Live a Happier Life Together With Your Dog

Are you experiencing behavioral issues with your dog? Our dog-friendly training methods can help you overcome these issues quickly. We train in your home where you and your dog are most comfortable. With our efficient, results-oriented training program, you can achieve the communication and leadership you want with your dog.

Dog Training Services

Common Dog Behavioral Issues We Address:

  • Aggression
  • Barking
  • Biting
  • Change in Address
  • Chewing
  • Destruction
  • Digging
  • Focus & Listening
  • Housebreaking
  • Improving Confidence
  • Jumping
  • Leash Pulling
  • Marking/Peeing
  • New Baby Preparation
  • Obsessiveness
  • Respecting Other Pets
  • Running Away
  • Separation Anxiety
  • Sibling Rivalry – in House Tensions/ Fights

 

Not sure where your dog could use improvement? Take our free behavioral quiz today.

About Maxine & John

large medaglia trobaugh

Best Dog Training in Frederick County!

Welcome. We are Maxine Medaglia and John Trobaugh, your Best of the Best (BOB) Readers’ Choice Nominee for Best Animal Training in Frederick County, MD.

John and I can't believe it has been more than 10 years since we started training dogs with Bark Busters! The time has flown by, and we know that we are helping dog and their owners improve their lives together. Almost every dog owner we talk with, whether they are calling to ask about our training or someone who strikes up a conversation with us when they learn we are dog trainers, eventually says something along the lines of "(S)he is a great dog, but...".

That phrase always makes us smile, because of the many times we ourselves have used it when describing our own dogs before we became Bark Busters dog trainers. And we know we can help people with their dogs, whatever the issue may be.

Live a Happier Life Together With Your Dog!

We look forward to teaching our clients how to help their dogs become the companions they want them to be. We help owners solve problems such as bad manners, excessive barking, aggressive behavior, and separation anxiety, with the simple and straight forward techniques of the Bark Busters system.

When we see our client's dogs relax as they finally understand what is being asked of them, we know we have helped everyone in the family, canine and human alike.

If you are thinking you and your dog need help understanding each other, or you have just added a new dog or puppy to your family and want to start your time together in a positive way, we look forward to talking with you. You will be surprised by how quickly your dog responds to the simple straightforward techniques implemented by Bark Busters, without the use of treats or any physical devices.

Giving Back

Since becoming Bark Busters, we have been fortunate enough to become involved in Wags for Hope, a local organization that supplies animal visitations for therapy purposes. Along with our roles as part of Team Fraek and Team Diva, we help prospective therapy teams get ready for their evaluations with training sessions and Canine Good Citizen testing. John and Diva visit a local school for children with developmental disabilities, and are a favorite visiting team with staff and students alike.

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AKC CGC Evaluator

What Makes Bark Busters Frederick County Unique

Bark Busters is the worldwide leader of in-home dog training, helping over 1 million families and their dogs around the globe since 1989. We wholeheartedly believe in our methods and 30+ years of results. At Bark Busters Frederick County, we clear up the miscommunication between dogs and humans at the root of many behavioral issues by teaching everyone to speak the same language – dog!

Our nurturing, dog-friendly approach teaches you, the pet parent, the same natural communication methods that dogs understand instinctively. Our efficient, results-oriented, training program prioritizes clear communication and leadership while addressing issues in the locations they occur.

This means faster, longer-lasting solutions for you and your dog.

Dogs learn best in a familiar, safe environment, free of outside distractions and disruptions. That is why we come directly to your home, on your schedule to build an effective foundation for better behavior. We work first to build an effective foundation for better behavior. We teach you how to communicate with your dog. Dogs naturally live in families and look to their family leaders for guidance, safety, and love. Most people don't know how to appeal to a dog's natural sense of leadership or communication. We teach you how to use friendly, canine leadership and to "speak dog" using your body language, voice tones, and timing so you and your dog communicate better! You will see results. You want to see a change in your dog’s behavior, preferably sooner rather than later.

Any Breed. Any Age. Any Issue. Get Started Today!

We customize our training sessions to achieve your specific goals and meet your dog’s unique needs. When you learn to "speak dog" the Bark Busters way, you get real results – and nurture positive relationships and lasting emotional bonds with your canine family member.

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Home Dog Training

Our Services

Bark Buster trainers conduct the one-on-one training in your home, without the distraction of other dogs or the stress of being sent away for dog obedience training at a kennel. After learning in your home, our behavioral therapist and trainer will work with you as needed outside and around real distractions, once you and your dog are ready.

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Life of Dog Support Guarantee

Life of Dog Support Guarantee

Bark Busters Home Dog Training provides a Life of Dog Support Guarantee that is unique in the industry. It is designed to help owners resolve their dog's behavior and obedience problems and to provide customers with the satisfaction of ongoing support and peace of mind.

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Dog Behavior Issues

Tips & Advice

We're here to help. From general dog training tips, to puppy toilet training best practices, to learning about various dog breeds we've worked with, Bark Busters offers our free tips and advice on common dog behavior problems and more.

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Let's Get Started!

Connect with us Call 1-877-500-BARK (2275)or enter your zip code.

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Frederick County Client Reviews

See what our clients have to say

We are very happy we got several lessons with John and Maxine. Our two 6 months mixed labs needed some behavioral training: not pulling when on leash, don't get excited when people come in the house and be more gentle and have better manners when meeting and playing with other dogs. Also, learn to be more independent from each other. They are now a year and a half, and they are doing great. We'll continue to work with the things we learn to make them even better doggies. I highly recommend John and Maxine.
Lorena Skelton
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Our Australian Shepherd was just shy of one year. We were experiencing multiple behavioral issues with him. Our vet recommended Bark Busters to us. I made the call and set up our first appointment. Maxine came to our home. She is so experienced and knowledgeable. In just a few lessons, we were starting to see results. We can't wait to see what the future lessons bring. We are so pleased with Maxine and the service she provides. We highly recommend Bark Busters.
Crystal Cox
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Maxine has been awesome! Our dog went to her immediately and continues to be excited when he sees her. She’s patient, knowledgeable, clever and works with all kinds of temperaments. Our pet did not have bad habits, we just wanted to make sure he was well behaved and followed commands. She worked with him where he was at (energetic but not well socialized) to guide him
Into good habits. We’re thrilled with the results and give her the highest recommendation possible. We will continue working with her as long as necessary
Darryl G.
Frederick, MD
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Maxine is absolutely wonderful and amazing! She has and continues to help support us in becoming successful dog parents. Our family is eternally grateful and so glad we found her!
Katie S.
Walkersville, MD
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Our Australian Shepherd was just shy of one year. We were experiencing multiple behavioral issues with him. Our vet recommended Bark Busters to us. I made the call and set up our first appointment. Maxine came to our home. She is so experienced and knowledgeable. In just a few lessons, we were starting to see results. We can't wait to see what the future lessons bring. We are so pleased with Maxine and the service she provides. We highly recommend Bark Busters.
Crystal C.
Boonsboro, MD
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John has been an amazing teacher of how to communicate with not only our new puppy but our two older dogs. He has answered all of our questions and even provided pointers for things we didn’t even notice. The change in our three dogs behavior after just one visit has been tremendous.
Danielle C.
Frederick, MD
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John and Maxine are great this is our second dog we have signed up for. The training works from day 1 highly recommend them
Diane B.
Frederick, MD
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John and Maxine are excellent trainers. First off, I love this program because it is tailored to fit my dog. I checked into other programs and they were group lessons. One of the big dog training programs uses a shock collar to train your dog. I wanted personal lessons tailored to our specific dog and I wanted to be the one doing the training. This is the program for that! John and Maxine are patient and encourage you each step of the way. They will take as much time as you need to get your dog trained. My dog is 65 pounds and would just about pull me over when he saw another dog while we were on a walk. Now we are walking together and I am not afraid I am going to be dragged to the ground if encountering another dog! I would recommend this training program to anyone who wants a well behaved dog.
Barbara S.
Walkersville, MD
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For the most part, my Whippet puppy of 7 months was a good dog. A bit high strung and completely nuts at times. Reading through the Whippet boards on line, I thought, oh no, I'm doomed. Until Bark Busters came to the house. John spent 3 hours with us. By the time he left, Blu was definitely a calmer dog. I first sought out John and Maxine because I couldn't stop the pulling on the leash. I listened to everyone on line and nothing. I talked to trainers and nothing. Then John comes to the house and no more pulling. But the most amazing thing is that the commands are simple to follow and the dog listens when the "HUMAN" is consistent. Yes, that's the hard part. But, I want my dog to succeed and she is definitely succeeding. She's learning well and "WE" are learning too! Thank You Bark Busters, you guys ROCK!
John I.
Charles Town, WV
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Maxine has really helped us learn how to communicate in a way that our dog understands! We adopted a rescue dog who was 11 months old at the time, but we were having difficulty getting our son to be comfortable around him because the dog was trying to be the alpha. Once Maxine showed us how to establish otherwise, the dog's behavior fell in line and our 6 year old son has a best friend now! We loved that Maxine came to our house to see our dog in his own environment, and coached us in authentic situations. Furthermore, whenever we have emailed her, she has gotten back to us right away. It was worth the money to have a happy family and a happy dog! Thank you, Bark Busters!
Amy B.
Emmitsburg, MD
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Maxine has been a true pleasure to work with. She provide my fiancé and I with the tools necessary to be the leaders of our home and reducing stress in JarJar's life. JarJar has separation anxiety and toilets in the house which has been a struggle for us but things are improving dramatically in our house. Maxine is always available for a call or email if something has happened and I don't know what to do about it. I highly recommend them!
Jessica C.
Monrovia, MD
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We couldn't be happier with the results that have shown after the very first session! John was great and so helpful through the whole process. We would highly recommend John and Maxine for training.
Chanda & Daniel T.
Williamsport, MD
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I had my first visit with Maxine today and she was absolutely amazing! In one 3 hour training session I already notice my dogs temperment change. They both responded immediately to the teaching techniques that require no treats or physical teaching. I am 100% pleased and cannot wait for more visits! Well worth the money and I’d recommend her to anyone who has a pup giving them any problems!
Maleia A.
Bunker Hill, WV
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I interviewed several trainers. My dogs selected Maxine! They responded to her immediatly! The initial training is thorough. The follow up necessary. Just did our 2 year followup! Satisfied!!
Niki C.
Frederick, MD
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I am really impressed with how my dog and I have learned from this training experience. Maxine was wonderful with helping me learn what to do to help train Destiny. It was a great bonding experience for both Destiny and I. I am very impressed with how well she is doing. She has turned out to be the perfect dog and to think it can all be done without being physical with your dog like I was taught growing up by other trainers. The leash and collar that we received from this training are great. I would not have thought about having a collar like the one we have. I always used a choker but this one is better. I HIGHLY recommend them if you are looking for a great dog trainer. I have even told a couple coworkers and friends about this trainer as well.
Mary K.
Thurmont, MD
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I decided to search for dog trainers who would train at my home. I couldn't believe that I could find only one in my area, Maxine and John. But after researching what Block Busters was and reading reviews on Maxine and John, I decided to give it a try.

When Maxine came to my home, she described why using dog language made sense. Still, I never thought I would see results almost immediately. Remy is about 4 yo and I feared that he was already set in his ways, but if you communicate in their own language, any dog can learn. And Remy just loves the praises he gets when he correctly does what is asked of him. No bribing with food or using negative reinforcement.

Maxine is the best. She is friendly and patient with both dog and owner. She's also is very good at helping an owner understand what he/she needs to do to accomplish his/her goal.

They even charge a one time fee. If you ever need them, even months later, one of them will be there in no time, no extra charge.

I can't recommend Maxine and John enough. Give them a try. You will be happy you did. I certainly think it's one of the best decisions I ever made.
Ellen B.
Knoxville, MD
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I decided to search for dog trainers who would train at my home. I couldn't believe that I could find only one in my area, Maxine and John. But after researching what Block Busters was and reading reviews on Maxine and John, I decided to give it a try.

When Maxine came to my home, she described why using dog language made sense. Still, I never thought I would see results almost immediately. Remy is about 4 yo and I feared that he was already set in his ways, but if you communicate in their own language, any dog can learn. And Remy just loves the praises he gets when he correctly does what is asked of him. No bribing with food or using negative reinforcement.

Maxine is the best. She is friendly and patient with both dog and owner. She's also is very good at helping an owner understand what he/she needs to do to accomplish his/her goal.

They even charge a one time fee. If you ever need them, even months later, one of them will be there in no time, no extra charge.

I can't recommend Maxine and John enough. Give them a try. You will be happy you did. I certainly think it's one of the best decisions I ever made.
Ellen B.
Knoxville, MD
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5 stars- amazing. She covered distance training, walking in the leash, barking at the door, chewing on clothing. Everything was very detailed and easy to understand. I walked her on the leash this morning, and everything is going really well!

Thanks again <3
Madeleine B.
Frederick, MD
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I been doing lessons with Maxine and the training is great. Gizmo has made so much progress with just 2 lesson and its amazing. I love what Bark Busters does.
Samantha R.
Middletown, MD
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John Trobaugh came out to our house. We have a unique situation. We have 6 dogs of our own, 3 of which are in a tight pack. 2 are older and could careless, and one is just a puppy. We also foster coon hounds.
We have a hound that has some medical issues, and the "pack" would pick up on this, and have ganged up and hurt the foster dog. We called "Bark Busters" John IMMEDIATELY had things under a better sense of control. after two meetings at our house, I firmly believe that we have a control over the dogs that was non existent prior. We must continue our training, but I feel like I am back in control when I need to be. Dogs will be dogs, and that's why we love them. Having control of your dogs in a bad or unsafe situation is PRICLESS! Thank you John!!!!
Karl C.
Clear Spring, MD
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Loved the training! We were able to address concerns with our dogs individually vs. in a group setting. This is exactly what we needed ! John was super friendly and really knew his stuff. The training was really different but effective.
Kelly M.
Sabillasville, MD
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Maxine has a wonderful, calm way about her. Levi responded immediately to her training techniques but still lacked calmness when visitors come. Maxine came back and worked with us as needed until he and I finally got it! I whole-heartedly recommend Maxine and Bark Busters. No clicker to carry or lose, no gadgets or treats, just praise and positive reinforcement! And you always have those with you! It was an awesome experience!
SUSAN S.
Frederick, MD
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I highly recommend Bark Busters to anyone that owns a dog. Maxine is AMAZING! She accessed the craziness of our lives (Autism, PTSD, and 6 months worth of previous training that was not a fit) and has begun to give us light at the end of what we thought was a very dark tunnel. Using techniques that are very gentle, humane, and extremely effective we are already seeing very positive results 3 months in. I will continue to use Maxine and Bark Busters for as long as I own dogs.
Mindy N.
Frederick, MD
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We appreciate all the great tips Maxine provided; our dogs have been responding well to the training and we are very happy! We would highly recommend Maxine and John.
Kim B.
Martinsburg, WV
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We have seen a big difference in the behavior of our dog. The training has
helped him be more calm and behave better (stop jumping on people,
stop chewing on children's toys, less aggressive, etc).
Cathy R.
Sharpsburg, MD
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In July 2014 my wife and I rescued Bishop, a 3 month old Treeing Walker Coonhound. While we had trained our previous dog with no issue, we were struggling to train our new puppy. After a few weeks of making no progress with obedience training, leash walking, and interacting with new people & dogs we considered taking the dog back to the rescue; however a friend recommended we try Bark Busters first. We noticed immediate improvement without our dog after the first training session with Bark Busters.

The Bark Busters approach of understanding dog behavior lays a great foundation for obedience training and addition to dog/dog and dog/human interactions. The strategies we have learned have also helped our dog to learn other commands and tricks much easier.

The Bark Busters trainers John & Maxine are great to work with. It is very obvious that they genuinely care for each dog they train and want to see it succeed. In addition to scheduled training sessions, we appreciated those availability over the phone and email to answer training questions as they arose between sessions.

I would unquestionably recommend Bark Busters for anyone with dog training questions and issues. My wife and I credit John, Maxine, and Bark Busters with our wonderfully behaved dog.
Chris A.
Frederick, MD
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Professional Dog Training Near You!

Servicing: Adamstown, Berkeley Springs, Big Pool, Blue Ridge Summit, Boonsboro, Braddock Heights, Brownsville, Brunswick, Buckeystown, Bunker Hill, Burkittsville, Cascade, Cavetown, Chambersburg, Charles Town, Chewsville, Clear Spring, Emmitsburg, Fairplay, Falling Waters, Frederick, Funkstown, Gerrardstown, Hagerstown, Harpers Ferry, Hedgesville, Ijamsville, Inwood, Jefferson, Kearneysville, Keedysville, Keymar, Knoxville, Ladiesburg, Libertytown, Lisbon, Martinsburg, Maugansville, Middletown, Millville, Monrovia, Mount Airy, Myersville, New Market, New Midway, New Windsor, Point Of Rocks, Ranson, Rocky Ridge, Rohrersville, Sabillasville, Saint James, Sharpsburg, Shenandoah Junction, Shepherdstown, Shippensburg, Smithsburg, Summit Point, Thurmont, Tuscarora, Union Bridge, Unionville, Walkersville, Waynesboro, Williamsport, Woodbine, Woodsboro

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