Bark Busters Greater San Diego Reviews

Reviews

146 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 5 out of 5)

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  • Jesse S.
    2 years ago — San Diego, CA

    Justin was INCREDIBLE. Highly recommend!!! He was truthful about the challenges of my dog and the situation in general. His feedback was so honest and genuine despite the difficult nature of my dog. I can’t recommend him any higher. Thanks so much Justin.

    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Separation anxiety
    • #Other
  • Sadie K.
    3 years ago — San Diego, CA

    Photo of Penny I am still in shock with how quickly my dog went from an anxious aggressive dog to a calm happy dog. Justin is incredible. We have worked with multiple other trainers for over a year and within one session, our dog was transformed. The photo attached is our dog who is so relaxed she is ASLEEP right next to another dog. To be honest, we had given up hope before meeting Justin. His tips are simple and yet effective. Don't waste your time with anyone else. Hire Justin- he understands dogs!!

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Monty S.
    3 years ago — San Diego, CA

    Photo of Rin When we adopted Rin we knew nothing about her first four years of her life and we realized early on that she will need special care for her behavior. She was anxious, insecure, and wary of her new surroundings, new people, and new life in the city. We were patient with letting her acclimate, but when the half year mark came around we knew we needed help. We were so relieved when Justin finally came by and gave us the right tools and the right frame of mind when it comes to interacting and helping Rin-- in just one session. Justin did what google search couldn't do, and it was provide on-site expert opinion and advice, providing us with exact answers and tools to help face the challenges we have with Rin.
    Lastly, Thank you for the important dietary advice! Rin loves her food now more than ever.

    • #Other
  • Adam P.
    4 years ago — San Diego, CA

    Five stars for Justin without a doubt. Our Aussie was very reactive. For 5 years we were tormented with her going into a frenzy whenever she encountered another dog whether it be walking, car rides or seeing one on TV. She would lunge, growl and bark and act as though she wanted to fight even though she would never bite or attack another dog.

    Luna's behavior started when she about 6 months old. We had three different dog trainers prior to Justin. The first two were "positive reinforcement" using treats, clickers and commands. They did not work. The third was the e-collar which gives the dog a shock to prevent the unwanted behavior. This did not work either. We loved Luna but after five years of anxiety filled walks, drives and TV watching we were stressed out, frustrated and running out of ideas and patience. We did not want to rehome her after five years but we also were not convinced more training would do the trick.

    I did a search for dog trainers in San Diego and found Bark Busters. I read the reviews and it sounded promising. They guaranteed the problem would go away. I called them and the fellow I spoke with let me know that their behavior training wouldn't include bribes, clickers or any other gimmicks. He said it was much more similar to what I may have seen on TV's Dog Whisperer. So, we gave it a chance! We were hopeful yet skeptical.

    Appointment day came and Justin and Jenna showed up. Justin explained the method to us, and it made sense, but I was anxious to see the "concept" go into practice. Sure enough, within 1 hour with Justin coaching from the sidelines Luna was behaving. It was amazing! We walked by dogs and she was calm and submissive. The method is quick and easy and best of all, it works! We have a new dog. We are happy and Luna is happy.

    Best training ever! Money well spent. Our only regret is not doing it sooner. Justin knows his stuff, his training works, and it is easy to follow. Thank you Justin!

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
  • Johann C.
    4 years ago — La Mesa, CA

    I adopted, Rowan, my 6 yr. old chocolate lab mix when he was 3. I have no knowledge of his history but soon realized that he was not dog friendly and exhibited fear behavior when around other dogs, that is, barking, pulling, lunging and growling. When I recently moved from Denver to La Mesa, the pulling, tugging, lunging on leash became worse. My daughter heard about Bark Busters from a friend in Canada. I set up an appointment with Justin and had two appointments with him. The change in my dog's behavior was astonishing and monumental using the bridle and techniques we learned from Justin. Now Rowan and I can walk past other dogs on the street calmly with no tugging, pulling or barking. It has transformed walking with my dog. Thank you, Justin!!!!

    • #Aggression
    • #Pulling
    • #Separation anxiety
  • Alyssa B.
    7 years ago — Greater San Diego

    When Justin first came in, I was more apprehensive than ever while watching one of my pugs jump on his face while the other started nosing through his backpack. They were definitely pulling out all of the stops to show him why we needed him there and I was mortified. Justin immediately put my husband and I both at ease with his passion and knowledge when it comes to working with dogs. What stands out immediately is that he is HAPPY in his field and he isn't there to shame you for the behaviors that your dog has picked up. He is there to teach us the language necessary to communicate boundaries and expectations to them so that we, pups included of course, are thriving and living happily among one another.

    Seriously, our dogs were completely different dogs within the first half hour of him being there. It has been 24 hours since Justin came and these hours have been the most calm I have ever seen them. They are happy as can be and so are we. The tools that Justin equipped us with have made a world of difference in the way that our home feels and that is absolutely priceless. Our lives are truly changed. Thank you so much, Justin! We may not NEED to see you again but we all sure would like to :) #justinthedogwhisperer, #barkbustersisforreal

    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
  • Eugene S.
    7 years ago — Greater San Diego

    CESAR MILAN WHO?! ITS ALL ABOUT JUSTIN "The Real Dog Whisperer"

    I am going to keep it short and simple if you haven't ready the hundreds of reviews below and been convinced then read this one!! We have a 80 pound Argentino Dogo puppy named Chance who is a absolute bolt of lightning! His issues included pulling on the leash, jumping on guests, attacking the front door when mailman or delivery drivers or just about anyone knocks, stealing food, jumping on counters etc... What I can tell you is that is true its all true, the session took about two hours start to finish, and within minutes Justin had our puppy acting respectfully and fully under our control. I was skeptical like everyone else about having to pay a large amount of $$$ and getting no results in return. Justin is worth every penny and to be honest I would have paid more!!! His techniques are simple, easy, and effective. No shock collars, no physical abuse of any kind to our puppy. Everyone suggested we use a shock collar simply because the breed is massive and normally cant be controlled by someone small or passive. However my 135 pound wife had our puppy walking by her side like a champ no pulling no lunging just a focused and controlled puppy! I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND JUSTIN TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A REAL HONEST EASY GOING TRAINER!!! DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY LOOKING FOR ANYTHING BETTER! There is a reason it takes two months to get an appt with him, so book now you wont be sorry! Justin you are the man, and we are glad that we have you in Chance's corner! Now as for you the reader pick up the phone and call the darn number, should not take you more then 10 awesome reviews to make a decision and in the meantime your dog is probably eating your shoe! SO GET TO DIALING!! ;-)

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Chewing
    • #Digging
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
  • Mike A.
    7 years ago — Greater San Diego

    It's been a while since I posted a review update for Justin. I rescued this little lady 4 years ago, and man was she naughty. To make matters worse, she HATED other dogs. Couldn't stand them. I was honestly ready to give up, but I found Justin and he became our savior. 4 years later, and Nakita not only listens to me, but can now go to the dog beach, the snow, and even have play dates at the house. I may have rescued her, but in reality, she rescued me...and Justin rescued us! I could NOT imagine my life without my daughter now. Thank you Justin!

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
  • Kellie S.
    7 years ago — Greater San Diego

    I am very thankful to have found Justin. He has been a tremendous help in teaching me to understand my dog's behavior and their way of being. After trying out a couple of dog trainers, different methods, advice such as use a prong, shock training, positive enforcement training and the whole woo-ha of different ideas and dog philosophy.

    I finally was left with frustration because none of the previous training or tips worked! my dogs behavior of the constant barking, pulling of leash - being a reactive dog on leash for that matter and just being a little too protective of me everywhere I took him. I caved and threw my hands in the air, searched online for "the best dog trainer in San Diego" and found Justin!

    I called, made the appointment because at this point I was desperate and could not go another year feeling anxious and nervous just to take my dog out to pee around the block. So frustrating! The day of our appointment, Justin showed me what he had to offer and it literally turned my dog into a submissive, well behaved dog I have been wanting for SUCH a long time in the first day of training him.

    Seriously, Justin is a LIFE SAVER! I tossed my prong I used to walk my dog out the window and now I enjoy and look forward to walks with my dog. Even more so, I love taking him to the dog parks now because he listens to ME. When you're that person who must drag your dog out from the dog park because he's ignoring and running from you. Days to visit the dog parks can be irritating. All I have to say is, if your sitting there reading every review like I did, look no further... just pick up the phone and make the appointment! He's worth it.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Pulling
    • #Recall
  • Irene W.
    7 years ago — Greater San Diego

    This has taken me an embarrassing amount of time to finally write this review, but better late than never!

    We have a small 16 lb. mix (Duke) who started turning into an absolute terror after I moved to San Diego. He would start barking at noises outside our door, would lunge at other dogs on our walks, and be aggressive in general toward people he didn't know. I can't even explain how stressed it was making me to take him outside of our apartment -- I was always anticipating someone wanting to pet him or walking by another dog, and having him lose control. After researching as many trainers as I could find I decided Justin sounded like he would be the right fit, and he did not disappoint.

    Before Justin arrived I assumed this would be an uphill battle with multiple meetings but I could not have been more wrong. Justin showed up to meet with Duke and I one day and he explained to me that it was more of a fear aggression that was happening and that really he's just a big softy. I realized we needed to focus on how we interact with Duke to get him into a place where he's not so fearful. Justin taught me how to work with Duke and gave me the tools to succeed even when he's not there. I was even able to easily communicate to my boyfriend (who was unfortunately out of town that week) how we should be working with Duke going forward.

    In ONE meeting Justin was able to help me understand and control the situation. If you ask anyone who knew Duke right before meeting with Justin, they would tell you the difference is night and day. We still need to implement the tools Justin gave us to work with Duke when he starts getting stressed, but for the most part, it's smooth sailing.

    We are SO grateful for Justin and I cannot recommend him enough.

    • #Aggression
    • #Barking
    • #Hyperactivity
    • #Jumping up
    • #Pulling
    • #Other