In one session my dog learned clear boundaries, stopped barking at the door, calmed his aggressive behaviors that were really just driven by trying to be leader of the pack/ protective- I can already tell how much more comfortable and relaxed he is at home - Could not recommend enough!!! read more

If you care about your dog at all, please please do not hire Bark Busters. I sincerely regret trusting them with my dog. I paid nearly $2,000 expecting professional behavioral training from someone who would prioritize both effective training and my dog's welfare. Instead, I watched the trainer repeatedly swing my dog by his Gentle Leader to the point that his back legs were frequently lifted off the ground. When I questioned how handling him this way could possibly help him feel safe or build trust, I was told it was simply about establishing "respect" when even I could see it was just fear. The next morning, my dog was terrified of both his Gentle Leader and his leash. Awfully, he had hair missing from the bridge of his nose where the Gentle Leader had been rubbing so aggressively that it had clearly caused injury (picture attached) I hired a supposed dog behavior expert because I believed they knew how to safely and humanely work with dogs. Looking back, I am horrified at the result and wish I had looked further into reviews off Google. Rather than helping my dog gain confidence, the session left him fearful of the equipment that had been helping. Paying nearly $2,000 for generic instructions would have been disappointing on its own. Paying that amount only to watch my dog become frightened and physically rubbed raw is unacceptable. If your training philosophy is based loving relationship with your dog, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Unless your goal is to intimidate and abuse your dog into compliance, I would not recommend Bark Busters. I thoroughly regret allowing Bark Busters, someone I believed was a professional, to handle my dog this way. I trusted Bark Busters to help him, and instead I feel like I failed to protect him. I hope sharing this experience prevents another owner from making the same mistake. Please, find someone else. read more

Bark Busters Home Dog Training Manhattan - Pet Training Near Me

I was desperate. My 4 year old chihuahua was barking at literally everything and was out of control when anyone came to the door. From reading, I knew I needed to be the "pack leader" but I didn't know how. Then I found Barkbusters and Steve came to the rescue. He taught me specific actions to take and when to take them. It's easy and it works. The results have been miraculous! It's only been 2 weeks since we started but I see a big difference. He has visited us twice and corrected me where I needed it. The training is firm but not physical or harmful. It's all about love and respect. Now I have a better dog I love even more. I am so grateful to Steve for his wisdom and skill. Call him today, you will be glad you did!! read more

Why not go here: The trainers are not required to be CCPDT certified, this is the industry standard - it is an independent, science and evidence based organization that stresses non-aversive, positive training methods and complies with LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) methods, including the humane hierarchy. Trainers use aversive tactics such as making loud noises, spraying the dog with various solutions, and others. They use a "one size fits all" approach, rather than conducting a thorough evaluation of the reasons for the unwanted behaviors. Why is the dog barking, biting, or lunging? This anything but straightforward . Is it fear, excitement, pain, attention, genetic, or other? Each requires a distinct intervention that depends on the reason, and the dog. There are no credentials mentioned for any of the trainers including formal training (which I have read is simply the companies three week program.). Dog behavior takes years - not weeks - to learn. And experience alone does not guarantee knowledge and skills. They must be combined and honed. I also understand each trainer has a territory. So you don't choose the trainer, nor do the trainers compete to do better, it's simply purchased, more of a franchise type model is my understanding. Which is ok for convenience stores but has no place for dog trainers and behavior consultants. More than anything, many of these methods are harmful to you amd your dogs wellbeing at worse, ineffective at best. Education matters. Science matters. Go elsewhere! read more

Just had my first training session with Sarah for my 9yo, anxiety-ridden Jack Russell Terrier. Amazingly, the first few Day 1 exercises have already have him behaving much better in some aspects. This, after other trainers told me he wouldn't show any improvement or due to his age! Glad I was able to find Bark Busters on Yelp, and looking forward to my dog's lesson plan! read more

Bark Busters Home Dog Training Manhattan - Pet Training Near Me

It's been a year and it doesn't work... I signed up for bark busters to help train my dog to stop barking when home alone. Needless to say bah and the bag of metal are not working... I had high hopes after paying $1k. I tried, after hours, days, weeks and months of trying this method doesn't work for the issue I am having. read more

We are beyond impressed with the progress we have seen with our pup with just one visit from Sarah. We have many things to work on with our 7 month old puppy but we can already see such a difference when it comes to her listening to us. Sarah made us all feel so comfortable and hopeful! We are so excited for our second appointment in two weeks! Thanks Sarah! read more

Bark Busters Home Dog Training Manhattan - Pet Training Near Me

Changed my life!! Josh Gent the trainer who gave me concrete easy to follow guidance and helped me understand my dog toto has changed habits in my five-year-old dog - he is amazing. I can now watch TV without toto going crazy at all the dogs on the screen.Toto was not able to stay alone for even 3 minutes is now ok alone in the apartment for 90 minutes and going to up that to two hrs. I ws on the verge of rehoming her and now my dog is as good as she is cute. Thank you Josh. read more

My dog Frankie had Bark Busters training four years ago while I was living in San Diego. Frankie is a Chihuahua Terrier mix and has separation anxiety, is needy for attention and is a generally anxious dog. Since moving to New York a year ago my husband and I have found that he has become more upset when we leave him alone in our apartment and was having accidents in his crate. We wanted to refresh the training we had in San Diego and that's when we found Sarah. After sharing Frankie's history with her and the training we had already done Sarah came to our home to work with us and the dog. She reviewed the Bark Busters fundamentals and taught us new training techniques. After seeing Sarah we got back into training exercises and our dog is much more relaxed and well behaved. It is mainly the dog owner that needs to be trained and it was valuable to be reminded what to do with our dog. After the session we had some questions and Sarah got back to us quickly over email. We can't thank her enough and are glad we got the chance to work with her. She is knowledgable, great with dogs and awesome at what she does. I would recommend her to anyone looking for dog training. Thank you Sarah! read more

I really wish Yelp allowed for 100 stars because that is absolutely what I would give Sarah. I adopted my rescue dachshund, Phineas, 7 years ago. He had been tossed aside in the woods, left alone to starve at barely a year old. A police officer found him after responding to a noise complaint and he was brought to a nearby shelter after the police officer found that the home address on Phineas's collar was a boarded up, abandoned home. A few months after I adopted him, he started to show signs of extreme anxiety when left alone. Over time, Sarah was able to help us find a way to help Phin feel comfortable at home and helped us navigate some ups and down in his anxiety with great aplomb. His barking subsided quite a bit and he became an extremely friendly, cuddly, wonderful dog. Still a watchdog for sure, responding to noises he would here outside the apartment, but not the incessantly barking dog he originally was. Fast forward 7 years. I just relocated back to NYC from DC, and Phin has had trouble settling into our new home. It's a noisier apartment than I realized thanks to a very loud lobby where every sound echoes off the walls and the recycling / trash sorting alley in the back of the building. To top it off, I have a hideous neighbor who used the building intercom to anonymously harass and threaten me the one time he heard Phineas bark in the less than one month since we had moved in. He even called 311 to complain about Phin to the city for the exact same incident. He never even came over to talk to me about it! I was working to get Phin used to our new apartment with all of the steps Sarah had originally taught me, but I needed more help in light of this miserable, out-of-control neighbor who is known for harassing other neighbors with kids or dogs so badly that they move away. I didn't know if Sarah would still be around 7 years later, but guess what? She was right there responding the same day I emailed her. She absolutely remembered me and Phineas, and the work we had done when I first adopted Phin. We set up a time to have her come over to my new apartment and work with us. Sarah patiently listened to everything that I was doing, how Phin was reacting, and how I was feeling. She gave me a list of different detailed ideas to try. She stayed with us for an hour and showed me exactly how to correct him. She also sat with me and helped me practice how to be apart from Phineas while still at home so that I could do some intensive training with him to help him regain his confidence when alone. For the first time in a week, I can actually take a deep breath. I feel so much more at peace, and I feel confident that I'm going to be able to help Phineas through this latest transition. Thanks to Sarah, I went from panicked that I would lose my apartment or have to have Phineas go live with my family in Florida to knowing that we are going to be A-OK. If I need Sarah again, I know she's only an email or phone call away. She wouldn't hesitate to come back again. She also offered support if I decide that I want to get another dog as a companion for Phineas. She gave me advice on how to know if another dog would help Phineas get over his separation anxiety, and how to choose the right companion for him if I decide to go down that road. I am so immensely grateful to Sarah and everything she's done to help us through the years. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank her enough; this review is at least a start! read more

It's hard to describe the transformation in our dog after just one visit. Needless to say nothing but positive results! We've still much to accomplish with our 2 yo husky/lab mix (a very stubborn guy), but I'm confident our goals will be met just from the simple behavioral modifications we've made in ourselves with him. Our new (have had him just one month), stubborn, high-energy, alpha male is quickly becoming the best dog on the UWS! read more

Our dogs werent misbehaved but they had problems running to the door, jumping and didnt seem to get along (one is a new rescue) My wife and I have tried a few well known Manhattan trainers, and nothing really seemed to stick...we only got frustrated with the dogs and each other. One day at the dog park, someone recommended BarkBusters and we were excited to try a new avenue. Sarah came over and gave us some pointers. We quickly realized that she is the real deal and signed up for her services. She has taught us a few tricks and commands to practice with our dogs and we are much more confident as owners. With the lifetime purchase she will come back whenever we need her and is extremely responsive on email. She is helping us out this weekend for new commands that we want to learn and practice. I would strongly recommend Sarah and BarkBusters. read more

We are amazed by Sarah, even on the first visit. We had our first meeting with Sarah today, and we were so impressed. Our dog has had behavior issues since we got her. She is very anxious and is scared of strangers and kids. Sarah taught us about leadership and behavior training versus obedience training and how important it is to know the difference. She assessed our dog and took the time to explain what we need to do to improve her behavior and lessen her anxiety. We did some activities with her on the first visit that already started to show some improvements! We are going to continue to use them and work with Sarah but we are so thankful to have found her because we feel very confident that this is going to be the fix that we need for a little girl. We recommend Sarah and Bark Busters full heartedly! read more

I agree that Sarah is knowledgable, but I just couldn't get on board with her technique to "bah" at my dog and there were no alternative techniques involved. I feel like the reviews posted make it seem like she is a miracle worker, which is why had initially reached out, but for a more difficult dog (like mine) she might not be right. In addition, this is not a structured training program and there is zero follow up on her end. There is no set schedule and they actually don't recommend a weekly session, which is odd to me. I waited months to see if Sarah would check in with me and she never did. Disappointed I wasted my money on this read more

Bark Busters was recommended to us by our vet for our rambunctious Boxer and our trainer Sarah has been an absolute lifesaver. There have been times when I called my husband at work practically in tears because our dog turned into the devil himself, but Sarah has trained US to properly manage such a high energy (but fun) pup and how to be more in tune and in charge. She's very knowledgeable and professional and has definitely helped improve the human/dog dynamic in our household! We have already recommended Bark Busters to other Boxer households nearby. read more

Bark Busters Home Dog Training Manhattan - River as a baby - Pet Training Near Me

Absolutely Amazing! My husband and I were 4 weeks with our new labradoodle and he wouldn't stop biting. He was losing respect towards me and would somewhat be a bit aggressive towards me. He's a smart boy who's really smart but would know how to get his way. After just 1 session with Sarah we saw a NOTICEABLE difference. He's SO much calmer now and takes direction much better. He's still a puppy so he isn't perfect but he's truly learned the foundation for obedience. Would completely recommend Sarah!!! read more

Sarah may have saved our lives now and into the future. We are first time puppy owners with no children, and Nugget was only nine weeks old when we got him. Nipping, biting, barking, housebreaking, etc. all from scratch was/is hard, and we knew that we needed to take action sooner than later. At eleven weeks, in comes Bark Buster's Sarah in Manhattan. In one day we can tell a difference in our puppy. He is more respectful and understands boundaries better. Also, he is in the process of learning self control. Nugget has a long way to go, but man are we happy that we have Sarah's expertise to help guide us throughout Nugget's life. Thank you!!!‼ read more

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We had one session with Sarah. My puppy responded to her right away. I paid a lot of money which was supposed to cover any training issues that came up during his lifetime. She told us we would have another session and many follow up sessions and that she would be reaching out. I emailed her because my puppy was continuing some unwanted behaviors and she said we had to be proactive and to always be disciplining him. I have never heard from her again and it has been over 3 months. I am very disappointed as this cost a lot of money and there has not been any follow up from Sarah or anyone at Bark Busters. I would never recommend them to anyone. A real disappointment. read more

Our two basenjis (6 years old and one year old) have been having behavioral issues including aggressiveness towards each other and other dogs, and overall poor listening. We came across Bark Busters in a google search and after one session with Sarah we have seen dramatic improvement in those areas with both dogs. She took the time to listen to all of our concerns before meeting the dogs. She provided very helpful strategies and suggestions. We have been practicing our homework with the dogs and cannot wait to continue our session with Sarah. We are so thankful for her help and look forward to working with her again! read more

Sarah is absolutely amazing, and ANYONE with a dog in the city would be crazy to use anywhere else for training. was referred to her by another Bark Busters trainer after moving. I own a pit mix who, while very sweet, is also very strong and was having a lot of issues with urinating when guests came over, jumping on guests, and general destructive behavior when nobody was home. She was also becoming increasingly difficult to walk on a leash, excessively pulling on the leash and distracted by everything. Sarah was easy to communicate with and came to my apartment where we worked on a lot of basics that would be the foundation for everything else. I love their training methods, they are natural and easy to implement and follow through with. Sarah is direct and honest. Walking my dog on a leash has become pleasant instead of a hassle, and guests coming over has become fun instead of anxiety inducing. I highly highly recommend these services!!!! read more

My puppy and I just had our first lesson with Sarah. She was professional, easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable about how to train my puppy. Sarah was very intuitive about how to train me to Train my puppy. I noticed an immediate difference in my dog the first day. Thank you, Sarah! See you for our next lesson in a few weeks! read more

Sarah is excellent. One of the main reasons we reached out was that our dog Archie was extremely reactive to people entering our apartment and ringing our buzzer. In just one session, Archie's reaction to both the buzzer and door consist of one bark and no movement toward the door. An amazing result after 2 hours! With practice this will only get better. Sarah was overall extremely knowledgeable and clear on the steps we needed to take to achieve our goals. I would 100% recommend her. read more

Was looking for home training for my pup Libby because she has boundry issues at home, trouble walking and other puppy stuff. Sarah was not only great with my dog Libby, but trained ME as well for the type of behavior I need to assert over Libby. She's easy to speak to, knows what she's talking about and genuinely cares about creating a better environment for everybody. It's day one and I already see an improvement. I love that going forward, I know I will raise a well behaved, obedient dog all thanks to Sarah. read more

Bark Busters has a philosophy that just makes sense and I'm so happy I went with them. I was actually familiar with them from a different location and had heard so many great things but did not realize they were in my area as well until recently. After a training session with a different company that I was less than happy with I gave Sarah a call. Scheduling was flexible and convenient and I was able to find a date and time that both my partner and I could be present. What stood out to me is Sarah does not shame you if are currently use methods that are not in line with their training philosophy but instead uses the opportunity to teach you why they approach obedience the way they do and why their way gets better results. They actually address the core of the issue vs using a sort of crutch that you must always use or have available for the rest of your dog's life. I'm already seeing such a major improvement with my dog less than a week after our initial session. He generally seems calmer due to better communication and structure. Sarah also provides lesson plans and makes herself very available if you have any questions. Please do yourself and your dog the favor and give them a call. They even have some of the best value deals for training packages including a lifetime one. Sarah herself is incredibly kind and patient and I could not be happier with our choice! read more