Bark Busters Home Dog Training Greater San Diego

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Francine Deutsch

über Google

Bark Busters came to us highly recommended. After some research and reviewing Ted Talk and articles, I signed up our two rescue mix breed ~20lb boys. We are grateful to James of BB who placed us with Jenna. Our boys issues: high reactivity outside, especially other dogs, and inside, door bell, ring cameras, etc. Coupled with greetings by jumping and owning the house. Jenna set us on a path of activities for inside and was incredibly patient letting me share and ask questions, learning constantly. As we fine-tuned and we all got more comfortable we moved our training to outside. The methodology used is absolutely amazing and, I dare say, short of a miracle. We practice regularly and introduce the boys to different circumstances. All that food luring and positive food reinforcement training certainly has its place but only the techniques of BB with Jenna has helped our boys become trusting, comfortable, and happy. Here I thought I had to scan the horizon constantly to be aware of incoming dogs to prepare myself to hide behind a car or go in the corner behind garbage cans to get maximum distance. Not true. I walk no longer with my head on a lazy susan. We all are forever grateful. Our boys can lead richer more social lives. Thank you!!!

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Frankie Wanamaker

über Google

I am not one to typically write reviews, but I had to come on here and say how wonderful Jenna has been in all of our time spent together. She is extremely knowledgeable with dog behaviors and helped us tremendously with our two pups. We have two large dogs (one Australian Shepherd - Harley, and one Goldendoodle - Cooper) and have been experiencing severe aggression problems with our Aussie, Harley. Long story short, Harley barking excessively and trying to jump through our window to get to the maintenance guy led to redirected aggression towards Cooper who unfortunately suffered a few attacks. He is very sweet and loving to those that know him, but not great with strangers and became very protective once he saw the maintenance guy trying to open our door. The attacks on Cooper occurred multiple times in two days. While breaking up the last fight, my partner was bit very badly on her hand, and it was a very emotional time as we didn't know what we were going to do. We had to take both dogs out separately, keep one in the bedroom at all times, and even split them up while going to sleep. Cooper hated this to say the least because he has always slept next to me. Harley couldn't be in the same room as Coop without wanting to go straight for him and attack him. Jenna came over to assess the situation and gave us EXTREMELY helpful training tools/knowledge to keep Harley in the "green zone". She consistently checked in with us, made two house visits to make sure we were sticking to the training plan, and answered our million questions with grace. Over the course of the next few weeks, we have made SO much progress. Both of our dogs now sleep together again in the same room, go potty/go on pack walks together daily, and Harley no longer wants to fight Cooper every chance he gets. He still acts territorial over certain things which we are working on, but truth be told, Harley has not gone at Cooper ONCE since our training started. Jenna was forward telling us it would take a lot of training but if the effort was put in, she was confident we could get them back to a healthy place which is exactly what we did. By no means are either of our dogs perfect (yes they are) but the progress we've made with Jenna's help has made our lives SO much easier. I highly recommend Bark Busters to anyone struggling with your furry one's behaviors!!

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Wendy Medina

über Google

We can’t say enough great things about working with Justin from Bark Busters! About a year ago we welcomed our golden retriever puppy, Nala, into our family to join our already spoiled 12lb terrier mix, Joey (who has the energy of a much bigger dog). Once Nala joined us, we quickly noticed some sibling rivalry, roughhousing to determine who was in charge, anxious/fearful energy toward visitors and noises, and some reactivity to other dogs. Walks became the part of the day we dreaded most—our dogs pulled us in different directions, which left our backs aching, and we often felt like they were walking us instead of the other way around. We had tried other positive reinforcement trainings, and while they helped a bit, when things got really stimulating even the best treats weren’t enough. From the very first session with Justin, everything changed. He gave us tools that immediately made us feel more equipped to handle all situations, more confident as leaders, and consistent in setting boundaries. Most importantly, he showed us how to keep our dogs in the “green zone”—happy, calm, and thriving. We continue to feel supported as we refine our ability to “speak” our dogs’ language and truly be understood. The progress we’ve seen has been amazing, and we’re so grateful for the positive changes in both of our pups. Thanks to Justin, we finally feel like we’re enjoying our dogs to the fullest, and we’re confident they’ll continue to thrive.

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Cynthia Montory

über Google

We got our boy Bruno in November 2022. He came to us trained in basic obedience but his only “flaw” was trying to get the leash from us pretty much any time he got over stimulated. We knew it was time to get him some training when he tore his CCL and it was now dangerous for him, and when we were warning dog walkers to be diligent for his cues and hoping they can manage him while in that state. We didn’t enjoy walking him anymore, he was reactive to other dogs, he was uncomfortable in public, always on guard. We reached out to bark busters because the reviews, they’re behavioralist ( this went beyond basic obedience), and honestly we were at a loss on how to help our boy. We worked with Justin! From the moment Justin stepped foot into our house he was able to immediately able to tell us why Bruno was acting the way he was acting and how to improve. Bruno has been a changed boy ever since. We’ve had a handful of leash grab attempts but we know how to handle him efficiently now! He doesn’t pull anymore or lunge at other dogs. He’s our dog walkers favorite dog now. He’s a joy to walk with now. Justin gave us the tools we needed and were constantly using them throughout the day. I can feel that our boy is so much more comfortable outside. All we’ve ever wanted was for our boy to have the best life and Justin helped give us a little piece of that. I’d 10/10 recommend barkbusters, Not only for their compassion towards the dogs, but the pet parents as well.

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Andre Phanor

über Google

We got our German Shepherd at 9 weeks old, and as time went on, we knew we had to be proactive dog parents to prevent reactivity issues. We love adventure, and one of our biggest priorities was being able to take our fur baby with us to explore the world. In the beginning, Miles struggled with leash pulling, lacked boundaries and social skills, and was highly reactive to other dogs, bikes, and motorcycles. We quickly realized that structure was essential for him, so we reached out to Bark Buster Home Dog Training - that turned out to be the best decision we could have made. From our very first session with our trainer, Justin, we saw an immediate difference. He set the tone right away, and it felt like night and day. One of the things we appreciated most was Justin’s ability to simplify the learning process. He didn’t just train the dog—he trained us too. He helped us understand canine behavior and taught us how to communicate our expectations in a way that made sense to our pup (instead of just speaking English and hoping for the best!). After just three weeks, our dog is so focused on walks that I actually enjoy walking him now. At only six months old, he’s become so much more mature. He’s learning to socialize, he’s calm, and his reactivity has drastically reduced. The best advice I can offer: trust Justin to help build a strong foundation, but be prepared to put in the work. This isn’t a quick fix—it’s a commitment and a beautiful journey. Thank you again to Bark Buster Dog Training for giving us peace of mind and a better life with our dog!