step of the way, to give support, assistance and answer any questions we have had during our battle of dominance. We still have a way to go, however there have been definite improvements and we continue to work on our skills and training every day. Kevin has a vast amount of experience and endless knowledge as well as being passionate about his work.
20th March 2018 - Lee Hardy
Lee dealt with Aggression, Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Pulling, Recall
Introducing our adorable loving Bud, a 4 yr old cross breed who is highly intelligent, very energetic and very loving. We have had him from a puppy, took him puppy classes, socialised and boarded him with other dogs. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, Bud began to shows signs of perceived aggression to dogs he didn't know, yet at the same time play merrily with dogs he does know. Confused we called in Bark Busters.
Lee visited us on 3rd March 2018 to help us with our boy Bud. Lee spent over 2hrs with us, listened to what the issues were whilst at the same time monitored Bud and his behaviour. Lee was thorough with his explanations and then began to educate us on how to let Bud know what was not acceptable with a simple command.
Starting with small steps we worked on walking on the lead, Bud loved to lead from the front (yes believing he was in charge). The new technique worked instantly and continues to work 2 weeks later. This has not stopped his attitude towards other dogs but has allowed us to have better control over Bud and making walks more leisurely without 25 kilo of dog pulling on the lead.
Lee revisited us 2 weeks later on our request without hesitation and introduced us to a couple more techniques, we are only 2 days into practising these, but Bud being intelligent is working it out quickly. Bud was always good on the recall, however, following Lee's advise, Buds recall is on another level, he is returning with gusto.
Still a long way to go but we are pleased with the results so far. A big thank you to Bark Busters and especially to Lee. Looking forward to our next education.
20th March 2018 - Kevin McDonnell
Kevin dealt with Barking, Chewing, Jumping up, Pulling, Puppy management, Recall, Separation anxiety
Actually quite amazing! The change in Bertie's behaviour for the better was virtually instant and I'm sure he will go from strength to strength as I continue to implement the techniques that Kevin taught with such an expert simplicity that was easy to follow. Highly recommended.
20th March 2018 - Alex Fraser
Alex dealt with Barking, Jumping up, Recall
Hi this is an update on our dog GEORGE. We saw Alex in January and just wanted say how pleased we are with our "new dog".
A BIG THANKYOU TO ALEX for training me and Sean!!! Its not been easy but well worth all the effort . Improved with the barking hardly does it at all now, stays with us on walks comes back straight away on recall, he even sits and waits for us to lead the way, through the doors ,and over stiles.
Can't thank you enough Alex ,your a star. x
Trainer note from Alex
I love to receive feedback from customers, but I love it even more when I get further feedback confirming how pleased they are with how their dog is behaving. Very touched!
I love to receive feedback from customers, but I love it even more when I get further feedback confirming how pleased they are with how their dog is behaving. Very touched!
18th March 2018 - Graham Milgrew
Graham dealt with Aggression, Barking, Other
We have had 1 3hr session so far with a follow up beginning of april. Jo is very positive that Indie's problems can be corrected and left us with training to inforce and behavior to correct. looking forward to her next visit.
Trainer note from Graham
Indie is a lovely looking small Bearded Collie Cross. She had a very uncertain start in life and had at least two homes before she was rehomed from a dog pound by her current owners. She has always been very fearful of men and unfortunately has nipped several male family visitors. For safety her owners have been locking Indie in the bedroom but she then becomes very distressed and destructive when visitors come. They have got to the point where they are reluctant to have visitors as she constantly barks at the same time. Her owners are very experienced dog owners and want to work on handling her fears. They are very open to how to handle Indie effectively and are willing to muzzle train her so that they can allow her to be with a man without the risk of injury while working on keeping her calm and under their control. She has responded very well and the next session we will be practicing with a volunteer man.
Indie is a lovely looking small Bearded Collie Cross. She had a very uncertain start in life and had at least two homes before she was rehomed from a dog pound by her current owners. She has always been very fearful of men and unfortunately has nipped several male family visitors. For safety her owners have been locking Indie in the bedroom but she then becomes very distressed and destructive when visitors come. They have got to the point where they are reluctant to have visitors as she constantly barks at the same time. Her owners are very experienced dog owners and want to work on handling her fears. They are very open to how to handle Indie effectively and are willing to muzzle train her so that they can allow her to be with a man without the risk of injury while working on keeping her calm and under their control. She has responded very well and the next session we will be practicing with a volunteer man.
18th March 2018 - Gina Williams
Gina dealt with Aggression, Barking, Puppy management, Separation anxiety
Gina was amazing. She showed us several training techniques that put us back in control of a dog who thought he was head of security. We noticed an improvement immediately. We will be continuing all the training methods over the next few weeks and hopefully by then we will have a calm and relaxed house again. We can't thank you enough Gina!
15th March 2018 - Estelle Jackson
Estelle dealt with Aggression, Jumping up
Very impressed with Estelle and the initial visit.
Estelle spent almost four hours with us, spending time to hear our concerns, explaining the training methods, and the reasons behind both the t raining and Monty's current behavior. Understanding it really helped the information to stick.
We weren't expecting miracles, but Monty responded immediately. We are genuinely surprised and delighted with the progress made so far.
Looking forward to building on this early success.
