Our newly adopted young dog was very affectionate and smart -- and loud! Barked when she heard something outside, when someone came to the front door, and went completely crazy when other people or dogs were nearby during a walk. Mark was so reassuring and helpful, and taught us how to communicate with Sienna so she could just relax and be her sweet self all the time. Complete turnaround after one visit! The indoor barking was gone. Our subsequent trainings helped us with her leash manners and being more responsive to commands like "Come!" This approach works! And Mark is great to work with -- he keeps us calm, and teaches us, and answers all of our many questions with patience. I recommend him highly to everyone!
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
I am so glad we found Mark at Bark Busters! I never write reviews, but he truly is terrific! One of our rescue dogs, Savannah, was constantly barking at everyone - even family! In just our first session with Mark, we were able to get Savannah's constant barking under control - truly amazing - and just after a couple of weeks it is no longer an issue at all. We are learning so much about establishing boundaries with love and continue to use everything we are learning from him with positive results. Definitely lucky to be working with him!
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Excellent dog / people training. Mark's training in 1 session helped us understand what is needed to ensure our dog sees us as the Alpha and obeys commands. We had trouble keeping our Dog in line It is as much training for the owners, as the dog. Would recommend to anyone who need a little or a lot of help with their dog. Thank you Mark for helping with Sophie!
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Our nine year old blue heeler-pit bull mix (cattle dog/working dog breed) rescue, had, since he was a puppy chased his tail obsessively. After our second child was born, his behaviors escalated and became more aggressive with sudden movements and loud noises. It was obvious that we were out of our depth, so we asked Mark to come in. His calm demeanor, non-judgmental approach, and tremendous professional competence were immediately apparent. We learned during the first visit both the philosophy behind the training mode and practical steps to take. The immediacy of the changes in our dog was the most impressive. By the end of the first visit, our pup was calmly asleep at our feet under the table as we wrapped up with Mark. He scheduled two additional visits and has since made himself available for any on-call situations. Our dog's anxiety oriented behaviors have decreased by 90%+. We have actionable tools and tactics to correct him, and we know how to set training scenes to further his development. Mark's expertise is the reason for all of this. The cost is not insignificant, and like so many situations, you get what you pay for. The fee is for the lifetime of the dog, but we would absolutely pay again to achieve the results we've seen in the past two months.
We recently adopted two rescue hounds and recognized that they as well as us needed training. We saw immediate results while working with Mark during the first session as far as responsiveness to commands and how to remain consistent with the commands.
Before Mark came to access our beloved dog Rocky a 5 and a half month old chocolate labrador retriever, Rocky had made our life very busy and frustrating as he would not listen to us and be hyper energetic and always want to run around and keep jumping and barking. Once Mark took Rocky as a student in 45 min he had given us and Rocky a sense of confidence we needed in each other. He has not barked since in the last 3 days at anyone, he is sleeping and playing well and is able to spend time with us as a family member and not a rowdy street dog. What I love about Mark is he listens to our concern patiently and addresses it. He doesn't do any treat training. I spend my best money on my buddy Rocky by hiring Mark. Thanks Mark.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Mark has done an excellent job in just one session helping us with our two golden retrievers. Our puppy had been counter surfing, barking, stealing, getting on furniture, jumping on visitors to our house, etc. Mark was able to listen to our concerns and work with us for several hours on the first visit to help us start to correct the behavioral problems. Using a set of commands and some training exercises we are well on our way to having two well behaved dogs. The difference after just one session has been astounding and we are back on track to get the hierarchy in our house back in order. I would recommend Mark without hesitation as he has already done wonders for our dogs.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Mark Renshaw from Bark Busters came by for our first training session and I can already see a difference. By simply teaching a new "command" and establishing dominance i can see that "Zoe" will be trained to the level i want. Mark also left us with great exercises that are easy to do and reinforce everything he taught us. Mark has a very understanding and easy going personality which makes the training easy for both the dog and owner. I would recommend Mark to anyone who is looking for help with their dog. I would like to add to this (same day a couple hours later) - i just took my 5 month old Doberman puppy on her first walk with me after Mark left today. One of my main issues was her walking on a leash and not pulling. Mark only worked on walking today for maybe 10 minutes but we had already established the "BAHHHHH" training (If you don't know what this means please hire Mark, its a great way to train your dog) and after her 3rd "bahhh" she was walking PERFECT. She never left my side and never pulled again. I was not expecting this and i know she is not 100% perfect already but i am amazed at how quickly Mark has already impacted my dogs behavior. After consistent time spent with Zoe this method will have her completely trained.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
We can't thank Mark Renshaw enough for his help getting our dog Annie's walking habits under control. Annie used to bark non-stop during walks, and lunge towards squirrels, motorcycles, trucks, and anything else she either considered to be a threat or prey. It started to become embarrassing as neighbors looked on with surprise or disgust. It took Mark just one 3-hour training session to get this behavior under control - using the techniques that we were taught, we now get regular compliments on how Annie carries herself. Most importantly, we (and Annie) are a lot happier on walks!
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
We were referred to Mark by our vet after trying a couple of other trainers. Other trainers could work with our puppy, but few could transfer those skills to us. As my wife had been traumatized by a dog encounter as a child, we had some very specific challenges to overcome. Our puppy was beginning to appear aggressive and unmanageable to us, and we began to wonder if would be able to keep him. Mark was able to empower my wife so she had more control over the puppy, and had the confidence to feel safer when she and my daughter interacted with him. Our puppy's demeanor and interactions with us changed right away. He became more gentle, and surprisingly, appeared to be more comfortable in our home. We're looking forward to continuing to have Mark work with us, as we learn and train the dog we've always wanted.
Risa M.
8 years ago
— Vienna, VA
Our newly adopted young dog was very affectionate and smart -- and loud! Barked when she heard something outside, when someone came to the front door, and went completely crazy when other people or dogs were nearby during a walk. Mark was so reassuring and helpful, and taught us how to communicate with Sienna so she could just relax and be her sweet self all the time. Complete turnaround after one visit! The indoor barking was gone. Our subsequent trainings helped us with her leash manners and being more responsive to commands like "Come!" This approach works! And Mark is great to work with -- he keeps us calm, and teaches us, and answers all of our many questions with patience. I recommend him highly to everyone!
PermalinkAllesandra D.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
I am so glad we found Mark at Bark Busters! I never write reviews, but he truly is terrific! One of our rescue dogs, Savannah, was constantly barking at everyone - even family! In just our first session with Mark, we were able to get Savannah's constant barking under control - truly amazing - and just after a couple of weeks it is no longer an issue at all. We are learning so much about establishing boundaries with love and continue to use everything we are learning from him with positive results. Definitely lucky to be working with him!
PermalinkDan A.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Excellent dog / people training. Mark's training in 1 session helped us understand what is needed to ensure our dog sees us as the Alpha and obeys commands. We had trouble keeping our Dog in line It is as much training for the owners, as the dog. Would recommend to anyone who need a little or a lot of help with their dog. Thank you Mark for helping with Sophie!
PermalinkErik J.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Our nine year old blue heeler-pit bull mix (cattle dog/working dog breed) rescue, had, since he was a puppy chased his tail obsessively. After our second child was born, his behaviors escalated and became more aggressive with sudden movements and loud noises. It was obvious that we were out of our depth, so we asked Mark to come in. His calm demeanor, non-judgmental approach, and tremendous professional competence were immediately apparent. We learned during the first visit both the philosophy behind the training mode and practical steps to take. The immediacy of the changes in our dog was the most impressive. By the end of the first visit, our pup was calmly asleep at our feet under the table as we wrapped up with Mark. He scheduled two additional visits and has since made himself available for any on-call situations. Our dog's anxiety oriented behaviors have decreased by 90%+. We have actionable tools and tactics to correct him, and we know how to set training scenes to further his development. Mark's expertise is the reason for all of this. The cost is not insignificant, and like so many situations, you get what you pay for. The fee is for the lifetime of the dog, but we would absolutely pay again to achieve the results we've seen in the past two months.
PermalinkMeghan U.
8 years ago
— Herndon, VA
We recently adopted two rescue hounds and recognized that they as well as us needed training. We saw immediate results while working with Mark during the first session as far as responsiveness to commands and how to remain consistent with the commands.
PermalinkRahul N.
8 years ago
— Aldie, VA
Before Mark came to access our beloved dog Rocky a 5 and a half month old chocolate labrador retriever, Rocky had made our life very busy and frustrating as he would not listen to us and be hyper energetic and always want to run around and keep jumping and barking. Once Mark took Rocky as a student in 45 min he had given us and Rocky a sense of confidence we needed in each other. He has not barked since in the last 3 days at anyone, he is sleeping and playing well and is able to spend time with us as a family member and not a rowdy street dog. What I love about Mark is he listens to our concern patiently and addresses it. He doesn't do any treat training. I spend my best money on my buddy Rocky by hiring Mark. Thanks Mark.
PermalinkPhil J.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Mark has done an excellent job in just one session helping us with our two golden retrievers. Our puppy had been counter surfing, barking, stealing, getting on furniture, jumping on visitors to our house, etc. Mark was able to listen to our concerns and work with us for several hours on the first visit to help us start to correct the behavioral problems. Using a set of commands and some training exercises we are well on our way to having two well behaved dogs. The difference after just one session has been astounding and we are back on track to get the hierarchy in our house back in order. I would recommend Mark without hesitation as he has already done wonders for our dogs.
PermalinkGibson L.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
Mark Renshaw from Bark Busters came by for our first training session and I can already see a difference. By simply teaching a new "command" and establishing dominance i can see that "Zoe" will be trained to the level i want. Mark also left us with great exercises that are easy to do and reinforce everything he taught us. Mark has a very understanding and easy going personality which makes the training easy for both the dog and owner. I would recommend Mark to anyone who is looking for help with their dog. I would like to add to this (same day a couple hours later) - i just took my 5 month old Doberman puppy on her first walk with me after Mark left today. One of my main issues was her walking on a leash and not pulling. Mark only worked on walking today for maybe 10 minutes but we had already established the "BAHHHHH" training (If you don't know what this means please hire Mark, its a great way to train your dog) and after her 3rd "bahhh" she was walking PERFECT. She never left my side and never pulled again. I was not expecting this and i know she is not 100% perfect already but i am amazed at how quickly Mark has already impacted my dogs behavior. After consistent time spent with Zoe this method will have her completely trained.
PermalinkHarry S.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
We can't thank Mark Renshaw enough for his help getting our dog Annie's walking habits under control. Annie used to bark non-stop during walks, and lunge towards squirrels, motorcycles, trucks, and anything else she either considered to be a threat or prey. It started to become embarrassing as neighbors looked on with surprise or disgust. It took Mark just one 3-hour training session to get this behavior under control - using the techniques that we were taught, we now get regular compliments on how Annie carries herself. Most importantly, we (and Annie) are a lot happier on walks!
PermalinkRalph B.
8 years ago
— Northern Virginia: Fairfax and Loudoun Counties
We were referred to Mark by our vet after trying a couple of other trainers. Other trainers could work with our puppy, but few could transfer those skills to us. As my wife had been traumatized by a dog encounter as a child, we had some very specific challenges to overcome. Our puppy was beginning to appear aggressive and unmanageable to us, and we began to wonder if would be able to keep him. Mark was able to empower my wife so she had more control over the puppy, and had the confidence to feel safer when she and my daughter interacted with him. Our puppy's demeanor and interactions with us changed right away. He became more gentle, and surprisingly, appeared to be more comfortable in our home. We're looking forward to continuing to have Mark work with us, as we learn and train the dog we've always wanted.
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