Bark Busters Dog Training, England

I contacted Bark Busters as the website seemed very good and professional. During the phone call to them I realised they were clearly only after my money which was minimum of £350. This is without seeing the trainer, without the trainer meeting me or my dog and establishing whether we can work together. Absolutely awful. I said to them that I am slightly concerned to commit for paying so much money over the phone without even seeing the trainer first , but they were adoment that this was the only way forward.

I said thank you, but no thank you, something definitely wasn't right. Please correct me if I was wrong :)

Got my first dog and although I had read tons of stuff, still needed guidance on refining behaviour and ensuring I was the pack leader. the person I dealt with came over and spent several hours guiding me and my Cockapoo Harley and I noticed an immediate difference.

She came again when he was 7 months and again helped me improve on issues as he was older and will come back again when I am ready.

She is great and so supportive and always at the end of a phone/text if I have a problem. I would highly recommend her, as I used other trainers and she was by far, the best.

We signed up with Bark Busters in February after our 6 year old Jack Russell started to show aggression towards people & was becoming more & more difficult to control - increasingly he was running our household. The main issues we needed help with were our inability to get him to walk to heel & his aggression towards other dogs. On her initial visit, our trainer spent 3 hours with us. First she talked to us (with our dog out of the room) to get an understanding of the issues we needed help with. Then she was introduced to our dog & immediately we could see this lady knew her stuff and understood how a dog's mind works. In the course of 3 hours she had taught us techniques to use which we practised while she was with us to make sure we understood them. She also made some very helpful suggestions about better food which would help calm him down (the well known dog food brand we were using was full of additives and sugar & was having the same effect as feeding orange smarties to hyper active kids!) & advised that as a result of our having placed his bed in view of the front door, it meant he was effectively on guard duty all the time, which also accounted for him being overexcited & anxious much of the time which in turn was responsible for much of his aggression. We moved his bed as soon as the trainer left & the change in his behaviour was instant, immediately he became a happier, calmer more relaxed dog. The training techniques do need to be practised daily - its like everything, you must be prepared to put the effort in to see results, but if you have made the investment in paying for Bark Buster training, why wouldn't you put the effort in, its a no brainer surely? I have seen some of the negative reviews on this site but our experience has been first class & we have already recommended our trainer to others. We requested a follow up visit & our trainer made time (at very short notice in the last day before her holiday} to visit us & spend another hour with us - we had encountered some difficulties but on investigation they proved to have been caused by us & some of the variations we had made to the training programme; we have gone back to the basics which we were initially taught & we & our dog are now back on track.

After bringing home our rescue dog we quickly realised there was a need for training. After being recommended Bark Busters we contacted them to explain our requirements and desires for our dog and so our appointment was booked.

Our first visit was very thorough and could not have been more insightful and helpful giving us advice we would have no clue about. Which is a great benefit to both our dog, us and his health (for example dog food advice). The exercises may seem a little odd at first but if you commit and stick to them you will quickly see a great benefit. After all you cannot run before you can walk! In a short space of time we had a happier, more obedient dog. These were also leading on to our biggest request which was dealing with his aggression and fear of other dogs. This fear has come from being attacked by other dogs and a not fun time in the rescue centre.

Our trainer came back for our second visit and could see massive differences in our dog for the better. So next onto other dogs. We enlisted the help of a family members dog to come round so we could begin further socialisation. I kid you not within half an hour our dog was playing/sniffing/whatever silly fun things dogs do to each other like we NEVER thought he would be able to. This is because at any point we had the control to call him back and he didn't have to fear the other dog because we are in charge. This has made a difference to our personal lives as we now have somewhere for him to go should we go on holiday for example. We still have work to do with him but the change is spectacular.

To sum up we have gone from a dog that was walking us and the boss, to a dog that is a pleasure to walk, obedient, fun and who now has a doggy friend. This would not have been possible without Bark Busters and our excellent trainer. I would heavily encourage you to speak to them.

I have been a client with Barkbusters for a couple of years, taking out their lifetime cover. On the occasions I have needed their help I was given an appointment quickly,very good practical advice and a solution to the problem. Our time spent with one of their trainers was never rushed , training method was written down, and a copy given to me to follow. Follow up appointment was made if thought necessary. Clients also have to put the effort in to train their dogs. Bark busters continue you support me whenever I need them taking on any dog related problems. I would recommend Bark busters to anyone having a problem with their dog.

I started with Bark Busters in Feb 14 and after the initial visit from a lady I paid the £420 for my two dogs, at first everything was great and she replied straight away.

After 3 visits totalling 5 hours all communications stopped, I emailed her twice to which I got no reply. I then contacted the Bark Busters head office in October 14 and advised them I wanted my money back and that I had not heard or seen her as if the first week in June.

After two months I had not heard anything from the head office so I contacted them again and I was put in touch with another lady, after explaining the situation firstly she offered me £120 back so she wanted £300 for 5 hours work. I refused and the offer went up to £170 - not at one point I asked for a full refund even though I should have been entitled to it.

This franchise especially the one for cheshire / North Wales are very unprofessional, they lack communication skills. I have lost £230 and I have had to pay for another dog trainer. Do NOT trust this company go with someone else or you will lose money and spend countless days chasing after your so called dog trainer.

Also I have left bad feedback on their website and guess what they have not posted it. I guess only good reviews get posted.

My advice to you is run in the opposite direction and employ a professional to train your pets.

I contacted Barkbusters when I got two puppies so as to start at the beginning doing it right with Puppy Management. The guy originally seemed very friendly and supportive and so I paid my money. He came to visit 3 times and then left me to it. When I emailed about problems the emails were no longer friendly and supportive but one or two lines, with no greeting and no signing off. Two months before my contract was due to end I contacted the guy about problems I was having that he had not covered and told him how I wasn't enjoying being a dog owner and was stressed out. It took him almost a week to reply and when he did was rude (asking why I would want him to return if I didn't like this way of teaching as he would only say the same thing again!!) and completely reluctant to make another visit. He said if I had a problem with the way he had taught things to contact someone else and gave me another member of barkbusters email address. I contacted the other man who did not ever reply, I then contacted the original guy to tell him and he said he would chase him up. I never heard from either of them again and now my contract had run out.

I would never recommend this company to anyone and feel totally ripped off. They took my money quickly but did not put anywhere near the same effort into supporting me to train my dogs. Stay away. You can find the information you need on the internet for free.

If Barkbusters had had the decency to reply to my complaint I would not be posting this.

However as they have not I will share my comments with other.

As others have noted, some of the basic discipline commands may work (by scaring the hell out of your dog mostly) any flexibility for dealing with aggression/fear based issues is non existent.

We were told that our timid dog was non attentive towards us and overprotective and that we must break this by marching up and down the street until the dog focused on us and nothing else.

We wanted the trainer to address our dogs issues with other dogs outside the house and went to a local park with the trainer, but after a couple of weeks of following the trainers fear based

techniques, our dog had become so scared and confused that it actually bit another dog whilst under the trainer’s control.

The trainer then told us that our dog was aggressive towards other dogs and had a fear of other dogs and must be kept on a muzzle, continue the discipline program indoors and the dogs behaviour outside will eventually be fine.

Horrified at the thought of having to walk around with our dog permanently muzzled we contacted our original trainer and found that he had a group walk with some 5 - 8 dogs each Monday at a local park and we could also book a one to one training session at the same time.

My wife joined him, two other owners and about ten assorted dogs for a two hour walk in the park. Our dog was on a lead the whole time, perfectly happy, not lunging, snarling or biting the other dogs. He allowed, with guidance, plenty of sniffing and thoroughly enjoyed a very

muddy walk.

Clearly the Barkbuster’s method of training simply does not suit al dogs and it is a pity that the company fails to recognise this and enforce a non refundable payment regime.

As tempting as their lifetime training sounds, don't do it. They are just after your money. While some of the basic discipline commands may work (by scaring the hell out of your dog mostly!) any flexibility for dealing with aggression/fear based issues is non existent.

After 12 months of trying to get appointments with the trainer outside the house to address our dogs issues with other dogs and people on our road, we were continually told the same thing over and over again, follow the discipline program indoors and the dogs behaviour outside will be fine. Absolute rubbish.

Anyone associated with this 'brand' is not a real dog trainer.

I have 2 dogs, which had behaviour problems that I wanted to stop! As I am on Benefits, I took out a loan to pay for Bark Busters. The Trainer was more interested in my dogs' diet than anything else! If I had been an onlooker, I would have laughed at the method of "training" that was used, growling the word "Bah" and throwing down a bag of metal.

The Trainer pulled one of my dogs about on a lead, even though he was limping! The other dog was quivering! I wish I had researched these people before paying the money, as they use the same methods on every dog. I don't even think the Trainers have any qualifications! I shall cancel my contract and doubt that I will get any money back! So, I am left with my dogs having the same problems and a loan to try and pay off!