Bark Busters Dog Training, England Reviews

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Latest Reviews

“Shocking”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Jadep258 on 19/01/2016

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 :)

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“the person I dealt with at Barkbusters is amazing”

★★★★★

written by on 06/10/2015

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.

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“First Class Service”

★★★★★

written by on 12/04/2015

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.

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“Helped turn our rescue dog around”

★★★★★

written by mutley4 on 01/03/2015

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.

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“Dog problem”

★★★★★

written by sydlarry on 05/02/2015

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.

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“Bad service very unprofessional!!!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Ler22 on 01/02/2015

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.

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“Barkbusters Dreadful company, dreadful service.”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Bonkersbird on 04/12/2014

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.

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“Too set in their own training method”

★★☆☆☆

written by joyful12 on 27/11/2014

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.

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“As tempting as their lifetime training sounds, don't...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by Jumpman on 09/07/2014

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.

Fleecedbybb's Response to Jumpman's Review

Written on: 09/10/2014

HORRIBLE experience for us too, gave an hour and a half thought it was supposed to be 3 hrs initial ''TRAINING'' left on Holiday for a month and all we got was A code word and advice to buy a spray bottle...

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Sarasfw's Response to Jumpman's Review

Written on: 14/05/2022

Totally agree, my dog is ruined after using this company. The bloke did hardly anything except scare the life out of my dog when she was just a 12 week old pup. Barking noises, throwing chain cushions at her cage, spraying her with water. Now my dog HATES men! Today she actually snapped at one of my workmen, so now looking for help to try and correct this. Never ever use this company! Costs a fortune just to make your dog aggressive! Should be shut down!!!!!

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Katiealex's Response to Jumpman's Review

Written on: 09/10/2015

I had the same issues with them and am now trying to get my money back. Total utter waste if time and a disappointment. To top it all they advised me to start getting my dog massages or the trainer would not come back.

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Liv500's Response to Jumpman's Review

Written on: 17/11/2014

Totally agree with this. I was so traumatised by my dog reaction to Bark Busters I never called them back. My dog had fear aggression of other dogs on lead. They showed me how to terrify her into submission. It worked, she was so scared and shut down she didnt growl. My dog is really sensitive and it was awful. Felt horrible guilt afterwards. I have now helped my dog through her fear aggression using hundreds of positive reinforcement techniques and now she is great, and most importantly still trusts me, because I understood her.
Bark Busters are horrible.

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“Waste of time and money!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 11/05/2014

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!

Fleecedbybb's Comment

Written on: 09/10/2014

This is the exact same treatment we received! And I felt like I was paying to get educated on throwing raw chicken carcasses out in the garden for my dogs dinner than any training, £325.00 down the drain,horrible just horrible!

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“A COMPLETE RIP OFF!”

★☆☆☆☆

written by DeeganReese on 13/03/2014

AFTER FORKING OUT £300 WE ONLY HAD 3 SESSIONS WITH OUR TRAINER.SHE WAS PATRANISING AND IT SEEMED OUR LAB PUP WAS REALLY SCARED OF HER TOO. IT CAUSED MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD.DONT GET RIPPED OFF LIKE US!!

Hsrveybee's Comment

Written on: 03/05/2014

What part of the country do you live in as this sounds the same as us

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Fleecedbybb's Comment

Written on: 09/10/2014

You are lucky we paid £325.00 and got one 1 1/2 hour session that was 1 hr talking about feeding raw chicken carcasses to our dogs :/

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“Not worth the money”

★★☆☆☆

written by on 19/07/2013

Called them in when our dog was showing aggression to people. The cure apparently is to spend 30 mins a day walking around in circles with her in the park for 6 weeks or however long it took her to follow without lead etc. As tedious as this was, I did it and she obediently followed. This did not, however, address the actual problem of her fear aggression. Yes she was more obedient but she still lunged after strangers. Absolutely no calls from the trainer to see how we were getting on and when I would call to ask him to come back to help as it wasn't solved, I felt like it was a chore despite forking out a huge sum of money which in the end I think amounted to about £120 per session. Gave us some good tips on making her feel like we were more in charge and did stop her pulling on the lead, but I think I could've found someone to do this for much cheaper. The problem persisted despite her obedience. Am now going to send her to the Behaviour Modification Course at Royvon which at over £900 I hope works this time!

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“Don't bother”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 06/04/2013

Don't bother with this unless you have never been around a dog in your life. We bought the "lifetime" package (but got our money back after the worthless first session). Our trainer, as caring as she was, did nothing more than talking at us for two hours. Went through a flip chart for most of that time, and then worked with us and our dog for less than one-half of an hour. We expected more hands-on for that price. We offered to pay for her time but she was indignant and wouldn't take a dime, so fine, we offered. Do not waste your money unless you've never been around a dog in your life and need the education.

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“Control on the lead”

★★★★★

written by AnnFarrell on 27/03/2013

The moment [name removed] came through the door her authority and confidence with [name removed] was very reassuring. It did not take her long to realise that my little treasure was the boss and not me, but within the hour she was able to teach me how to correct the problem. [name removed] taught us both and [name removed] is now walking well on the lead. Money well spent as this was becoming a big problem. Walking with [name removed] is now a pleasure. Many thanks again.

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“I wish I'd contacted you six years ago!”

★★★★★

written by on 21/02/2013

I cannot believe the improvement in Ziggy after only one session with [name removed]. He's a lovely Miniature Schnauzer but is prone to barking especially when people call at the house. This makes visitors arrival quite stressful and not very welcoming. Ziggy also barks when it is a member of the family returning home. [name removed]'s explanation of his behaviour made total sense and we did some simple exercises with him. I was thrilled when he waited patiently and quietly when there was a knock at the door. The rest of the family are amazed that this transformation could take place in a six year old dog during the course of one afternoon. Ziggy seems happier and calmer now and is loving spending more time in the garden - he doesn't bark at all outside now and the neighbours are delighted too!. He has always demanded a lot of attention, especially from myself, but after a lesson from [name removed] I now choose how much fuss to give him and then he happily settles down so we are both more relaxed. Carpet fitters who came today complimented his calmness today compared to the dog in the house they'd just been to. Thanks [name removed] - I wish I'd contacted you six years ago!

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“I am very pleased with the way the training is going”

★★★★★

written by on 14/12/2012

I am very pleased with the way the training is going. I have read many books on behaviour as I took Archie on when he was one year old knowing he had issues. I have tried to follow the books I have read for the past six months but it was not working. David explained a lot more than I had read and by coming to our home to see his behaviour and explaining how we could help him made such a huge difference. I didn't want to give up on Archie but it was getting to the point of us not being able to have people around and I was concerned how we could move forward with it all. With David's help I now feel more confident about his future even though this was his first visit, it has already made such a difference.

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“Wow... what an impressive trainer...”

★★★★★

written by on 27/11/2012

Wow... What an impressive trainer. I had a problem dog and was pregnant with twins and panicked about how I could turn things around so that my dog would accept the babies and how I could correct/change her behaviour problems. Not only did the trainer help me turn my dog around but she also taught me how to be the owner / pack leader that I had always wanted to be. Her continued support has been soooooo helpful and has ensured that we don't regress. They have not only supported me and Cassey at a very difficult / challenging time but have extended this support to my dog walker and family members. I would recommend Bark Busters to all family and friends and have been that impressed that my friend has also enlisted the help from Bark Busters for her dogs. My dog is sooooo content and completely different from before Jo came. I have recently had my twins and Cassey has instantly accepted them as her pack members (as I religiously followed Jo's instructions). I had a small blip with Cassey becoming protective of the babies but that was made worse as I had not recovered fully from the op, so Jo came for a follow up visit and now we're changing this behaviour and Cassey seems happier for it. I will always be indebted to Jo for her expertise / compassion and continued support.

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“DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 19/07/2012

If you value your money, don't bother. To pay Bark Busters you might as well get your money and throw it down the drain! The command for repremanding your puppy is 'Bah' as they claim this is the sound a dog makes, what rubbish! A baby is not born knowing how to talk but we don't repremand them saying 'goo goo and gah gah', we speak to them in our mother tongue! I cancelled my 'trainer' in Hertfordshire after one session, having already paid her £150 I would have expected to receive some money back, but none has been forthcoming. Considering £300 is supposed to cover you for 12 months training, how could £150 warrant 3 hours of complete rubbish! They think you should feed your dog bones and chicken wings, everything should be raw, if they had any savvy about them they would know that giving your dog raw bones can in fact make your dog snappy. They need to understand that a family pet, is just that, a family pet, not a wild dog in Africa!

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“Barkbusters becomes relentless”

★☆☆☆☆

written by chef40 on 20/06/2012

We too wish we would have looked at other peoples reviews on Barkbusters. The guy who came round was annoying and Condesending beyond belief!. Started to cancel appointments as he annoyed us so much. Think he thought we needed training are not out dog. We have a nervous dog who still has the same problems, doesnt like children, motorbikes, buses, vans etc and still barks at them. Wish we looked at reviews too as were no better off and £400 lighter. Ended up wanting to throw the trainer pysically out of the house. Avoid

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“Amazing Dog Training”

★★★★★

written by goosecat on 08/05/2012

Well I've read the few 1 star reviews here and I think thay are a set up from Barkbusters competitors. For me Barkbusters were excellent. I'd had another so called expert trainer work with my Heeler/Kelpie cross to no avail. His prey drive was huge and the efforts to stop him chasing cars, bikes etc by distracting him with supposedly more interesting and enjoyable items and tasks was a complete fail. Grant spent a lot of time with me in the home first and I wondered what was being achieved. Now it has worked I understand. He set me up as the leader of my pack and made me one to be listened to. Now when I tell my boy to stop, he stops, no more chasing cars and dragging me down the street. When I call him to come, he comes. He seems more relaxed and chilled out now he knows he has a good leader, which is what Grant predicted. I get it now. I have nothing but praise for my BarkBusters Trainer Grant Samuels. The guy is a true dog whisperer.

Guest's Response to goosecat's Review

Written on: 05/06/2012

For a short time while I worked twleve-hour shifts, I trained my dog to use a litter box. Remember, the dog is still going toneed regular walks and playtimes. First, you need a bigger box than a cat would use try the kind of plastic storage box that fits under your bed. (If your dog lifts his leg, you'll need an even bigger box, with one side cut out so he can get in.) Then fill it 1/3 full with dog litter or clumping cat litter about twenty to forty pounds.It helps if when you walk the dog outside, you get him to go on command. When you're ready to train him (like on a long weekend), go for an outside walk. When he poops, pick it up and put it in your litter box so there will be a familiar smell. You can do this with urine too, but collecting it is a lot messier!At his next regular walk time, take him to the box and give him your Go command. If he doesn't go after a few minutes, let him leave the box and either put him in a crate or keep him on a leash tied to your belt, so he doesn't have an accident somewhere else. Keep trying this every few hours eventually he'll go in the box. Give him lots of praise. Count on at least a week, before he'll reliably use the box on his own. If you have to go out or go to work, confine him in the room with the box preferably one with an easily cleaned floor. Put an old rug on the floor where he jumps out my dog tracked the litter everywhere. He is not likely to eat his own poop from the box if you clean it out every time. However if he eats any of the litter, stop using it immediately clumping litter can cause a serious bowel obstruction.

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Asked by Westwood6 on 9th March 2015 Report this content
Has anyone managed to get a full or partial refund from Bark Busters? If so, how did you achieve it? We had our first 'training' session yesterday and it was a waste of money. Talked at for 4 hours, given photocopied material from books (copyright?) and I've never seen my puppy so frightened and anxious as she was upon meeting the trainer. By the end of the session she was in a terrible state and still isn't herself today.

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