We are so incredibly grateful for Gusty and the help she gave our family. We have two miniature Australian Shepherds, one of whom is just over a year old and had recently developed reactive aggression. Over the last few weeks, things escalated to the point where she began attacking our other dog whenever someone came to the door or a package was delivered. During one of these incidents, my husband was accidentally bitten while trying to break up a fight. That's when we realized we needed professional help -- fast. It had gotten so serious that we had even begun discussing the heartbreaking possibility of rehoming her, simply for the safety of everyone involved. That fear, and the emotional pain that came with it, weighed heavily on our hearts. But after just one session with Gusty, that painful thought is now firmly in the past. Enter Gusty. In just one session, our lives changed. The nuisance barking stopped entirely. Our dog no longer jumps up on us when we walk through the door, even when she's excited. Her nipping and playfully aggressive behavior has been replaced by belly-up submissiveness and endless kisses. She's calmer, more docile, and truly feels like a different dog. What impressed me most was that all of this happened while my four-year-old son was in the background, constantly needing my attention. Gusty was incredibly patient, understanding, and focused throughout. She clearly cares deeply about what she does and wants nothing more than to help dogs and their human family. During our next sessions, we'll work on leash training and eventually help our dog learn that she doesn't need to be so protective of our son. Based on what we've already seen, I have no doubt that training will go just as smoothly. I can't recommend Gusty enough. She's a life-changer -- compassionate, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does.
Wow - Gusty is truly an incredible trainer and we saw significant improvements in our dog's behavior after just 1 session. My husband was hesitant about Bark Busters since we have tried so many different techniques with moderate success. But after Gusty left our house, my husband said "That was AMAZING!". We have a 3 year old pitbull (Moo) who is super smart and trainable, but we struggle to redirect her barking when guests come over/people come in our yard, she jumps on guests, and she has some leash reactivity. Gusty immediately tuned into Moo's needs and established her role as a trainer - truly training my husband and I to better train/support our dog. Using the Bark Busters harness, Moo is walking right next to us and is much calmer on walks. She is also responding well to respecting the front door as a "no go zone" and relaxing after she's notified us that there is a visitor. I highly recommend Gusty - we wish we would have found her years ago!!
Thank you so much Morgan! It was a pleasure to work with you and our husband and Moo!
Kacie J.
7 months ago
— Oakland, CA
I had hit a real low with my two pups and I was feeling anxious and hopeless when I reached out to Gusty and Bark Busters for help.
After a series of moves, my girls were hyper reactive to *everything* and I couldn't get them to stop barking nonstop in the house, attacking our gate when anyone walked by, and getting majorly out of control with passing people and pets when we went on walks.
Then Gusty came over for a few hours, read into the situation, and thoughtfully explained that I wasn't asserting leadership in a way my dogs could understand, so they thought they needed to protect me at all times.
*I* just needed some training. :)
She taught me to understand and communicate with my girls in a way I didn't know was possible, and gave me confidence in my ability to manage any situation.
The progress we've made in the last week is nothing short of a miracle.
- We have peace in our house.
- I can work uninterrupted.
- The dogs are relaxed.
- They sunbathe instead of screaming at the neighbors.
- We go on walks where they don't react at all to other dogs, to deer directly in our path, to mail trucks and carriers, to multiple people walking by.
Previously, this was something I only dreamed about. It's unprecedented.
I cannot recommend Gusty more highly. She feels like a friend you've known for years and her experience is invaluable. In a short time, she has improved my life (and my relationship with my dogs) —drastically.
Gusty is fantastic. We had a new, problematic puppy that, among other behavioral issues, was not letting us sleep. With her first visit, Gusty quickly diagnosed the situation and our puppy stayed silent in her crate that night. She also recognized subtle behavioral issues with our older dog. We cannot recommend Gusty highly enough!
Gusty is beyond amazing in training our little rescue 3-year-old Bichon. We've had her already for five weeks and she is a completely different dog all thanks to Gusty. She is gradually opening up her trust to us and it touches our hearts to the core to see these changes. We are learning patience that definitely pays off. We are so grateful and happy that Universe brought Gusty to our home. Highly recommend - If we could give Gusty ten stars, we would. RK
Gusty is absolutely fantastic! Working with her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My wonderful puppy, Cobie, was beginning to make my life miserable because I did not have the right skills to teach him good behavior. I saw immediate, life changing results during the very first lesson and our home is once again happy and harmonious. I am so grateful for Gusty and her superior ability to teach dog owners how to help their dogs be the best they can be. It’s the least we can do to give our pups the wonderful lives they deserve. The Bark Busters training system is worth every penny. I wholeheartedly recommend it and, especially, Gusty. You will not be disappointed!
Gusty was able in 2 hours to train my wife and I to transform our dog Roger into a so much better behave dog after just one session. We will to continue use the training techniques daily to make Roger even a better dog and companion. We look forward to our next training session to continue learn more exercises that we can pass on to Roger. So yes, we would highly recommend Gutsy for in home dog training.
Gusty was a spectacular teacher. She was thoughtful, well versed, knowledgeable, and great with Ossie and Ginji. Ossie is 8 and Ginji 4 months. Justy made the generational differentiation, and gave us helpful education for both. A real educator and compassionate trainer.
Gusty came by today to help my godparents with their dog Mylo. He has been struggling with barking and stranger aggression and we have spoken to a few other trainers without success. Both of my godparents are older and slightly disabled so I was concerned about their ability to be able to train Mylo and to be consistent. However, after only 1 hour, Gusty had already begun to curve his behavior significantly and given my godmother (and me) significant hope for the future! By the end of the lesson we felt like we knew exact how to handle the situation and were excited to learn more. I cannot recommend her more! If you have any concerns about your dog's behavior or simply want to learn more about the way they think, trust me and give her a call, you won't regret it!
Thank you so much for your review on Yelp Kelsey! I've loved seeing Mylo's progress as we all work together!
Alexandra .
17 months ago
— Emeryville, CA
Gusty was able to perceive things in my dog that even I was unaware of. My dog, who is highly anxious and felt compelled to protect us, often charged and attempted to bite various people. However, after our second session, she was showing affection and even giving Gusty kisses. My dog is now much happier and easier to handle. The difference in my relationship with my puppy is remarkable, and I would recommend this service to anyone!
Jessica N.
14 days ago
— Oakland & Alameda County
We are so incredibly grateful for Gusty and the help she gave our family. We have two miniature Australian Shepherds, one of whom is just over a year old and had recently developed reactive aggression. Over the last few weeks, things escalated to the point where she began attacking our other dog whenever someone came to the door or a package was delivered. During one of these incidents, my husband was accidentally bitten while trying to break up a fight. That's when we realized we needed professional help -- fast. It had gotten so serious that we had even begun discussing the heartbreaking possibility of rehoming her, simply for the safety of everyone involved. That fear, and the emotional pain that came with it, weighed heavily on our hearts. But after just one session with Gusty, that painful thought is now firmly in the past. Enter Gusty. In just one session, our lives changed. The nuisance barking stopped entirely. Our dog no longer jumps up on us when we walk through the door, even when she's excited. Her nipping and playfully aggressive behavior has been replaced by belly-up submissiveness and endless kisses. She's calmer, more docile, and truly feels like a different dog. What impressed me most was that all of this happened while my four-year-old son was in the background, constantly needing my attention. Gusty was incredibly patient, understanding, and focused throughout. She clearly cares deeply about what she does and wants nothing more than to help dogs and their human family. During our next sessions, we'll work on leash training and eventually help our dog learn that she doesn't need to be so protective of our son. Based on what we've already seen, I have no doubt that training will go just as smoothly. I can't recommend Gusty enough. She's a life-changer -- compassionate, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does.
PermalinkMorgan
21 days ago
— Oakland, CA
Wow - Gusty is truly an incredible trainer and we saw significant improvements in our dog's behavior after just 1 session. My husband was hesitant about Bark Busters since we have tried so many different techniques with moderate success. But after Gusty left our house, my husband said "That was AMAZING!". We have a 3 year old pitbull (Moo) who is super smart and trainable, but we struggle to redirect her barking when guests come over/people come in our yard, she jumps on guests, and she has some leash reactivity. Gusty immediately tuned into Moo's needs and established her role as a trainer - truly training my husband and I to better train/support our dog. Using the Bark Busters harness, Moo is walking right next to us and is much calmer on walks. She is also responding well to respecting the front door as a "no go zone" and relaxing after she's notified us that there is a visitor. I highly recommend Gusty - we wish we would have found her years ago!!
PermalinkKacie J.
7 months ago
— Oakland, CA
I had hit a real low with my two pups and I was feeling anxious and hopeless when I reached out to Gusty and Bark Busters for help.
PermalinkAfter a series of moves, my girls were hyper reactive to *everything* and I couldn't get them to stop barking nonstop in the house, attacking our gate when anyone walked by, and getting majorly out of control with passing people and pets when we went on walks.
Then Gusty came over for a few hours, read into the situation, and thoughtfully explained that I wasn't asserting leadership in a way my dogs could understand, so they thought they needed to protect me at all times.
*I* just needed some training. :)
She taught me to understand and communicate with my girls in a way I didn't know was possible, and gave me confidence in my ability to manage any situation.
The progress we've made in the last week is nothing short of a miracle.
- We have peace in our house.
- I can work uninterrupted.
- The dogs are relaxed.
- They sunbathe instead of screaming at the neighbors.
- We go on walks where they don't react at all to other dogs, to deer directly in our path, to mail trucks and carriers, to multiple people walking by.
Previously, this was something I only dreamed about. It's unprecedented.
I cannot recommend Gusty more highly. She feels like a friend you've known for years and her experience is invaluable. In a short time, she has improved my life (and my relationship with my dogs) —drastically.
Tim F.
7 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty is fantastic. We had a new, problematic puppy that, among other behavioral issues, was not letting us sleep. With her first visit, Gusty quickly diagnosed the situation and our puppy stayed silent in her crate that night. She also recognized subtle behavioral issues with our older dog. We cannot recommend Gusty highly enough!
PermalinkRita Kae R.
9 months ago
— Alameda, CA
Gusty is beyond amazing in training our little rescue 3-year-old Bichon. We've had her already for five weeks and she is a completely different dog all thanks to Gusty. She is gradually opening up her trust to us and it touches our hearts to the core to see these changes. We are learning patience that definitely pays off. We are so grateful and happy that Universe brought Gusty to our home. Highly recommend - If we could give Gusty ten stars, we would. RK
PermalinkDaryl R.
9 months ago
— Berkeley, CA
Gusty is absolutely fantastic! Working with her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My wonderful puppy, Cobie, was beginning to make my life miserable because I did not have the right skills to teach him good behavior. I saw immediate, life changing results during the very first lesson and our home is once again happy and harmonious. I am so grateful for Gusty and her superior ability to teach dog owners how to help their dogs be the best they can be. It’s the least we can do to give our pups the wonderful lives they deserve. The Bark Busters training system is worth every penny. I wholeheartedly recommend it and, especially, Gusty. You will not be disappointed!
PermalinkJohn S.
11 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty was able in 2 hours to train my wife and I to transform our dog Roger into a so much better behave dog after just one session. We will to continue use the training techniques daily to make Roger even a better dog and companion. We look forward to our next training session to continue learn more exercises that we can pass on to Roger. So yes, we would highly recommend Gutsy for in home dog training.
PermalinkGeorge
13 months ago
— Oakland, CA
Gusty was a spectacular teacher. She was thoughtful, well versed, knowledgeable, and great with Ossie and Ginji. Ossie is 8 and Ginji 4 months. Justy made the generational differentiation, and gave us helpful education for both. A real educator and compassionate trainer.
PermalinkKelsey D.
14 months ago
— Berkeley, CA
Gusty came by today to help my godparents with their dog Mylo. He has been struggling with barking and stranger aggression and we have spoken to a few other trainers without success. Both of my godparents are older and slightly disabled so I was concerned about their ability to be able to train Mylo and to be consistent. However, after only 1 hour, Gusty had already begun to curve his behavior significantly and given my godmother (and me) significant hope for the future! By the end of the lesson we felt like we knew exact how to handle the situation and were excited to learn more. I cannot recommend her more! If you have any concerns about your dog's behavior or simply want to learn more about the way they think, trust me and give her a call, you won't regret it!
PermalinkAlexandra .
17 months ago
— Emeryville, CA
Gusty was able to perceive things in my dog that even I was unaware of. My dog, who is highly anxious and felt compelled to protect us, often charged and attempted to bite various people. However, after our second session, she was showing affection and even giving Gusty kisses. My dog is now much happier and easier to handle. The difference in my relationship with my puppy is remarkable, and I would recommend this service to anyone!
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