Scam You pay a high high high training fee because it's suppose to be "life time". It's not. As soon as you call back for other sessions no one returns your calls. Filing a dispute with my credit card. read more

I am very impressed with Monica at Bark Busters Toronto East. My dog is happier overall and much better trained. I love how Monica does not use any physical punishment/correction when a dog fails to obey the handler. Monica has trained me how to train my dog, this ensures results are lasting long after she leaves my home. This method is kind to the dog, it works, and it is affordable. People may say 650 is a lot, but Monica has been to my home multiple times, she does phone consults, and has booked to come back. You get a lot for your money and you have a customized plan to help your dog be both happier and more obedient. read more

This entire life time thing is a scam. They came for one visit and never responded to any of our calls after.

I rarely leave reviews, but I had to in this case for Andrew at Bark Busters. I relocated Walter, my 7-year old Lhasa Apso from 3 acres on the east coast to a Toronto condo. Naturally, the adjustment was hard for him. He developed separation anxiety (barking incessantly when I'd leave the condo) and I felt trapped having to stay with him all of the time. Upon Andrews recommendation, we started using his crate again (he loves it, considers it a safe space), and when I leave the house he stays in there at least for now. He taught us non physical techniques to stop the barking in and out of the crate using chain bags, barking noises and body posture. We're working on short absences with him outside of the crate, too, but he's been a lot better when inside. We installed a baby monitor synced to our smart phones so we can check on him / check for barking while we are out. We also worked on his pulling/tugging when walking. He helped us understand that some things are normal (him rushing to get in the elevator) because it's scary/foreign but to make sure he doesn't rush in/out of doors otherwise (i.e.: his crate, the home) so that he would always know I was 'inviting' him in. (I'm the boss, not the dog.) The techniques they taught us weren't rocket science, but having someone as a support made a big difference for us. The 'system' (i.e.: the materials, laminated flipbook, handouts) were pretty outdated seeming, but if the techniques work -- I'm not complaining. The company could use a little marketing overhaul which I suspect would help the average consumer feel they've gotten their money's worth. (Flashy things sell.) Andrew's a nice personable guy and money very well spent. . read more

Juliet at Bark Busters (Durham region) has been a tremendous trainer for not only our dog but mostly for us! Our time spent with her has been so wonderful, not to mention so much help. Because of Juliet, our dog is better behaved overall, more consistent with her leash training and I have to say exceptional with her recalls. The "BAH" really works and our dog is certainly wired to the word. It's been such an amazing experience and truly seeing our dog develop, learn and adapt great habits has been so rewarding. We understand that without consistency, this will not work. Therefore, everyday we take the tools Juliet has provided us and we work on them. We believe this is the key to maintaining boundaries and reinforcing that we are our dog's LEADERS. We want to thank Juliet for all her hard work, we REALLY appreciate it!! All the best! - Nicole, Jordan + Nash! :) read more

If you want to train your dog through intimidation and fear then Bark Busters May be what your looking for. We did see a change in our 8 month old Doodles behaviour by the end of the initial 5 hour training course. Unfortunately we also saw our loving puppy scared with her tail tucked between her legs. We also found it odd when the trainer said they didn't want anything to with their own dogs when the got him. I kind of get it but not really! read more

I so so so so wish I had done this 6 years ago with our two dogs - instead I have spent the last 6 years trying different methods, buying different books, etc and in one week with Monica and BB we have seen a remarkable change in our two dogs. I have two very high strung terrier crosses whose barking was getting out of control (we have a new baby and I couldn't take their barking waking him up anymore!), strange and unpredictable aggression, jumping on people, etc. I overlooked so much of it because they are small but now with a baby I can't control them at all. Monica explained to us in very easy to understand terms how dogs think, talk, behave, etc. She taught us what to do and how to practice correcting their behavior. I would say within 24 hours the change was remarkable. Within a week we have two very different dogs. We still have a long way to go but I love that Monica (and Bark Busters) are there for us - I can email or call her at anytime. The fact that it is a lifetime guarantee no matter the city really excited us. Even friends who don't spend 24/7 with our dogs have noticed a remarkable difference. Highly highly recommended! I'm such a fan I've convinced three friends in the last week all over the country to book with Bark Busters. read more

I have very mixed feelings about BarkBusters. While there is an appeal to having in-home training, these sessions are more focussed on talking to the dog's parents about how the dog should be trained as opposed to spending time with the dog itself. As for the techniques themselves, it's heavily focussed on tone of voice and they stay away from treat-based training. Setting up future appointments has to be intiated by the customer as opposed to BarkBusters following up. In the end, I'm not convinced that this was the best use of $600 for me and my dog as I had to do all of the training anyway. read more

As a disclaimer, the Bark Busters we used was in Kingston, but I believe their franchise methods are consistent, so this review's probably valid no matter where you are. It's an odd pricing scheme - a one-time fee of $700, with a guarantee they'll work with you til the problem's solved. That sounds encouraging - unless their method isn't working for your dog. It's like a one-time fee to eat unlimited times at a restaurant for a year - sounds great, unless you hate the food! I enlisted BB for 2 problems with my then-5-year-old shih tzu, Beans. She's a quiet and well-behaved retired breeding dog, but couldn't climb stairs and has separation anxiety. The trainer started the session by ignoring Beans and pushing her off the sofa - even though her issues aren't with dominance, and when she started "digging" on a nearby chair, the trainer declared, "that's pottying behaviour!" even though Beans is 100% house training, and never has accidents. It felt like a formulaic approach she took with every dog. The "cure" for my dog's anxiety was to put her in a covered crate and throw metal "bean bags" at the crate if she made a sound. Maybe this works for puppies, but it seemed cruel to try with an anxious 5 year-old who'd never been crated. And finally, the trainer told us that small dogs couldn't be trained to go up-and-down open stairs, so not to bother trying. Later that week, my husband taught Beans to go up-and-down the stairs in the course of a day. I don't know his technique, but when I came home from work that day, she was going up-and-down the stairs with just a little encouragement. So much for BB! I only worked with the trainer twice, then decided her techniques weren't for us. Beans still has separation anxiety, but she comes to work with me at my medical practice every day, so it's rarely an issue, and we just live with it. We've only ever crated her 3x but she injured herself trying to escape - twice, squeezing under the bottom bar, nearly strangling herself. So even the vet leaves her out, and she just lies quietly on a blanket. In summary, the BB company relies on one specific training method, and if it doesn't fit with your dog, you're out of luck (and $700). Too inflexible for me, and like other reviewers have said, the company has no ongoing interest in customer satisfaction; once they've got your cash, they'll never initiate contact again. Not recommended. read more

When we brought home our new Frenchie puppy we immediately signed up for Bark Busters. We had been told that Frenchies could be a stubborn breed and our ambition from the beginning has been to have a dog that is trained / well behaved. I am happy to say that at 5 months our puppy is house trained, comes when called, and doesn't jump up (much) when company arrives! Investing in Bark Busters training has been a great decision. Monica Smith (our trainer) has been a fantastic resource for us! Monica has come to our house on multiple occasions to work with us on specific skills. We couldn't ask for more! read more

I have had dogs for 50 years. Imagine my surprise that I had been "training" them wrong for so long. Most of the time my dogs were borderline out of control. I got a new puppy. Breed known for being strong willed. He was. Even after 5 months of daily "training" (after watching hours of video from "experts") my wife and I were sad to almost admit this dog was more than we could handle. Out of desperation I called Bark Busters. After 30 minutes of talking to Jason, I agreed to make an appointment with Ryan Brown, their senior trainer. 3 hours with Ryan turned our lives around. It's amazing how much we thought we knew that was sheer ignorance. Ryan taught us to "speak dog". We are only in our 3rd day after Ryan left - and we don't recognize the pre-Ryan dog. No more agressive barking, no more leash pulling, almost instant obediance and respect from this dog. I think their methods are a miracle. I don't raise my voice anymore. I don't chase him around with my shoe in his mouth any more. The dog too is happier - I can see that from a mile away. Our house is peaceful, and we all enjoy each other. If you are having any issues with your dog - old or young - do what we did. You will NEVER regret it! read more

We have been working with Lisa @ Bark Busters for only 5 days now, and the results we are seeing are beyond anything we could've expected. Our dog Leo suffered (notice I did not write "suffers") from severe separation anxiety, to an extent that were not able to leave the house. He also had other undesirable behaviours that we did not know how to address. Lisa explained to us the situation from the dog's perspective, and equipped us with the knowledge to understand why he was acting the way he was, and the psychology behind a dog thinking he is a leader of the pack in his home. Her in-depth knowledge and understanding of dog behaviour combine with her incredible patience and people skills to work with us has made this such an amazing experience. I can only imagine the progress we will make over the span of 4 or 5 weeks. We look forward to a bright future with Leo as a member (not leader!) of our pack. Thank so much, Lisa! read more

Very disappointed. We dealt with Bark Busters in Calgary, AB and had scheduled a meet and greet with Roberto. Not only did he reschedule our appointment 3 times at the last minute, but on the 4th time he didn't show up and 45mins later emailed us saying that it'll have to be done over the phone. Cannot speak for the training itself from Bark Busters, but I can say that we were not impressed with the lack of professionalism and the lack of respect for others' time. Would not recommend based on this trainer. read more

When Monica (our trainer) said that Bully (my french bulldog) would be a different dog in 5 weeks, I didn't believe her. This dog is a rescue, who had issues ranging from separation anxiety, to severe dog aggression. Deep down, I knew he was a sweetheart and just needed the right direction. So Monica comes in, and I expect him to completely ignore everything as he did to me. Instead, she comes in, teaches ME how to be a pack leader, and correct unwanted behaviour before it begins. It is not an exaggeration when I say she has completely changed our lives. Bully is much happier, peaceful, and enjoys his life - which is all I wanted for him. If you have a dog that needs guidance and leadership, perhaps a rescue like mine, ask for Monica. She is the best of the best. read more

Waste of money...really. As per instructor they teach a relationship building techniques that aim at showing your dog that you're the alpha, the leader of the pack....Rather silly approach, with outdated methods (barking at your dog, spraying her with water, and throwing a bag full of coins at her) that aims to bully your dog to submit to your "leadership"...kinda sad but what's more sad is that I fell for it. This company thrives on customers like myself that did not know much about dogs psychology, but living with a pet for few months will make you understand their bully training techniques are useless, and making your dog terrified is not the way to build a relationship with her. You can train your dog in more efficient and effective manners. You just need to understand one thing: dogs love to please their owners. Just go from there and you'll find a better way and better trainers to train your dogs. The entire program is a scam too. You have a trainer to show up at your house for a couple of hours, you go over a handout describing the "leader of the pack" philosophy, then your dog is barked at couple of times and you just learn how to throw a bag of coins at her. Then you 're told you're on a retainer for dogs life....all that for $800.... read more

In my life, I have never wasted money in such a spectacular fashion as I did when handing $650 (yes, you read that right) to Lisa Marshall at Bark Busters. The lifetime guarantee seems comforting, but be warned: you will never see your money again. The guarantee provides only that the company will continue to work with you and your dog to resolve the problems that you are having. This means that if you want your guarantee to remain valid, you are bound by the trainers and methods that they teach, whether you like them or not. In my case, this was an issue: I found Lisa to be a weak teacher that had difficulty in addressing and maintaining focus on the core problem that I was facing with my dog. She failed to develop and follow through with a plan to address that problem. Overall, it seemed that she was more concerned with the growth of her franchise than in my success as a dog owner. Here's what I got for my money. On my first visit with Lisa, which was about 4 hours, she went through the company's worksheets that explain their methods and the logic behind them. She worked with my dog for about a half hour and gave me homework. Lisa was quite effective in working with my dog. So far, so good. Second visit, about two weeks later, for an hour. I was having trouble with the homework, but my dog behaved well in front of Lisa. It seemed that from Lisa's perspective, "problem solved". Rather than helping me address the problems I was having, she sent me emails asking me to publicly endorse her on her Facebook page. Following my failure to do so, all communication (save bulk emails from the company) dropped off completely. Trying get a follow-up appointment (expect to wait two days for a reply) was a game of phone tag followed by a litany of excuses. There was no more homework, no follow-up. At one point, I actually had to remind her of who I was. After hours of diligently practicing the techniques taught by Lisa and two more frustrating visits that yielded few changes my dog's behaviour, I gave up on begging for help from this dog trainer. The news isn't all bad. During the last several months (since leaving Bark Busters) I have continued to train twice daily for half-an-hour with my dog, and over time I have been successful with some of the techniques taught by Lisa. However, the core issue that brought me to Bark Busters remains unresolved and I will need to spend more money to hire a trainer for this purpose. Needless to say, I would not recommend Lisa Marshall or Bark Busters to anyone. *Update* It's been two years since my Bark Busters experience. I'm happy that this review has been helpful for so many. Since then, I found a trainer that was able to resolve my dog's core behavioural problem, and the peace that this has brought us is indescribable. I look back on that moment, two years ago, as one of frustration and hopelessness. The message I want to send to you is that it is really easy, in that state of desperation, to fall for a trainer that may be preying upon this vulnerability. But there's a flip side, too. When I said to my new trainer, "I think my dog is untrainable!" he laughed at me. Of course, they all are trainable. So be cautious, but also keep up the faith that the problem can, indeed, be solved permanently. Best of luck to you. read more

They said they would help and then i paid the high price and didn't help with the issues my dog has and just tried to train my dog with stuff i dont care about. My dog has issues with stranges and i was told not to worry about this. And the solution with kids was just to not trust my dog with kids, no actual training. Waste of money. My dog still has lots of issues and im just poorer. read more

After Monica's first visit we already see the difference. There still are some issues with our timing but it is getting much better. With this training we feel more confident and know there will always be someone there to guide us if we need some advice. Thank you and we will continue with your great support. read more

Waste of money. I should have known when I read their website reviews and there was no button to actually "write a review" that they obviously are either writing the reviews themselves or filtering out the bad ones. When I first spoke to the administrative assistant for the trainer in my area, he said that the Barkbusters methods were not fear-based and they didn't condone the use of physical discipline or choke chains. The trainer then shows up at my house with a water bottle and a semi choke chain. I went along with everything he told me to do because obviously he's the expert and I'm the one who's doing something wrong. He gave me bags full of noise making coins to drop when they would bark at the door, and it scared my dog instead of help her since she was used to being abused. I later learned that the use of spray bottles are actually considered quite an outdated method in dog training; but I guess that's up to your own success rate. The only thing I got out of Barkbusters was a new collar, which I paid extra for on top of the 650 dollars I paid for a lifetime trainer that works with my dogs until the issues are resolved. I've seen my trainer twice. Once for our initial visit and once for a check in. He has never called to check up, since he knew we were struggling with potty training her. His answer for that? He printed me out a puppy potty training page (my dog is a year old, by the way and does not have the bladder of a puppy) which he then sat down and basically told me not to follow what was on the page... eliminating the need to give it to me. I expressed my concerns with the potty training and at one point he actually directed me to google and said "that's something we're going to need to figure out." We? I felt tricked. I just paid you over 650 to hand me a sheet and tell me that I'm going to need to figure it out. I'm so disappointed in myself for thinking that these people were worthy any monetary compensation. All of the training tips that I found useful were those I found myself, online after I felt that our trainer could not care less about our issues. It's been months since we heard from our trainer, and judging from him rushing me off the phone the last time we spoke he won't be contacting me again. read more

Barkbusters changed my life. Andrew transformed my two champion barkers into well behaved and respectful dogs (who don't even sit on the couch or beg anymore). I wish I had done this years ago (and I'm sure my neighbours do too). Andrew genuinely cared for the dogs and his techniques had magical results. Highly recommended. read more

I'm pretty sure this whole "business" is a scam. We paid around $650 for an in-home personal trainer just for me to do most of the work. That's not why I hired you. I had Andrew as a trainer. On their website they state they do not use treats for training. On the first day, Andrew gave my husky a half-choke collar, two little sacs of metal rings that make a lot of noise when you drop them, and a leash. We were told to throw those sacs on the floor whenever my husky exhibited unwanted behaviour. Those little sacs scared my dog. That's not proper training. They're basically training with fear-induced techniques. My husky is not aggressive, he just has trouble not pulling on the leash. It has been a year since my 3rd session, Andrew has not followed up at all which is unusual for a "lifetime trainer". I was young and naive. Knowing what I know now, I would do way more research before giving my money to just any "trainer". Save your money and invest in a different company! read more

Monica from Bark Busters is incredible!! We had our first training session with her the second day we had our puppy (a Golden Doodle) and bringing her on when the puppy was 8 weeks was the smartest decision we could have made! The first session was more to train my husband and I how to become successful dog parents, which was such a great way to start the process because it established the building blocks for proper training. The few (small) issues we were having with our new puppy (crying in her crate, nipping hands and feet) were immediately corrected within 30 minutes of Monica arriving for the first session. We had a second training session 10 days after, but Monica made sure to stay in contact with us between the 2 sessions in case we had any questions or concerns. Our second training session helped us get set up with training basic commands like sit and stay, which our puppy is doing great with! I have to say that knowing we have Monica and her support for the life of our dog is incredibly comforting. We have the ability to call or email Monica anytime we need her and she'll be there to provide assistance. The Bark Busters training model isn't rocket science. In fact, it's so simple it's a wonder more people haven't adopted it. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend Monica or Bark Busters, and we know our puppy is going to develop wonderfully thanks to these guys! read more

I would highly recommend Monica as a trainer! First she trained us! And then we were able to train our Bullmastiff puppy! Monica helped us to understand 'dog talk'! Our pup was a different dog in 2 hours! Simply amazing. She is alway available by phone or email to answer all our questions. Thanks so much Monica! read more

We immediately signed up for Bark Busters when we took delivery of our new puppy - and we couldn't be happier. Monica Simpson is our trainer for the East End of Toronto - wow - after the first visit we started seeing results (no longer chewing shoes). Fast forward 2 months and 3 at home visits from Monica and our 4.5 month old puppy: comes when called, walks beside us with limited pulling, and rarely jumps up. Most importantly, Monica has taught us how to properly communicate with our dog. We would never have achieved this without Monica's help! We were really drawn to Bark Busters due to the "Lifetime training policy" and have not been disappointed. Monica is in constant contact - couldn't ask for more! Strongly recommend this investment! Monica is fantastic! read more

I have had the pleasure of using Lisa Marshalls services and drawing from her expertise many a time. She's extremely knowledgeable regarding dogs and I found her information extremely helpful. If you do hire her, just be sure to keep your ears open and practice often. The result will come. read more

I also am terribly disappointed with Bark Busters. I live in Pickering and had a trainer named Carol, who seemed to genuinely care about my dog training issues. Unfortunately, her methods seemed to aggravate the issues. She then told me I had to fix my dog before she would work with us any more. She never worked with my dog in a hands on fashion, mostly directed me from the side lines. She was afraid of him and made me think I had a very aggressive and dangerous dog. Apart from the fixing, she never offered any other training techniques and never admitted that her techniques had failed. I never fixed my dog, found a new trainer, and within days had a well behaved family pet. The new trainer costs $40/session instead of $800 for a 'life time guarantee', which is useless if the methods never worked in the first place. read more

Our problem was with 2 shih tzu males who did not like each other, and play became aggressive enough that it drew blood. The dogs became increasingly hostile toward each other, and we knew professional help was necessary. The first visit with our trainer was very interesting; she was intelligent and enthusiastic, and seemed to provide a lot of useful information. The methods seemed to work initially. It was expensive, but would definitely have been worth it if the problem had been solved. Things were better, and the second visit was just a short repetition of the information provided the first time. Then the problem escalated to the point that the 2 dogs could not be in the same room together. Our trainer took a while to respond to our emails (to be fair, she had been ill), and then told us our only choice was to rehouse one of the dogs. We advised her we were not going to do that, and the trainer said she would follow-up in a few weeks for our third visit. We never heard from her again, and were also apparently dropped from the company's regular email newsletter list. My complaint is not about their methods; I have no expertise in dog training, and feel unqualified to comment. But follow-up and value for money spent was poor. I was blinded by the guarantees of success, and looking for a quick fix. I should have known better; it was an expensive lesson. P.S. We still have the dogs, and they still have to be kept apart. But they are happy dogs in every other way, and the happiness they bring to us makes it worth the effort. read more

I can't really review their services as I haven't been able to use them. I called once, was told by the person who answered that they didn't know who the Trainer in my area was and I was forwarded to head office. I left a message and they never called back. Since they're not interested in my business and couldn't even provide the courtesy of a call back, I will NOT be using them in the future. read more

My first contact with Bark Busters was at Woofstock in Toronto. I met a lovely lady to whom I explained my problem. She assured me that Bark Busters could help me. I was not so sure. I aquired my parent's German Shepherd as I was the only person that the dog did not try to eat. After 10 months of agonizing barking and ballistic behaviour, I decided to call. Lisa Marshall answered my plea. She spent several hours educating me and showing me where I was going wrong. It was very effective as I had not seen my short-coming. In a few easy minutes she showed me how to transform a previous charging, barking dog, into a calm companion who knew that I had control of the situation. She showed me how to address " Lady" when a knock was at the door or the phone rang. It was an amazing transformation. Our lives are now calm, quiet and above all, educated. Thank you so much for your patience, calm demeanour and extensive knowledge. You have changed our lives into a peacefull, happy household. We are following through with the clear homework exercises and all is just as I hoped for. Lisa gave us our peacefull home back. Thank you so much. read more

Wow! What can I say? I've heard of many trainers and different philosophies, but nothing beats Bark Busters. Monica is extremely efficient and I can really see the changes in my puppy's behaviour almost immediately. The fact that there is consistent support and follow-ups, my puppy and I have both gain excellent skill sets and techniques that really has made our home a happier and safer place. Bark Busters is worth the time and investment for any dog owner. I would highly recommend the puppy training for anyone! Many thanks! read more

With a desperate hand we reached out to Bark Busters in hopes that we could finally learn some appropriate training tools for our 9 month old rescue dog Finn. Finn is a Lab/Shepherd mix who although is a very loving and affectionate character had tendencies towards digging, object guarding (often resulting in bloodshed), pulling on lead, and jumping up on people. These issues made life with Finn rather stressful at times and it was evident that something had to give, so the call to Bark Busters was made. Skepticism was paramount as we had already sought the help of a few other trainers, and even a dog psychologist. However, all of this worry and skepticism was soon alleviated once our very own Bark Buster (Monica) arrived on the scene. Her passion and commitment for what she does was evident right from the get go. The training plan that was offered wasn't just some generic life brand attempt that we had experienced in the past, but rather a plan that was tailored especially to the needs of Finn and the family, taking everything into consideration leaving no stone un-turned. As the weeks progressed, we remained diligent with the work that was given. Every week there would be more added to our ever growing arsenal of training tips, tools, and methods. Low and behold the almost Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque mood swings of Finn began to lessen and lessen before fading off into the days of doggy past. What we are left with is a dog who's dynamic in the family has gone from "rebellious teenager" to that of a more innocent and obedient "perfect child" (as if there is such a thing). All in all our experience with Monica and Bark Busters is one we will surely never forget and will be sure to recommend to anyone seeking training for their fur child. read more

I will not write the trainer's name because this trainer made a deal with me that if they refunded me, I wouldn't mention their name and talk about how horrible their service was. I still need to write a review because I don't want people to feel as cheated and scammed as I did when I signed up with this "company." When the trainer arrived, they spent 20 minutes going through some bullsh*t book about what we're going to cover. This was a waste of time and had no useful information. It was just a way for them to take up time in the "training session." Let me go over how completely useless and how much of a joke this whole thing was. The trainer....is not really a trainer. I don't care what this person claims they are... they are NOT a trainer. There's absolutely no way. I knew more about dog behaviour than this person did. I told them that the main issue is that my dog is afraid of kids. The trainer's solution? Avoid kids. That's all. Don't fix the behaviour...just avoid kids for the rest of your dog's life. We then wasted more time walking to the park while my dog pulled on the leash the entire time, only for the trainer to say "it's okay, she's just excited" and offered ZERO training techniques or solutions. Then at the park, we went close to where kids were playing basketball and i kid you not... we spent 30 minutes awkwardly hanging out at the park just watching my dog run around. The trainer said... "she seems fine near the kids. I wouldn't worry." To cover my dog's last issue - guarding balls at the park - the "trainer" suggested bringing a spray bottle and spraying her whenever she's doing this. Ok so let's go over how ridiculous that logic is: Every time I walk to the park, I have to carry a massive spray bottle (the one they gave me was huge) in one hand and my dog's leash in the other. I then have to attempt to be right beside my dog every single time she has a ball so that i can be there to spray her if she guards a ball. What if she's not close to me? How the hell does this fix the behaviour? When I got home and the trainer left, I wasn't sure if I was just thinking crazy things or if it was really true that i had just been scammed. I thought, how the hell did i just spend an hour with this "Trainer" and I literally didn't learn ONE thing. Not even kidding. Not one method or suggestion or any useful information. This person managed to spend an hour with me and make me talk the whole time so that they didn't have to do or say anything while we watched my dog run around. ***PLEASE READ ON....THIS IS WHERE IT GETS WEIRD I knew I had to look into this company further because there was no way I was going to drop nearly $600 for absolutely nothing...for a scam. I then found all these reviews on websites about how people were scammed by this company and that these trainers weren't really trainers. They are basically imposters. BARK BUSTERS is a NAME and they sell franchises to ANYONE. That's right...anyone! You don't have to be a trainer. You can buy a franchise for a certain area and you are then officially that area's bark busters trainer. So you then wear the bark busters outfit and go into people's homes and waste time and trick them into thinking they are with a real trainer. As for the good reviews out there - I do believe that there are genuine trainers who buy franchises because they want to actually train dogs. But unfortunately it's a dangerous avenue for people to get scammed by any random person who's looking for a quick buck and will basically act their way through the first session. Why just the first session you ask? BECAUSE THEY WON'T COME BACK FOR ANOTHER! Go read all the bad reviews. You'll see! After they've gotten your $550 and faked their way through the first session, they're gone! They make it impossible to set anything up after that. HOLD ON...IT GETS WEIRDER! When I started to realize this was all a scam, I tried to contact the company. I called the number, and some unprofessional girl answered and told me to call my trainer. Every time you call, you talk to a girl who tells you to call your trainer. I called a 3rd time and she actually hung up on me! Because she realized I was on to them! SO THEN... I emailed "headquarters" and it was a JOKE! It was literally as if I was emailing a kid from grade 8. They said they would forward my concerns to Canadian headquarters, so then i asked... "can I have the email for the canadian headquarters?" and they stopped answering me. So I emailed again and again. I ask, "how do I know you will actually pass me on to the Canadian headquarters?" and their response: trus me i will (no punctuation or anything). Do you think they forwarded me to anyone? obviously not. This contact they were talking about doesn't exist. They then completely stopped answering my emails. I texted the trainer and said that i wanted my money back and i know what's going on. he said he couldnt talk because he was at a family thing. read more

Monica is amazing! From our first session I have noticed so much improvement. She has seriously changed the life of my dog & I!! We are both happier and less stressed and enjoy our time together. I would recommend her & Bark Busters to anyone!! read more

I am not sure why any other training system exists when Bark Busters works so well. Learning the dog's language means much faster results (close to immediate improvement!) and no more frantically searching for treats to reward good behaviour. As a zoologist the system made sense to me when I first heard about it. More than worth the cost. read more

Bark Busters has helped me to understand how to speak my dog's language, and in so doing has completely transformed the way our home runs and our dog behaves. We joke that Bark Busters must have switched our dog with a different dog! The difference in just 48 hours was astonishing. read more

The quick improvements in my dogs behaviour has been surprising and wonderful. Monica is non judgemental, patient and I am really happy she is working with our family. read more

I had Lisa Marshall as my dog's trainer. My puppy is a Yorkshire Terrier named Miley. I found Lisa to be such a sincere and effective trainer. She is wonderful to work with. Miley changed her behaviour in ways I was having trouble, when I followed Lisa's techniques and I am most satisfied with all the effort Lisa put toward helping her. She comes highly recommended. read more

This is the worst waste of my $650 in my life. it is the worst thing i could ever do to my dog by training him from Bark Busters. I have a 8 months old golden labrador puppy whom I started getting trained from Andrew when he was only 3 months old. On the first day of meeting which was 2 hours long, all Andrew did was explain his company worksheets and bla bla bla shit. my dog was barking a lot for everything and i was getting annoyed with it so he threw a pack full of coins in front of him. My dog stopped barking right away and i have never heard his voice ever in last 6 months. It feels like he has lost his voice, he is so afraid to bark, he would not bark even if someone comes to our door, knocks or whatever. I called them after and never showed up and he just told me its just dog is going through puppy stage of life. People please , they just use water bottle and coins to scare your dog and they push you to buy the collar and leashes from them which are overly expensive. Do not waste your money and keep your dog happy. read more

Honestly, I wish I never paid for this service. It was a lot of money for very little service. The trainer was very nice and came to our house twice but I never really felt like he taught me anything I couldn't just google myself. There was no real lessons for me or my dog....he pretty much just went on walks with us and was gone shortly after. I have not recieved an email from him in months now! You would think for that kind of money they would make it a priority to follow up with customers and see if there are any issues or problems they need assistance with. I've recently completed a 6 week in class training program at another facility which I am SUPER impressed with. My dog and myself have both learnt so much by going to these classes once a week for an hour. I wish I knew better in the beginning so I didn't waste my money and I'm pretty sure they would not refund it. At least I can hopefully help others by writing this review and give my opinion. In class training is the way to go! read more

Lisa explained the Bark Buster's approach very clearly and she demonstrated it well. Most importantly, she helped my boyfriend and I begin to understand the world from a dog's point of view. While we have not been able to keep up the practice sessions as much as we would have liked, we are using the insights Lisa gave us in all our day to day interactions with Bingley (and our other dog Peca). We have seen considerable improvement in our relationship with them. read more