Bark Busters Home Dog Training Greater San Diego

Bark busters is by far the best dog training for your dog's well-being and your dollar. I have an Australian shepherd who was extremely reactive to other dogs. I've tried all sorts of methods from high value treats to loud noises and spraying her with a water bottle for distractions. It worked for a little bit but never long. When I called around to compare dog training programs in my area, bark busters was the clear winner. I talked with Greg on the phone and he gave me a quick rundown of all the details. When I told him I'd be comparing multiple programs before making a decision, he wasn't pushy on his program, but did give me a few pointers on what to ask for and what to look out for in programs. He also said if I had any questions on a program even if I wasn't going to use theirs, he'd be happy to help answer them. What it comes down to with bark busters is that they understand dog behavior and work to correct behavior in the best interest of the dog. Most other programs I looked at use some form of shock collar which they say is physically harmless to the dog and necessary, but my dog already had anxiety and I wasn't about to put her through that. Some programs don't work with you the owner, but take the dog for a boot camp session, which means they may not exhibit the same obedience when back in your home. My trainer with bark busters, JD, came to my home. He was also willing to work with me anywhere that made me comfortable. He assessed my dog's behavior, listened to my concerns, and got to work explaining her behavior and how to correct it. I had problems with her anxiety, jumping on people, and most of all reactivity to other dogs. Within one session, I saw a huge improvement on her anxiety and jumping on people. We had to work a little harder to find dogs out and about to work with her on that, but before long, she was walking like a champ and not worried about other dogs at all! Best of all, they were able to give me tactics to help my body language so she knew I was in control at all times, and verbal commands and leash etiquette to keep full control at all times. Plenty of praise helped reinforce her behavior and boost her confidence without needing shock collars, choke collars, or other negative reinforcements. I also met with Justin, who exhibited the same caring, knowledgeable and professional demeanor as JD in working with my dog and helping her live her best life. Best of all with bark busters is their lifetime guarantee. They are always available to help even if a new behavior presents itself. I hands-down recommend JD, Justin, and any of their team for working with any dog. Great experience all around!

Our experience with bark busters with Justin has been truly exceptional. My wife and I were at our wits end with our 2 year old reactive german shepherd. She was consistently on edge and barking throughout the day. We couldn't have people over without an elaborate ritual of treats and toys to calm her. We felt we couldn't go out to a restaurant or coffee shop without risking a bite to wait staff. Our dog was intensely resource guarding my wife and I. She otherwise is the sweetest and most eager to please dog in the world. She had done obedience training of all kinds and had excelled, including advanced obedience, canine good citizen, agility training, leash training. We watched every youtube video and scoured the internet for articles. We watched countless hours of prominent youtube dog trainers including Zack George, Robert Cabral, and many other prominent names. Nothing seemed to work despite significant resources and countless hours poured. Socialization and training was not the problem with this pup. We heard about Justin and bark busters through friends that had a reactive pitbull and described him as a "miracle worker" that basically fixed their dog in 1 session. Given our prior efforts, we were skeptical but willing to try anything that wasn't aversive/potentially harmful to correct our dogs behavior. Our experience with Justin was truly remarkable. Without using ANY physically adverse/harmful methods such as E collar or prong collars, our dog reactivity was drastically improved within the first 2 hour training session. We were able to calmly walk our dog by skateboarders and cats, our dogs arch-nemeses, that first day. Our dog no longer barks throughout the day. We are less than a week out from our first lesson and we already feel comfortable that we will be able to control our dog having guests over next weekend without some big outdoor meeting ritual. We give Justin our highest possible endorsement. If you have a reactive dog, I highly recommend hiring his services.

I cannot say enough about how great Bark Busters has been. I was just about at the end of my rope feeling hopeless that my 2-1/2 year old dog would never stop pulling on the leash. Also she was completely leash reactive when it came to passing other dogs, lunging out and growling. It took a couple lessons but then a miracle happened! Like magic she learned to calm her brain and stop both the pulling and the leash reactivity. What really stuck with me is that the trainer told me “we have your back” and like their policy says, as long as I do the work, it doesn’t matter how many times they need to come out. I highly recommend Bark Busters!! Julie

Justin came for a first visit with us and our Shiba Inu. We all quickly realized we wouldn’t need to continue with actual Bark Buster lessons as Justin promptly accessed our situation. He then addressed our only two concerns: our dog eliminating in 2 appropriate places versus only one and introducing our dog to our 2 cats. He looked over the situation in our home and yard and made suggestions that were practical for us to implement on our own. We appreciated his professionalism in helping us even though we would not be continuing with lessons. He said to call him anyway if he could help with these issues in the future.

Back in February, I rescued Maple, my 3 year old pitbull mix from Mexico. She is the sweetest dog and loves humans, but immediately I noticed her anxiety and aggression towards other dogs. She was making accidents in the house daily, growling/pouncing/air- biting at other dogs on our walks and would jump on people when they tried to say hello. After multiple complaints of her behavior from my neighbors, I was at my wits end- frustrated and extremely anxious especially when I would take her out, scared I was going to come into contact with other dogs. I found Bark Busters on Yelp and connected with them immediately. The intake process was extremely thorough and I was set up to work with Justin a few weeks after I reached out. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect when I booked the appointment. The reviews on Yelp seemed promising so I was hopeful, but still very worried that Maple wasn’t going to be receptive of help. I. Cannot. Rave. About. Justin. Enough. I don’t think there is anything I can say that will explain how grateful I am for him. JUSTIN IS BEYONNNDD INCREDIBLE. Not only is he one of the most personable people ever, but he took time to explain to me the psychology behind Maple’s misbehavior. I was able to understand what was going on and why my other attempts in correcting her behavior weren’t working/ why what he was about to teach me was going to be successful. Justin exudes confidence and made me feel empowered when modeling how to redirect her. He was patient with the both of us, encouraging and validating all my anxieties though the whole process, the list goes on… He is clearly so knowledgeable about his craft and I honestly do not know how I got so lucky to be paired with him. In just two days, I have noticed major improvement. She no longer lunges at dogs and she walks right next to me on our strolls. I know it may sound absurd that he was able to create this much change in just a 2- hour session, but he is a MIRACLE WORKER!! I am just blown away! Thank you, Justin for being so passionate and helpful with us. You changed our lives!