Hi Everyone I could use some help! Its kind of long but I really need your opinion.

When I left for college I gave my 1 yr old pitbull to my parents. She was rather well trained when I had her but since my parents have had her she has gotten some bad habits. My parents have had her over 5 years, however they recently moved and gave her to my sister. Now this dog went from having the run of two acres to living in an apartment with my sister. The barking at the door, jumping, and pulling on the leash were not big issues when "toby" lived on some land but now that she is in the city with my sister they are obviously a problem. Now Toby is a lover and a sweet dog, but her lack of obedience is causing issues. My sister loves the dog but she needs help with some re-training. I would take the dog back but I am in Vet school in Texas and my family lives in CT. I do not think obedience classes will be of any benefit because the dog can do all the basics like sit, stay ect. and has graduated from an obedience class. I really think an in-house trainer will be the best avenue for my sister and Toby. They issues my sister is having with Toby are more "stimuli" related and need to be address in that environment. I have read about Bark busters and they appear pretty good "on paper" but I need someone who really knows their stuff. Does anyone have any experience with this company??

Hi Juliette:
I don't know much about the abilities of the Bark Busters trainers, however, I've had a few clients who complained to me that they are outrageously expensive.

If you're looking for referrals to trainers in CT, I can probably help you find a good one. PM me with the dog's general location and I'll try to help as best I can.

Good luck!

I would use caution with Bark Busters. They are only as good as the person who bought the franchise is.

A recent BB ad on TV I saw "guaranteed" a trained dog within a ridiculously short amount of time. I second the recommendation of using caution.

I recently spoke with someone who used Bark Buster services in Toronto. He had a beagle who was stealing things and then attacking him when he tried to take the things back. The Bark Busters trainers (who he paid $400), told him to come into the room standing tall and throw a pillow with chains in it onto the ground when he found the dog with something. He told me that initially it worked, that the beagle would get up looking startled and he could then take the "loot", but now the dog attacks him if he so much as comes into the room when the dog has something, not just when he tries to take it. Yikes!

Am I the only one who thinks there are big problems with this solution? Shouldn't he be working on a "drop it" command? Or trying to establish pack leader status? He's just teaching this beagle to guard his "finds" even more aggressively.

I was at my wits end with my two Great Danes who behave aggressively at the fence. I went to two trainers, one who instructed me per prong collar work with my dogs. For reasons I'll explain shortly, this method did not work. The dogs were getting so bad that I was fearful someone would label them "vicious" and I might loose them. (They are angels in the house to anyone and anything) I talked with my Vet who recommended BarkBusters. For $565.00 an instructor came out, "taught" me to GROWL and throw this little bag of chains on the floor to correct my dogs.It initially got my dogs attention (I think they were thinking 'What's this idiot up to now", but by the next day they seemed only confused. Secondly, he wanted me to use a coke chain, which is a complete joke to a dog who weights 157 lbs. Furthermore if you do other training methods than what they recommend the "guarantee" is null and void. The skinny of all is my wallet; as I found the trianing to be useless. I later searched the internet, came upon Leerburg.com and stumbled upon the article "How to fit a Prong Collar" and my days of stress in regard to my dogs began to cease. As in turns out the original trainer that was working my dogs with a prong collar fitted my dogs collars in the place that a regular collar would go, therfore I was not getting the correction needed. Since then I have bought the "How to Deal with an Agressive/Dominant Dog" video,along with other videos and have fitted the prong collar correctly and my dogs and doing GREAT! All of this would have been avoided had I had a proper fit to begin with. In my humble opinion, I wasted that 565.00. But man can I GROWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

So Bark Busters has moved up from the mouse trap snapper thingy they used to use to a bag full of chains now. Hmmmmmm that is hillarious. Caution: Use Bark Busters only if you have more money than you know what to do with. Then it won't hurt so bad when they get done ripping you off.

I have a couple good stories from former Bark Buster clients.

To Cindy - I know that is off topic but would you mind please PM me the method you used on your Danes at the fence to get them to behave. I am having a similar problem with my Catahoula and can't afford the electic collar yet. (We have a prong collar)

Regarding Bark Busters, They did a little seminar at "Woofstock" in Toronto this past summer. They took dogs from the audience whose owners volunteered that they had a problem. Then the Bark Busters people showed the owners how to counteract the problem and the barking dog stopped barking (for example). So they actually looked very useful.

That being said, I phoned the Bark Busters for a problem I was having with my dog (fence jumping and aggression at the fence and window). There is no Bark Buster in my city, the nearest one is 2 hours away. However he said he has family in my city and would come Thanksgiving weekend (October). I never heard back. Maybe I should be glad I didn't spend over $500.