There is clearly a reason why Justin has all 5-star reviews. He is an AWESOME dog trainer who lives up to every. single. review.
We found Justin through Yelp (after reading all these amazing transformation stories from other clients that we could relate to) when we relocated back to San Diego with our 3yr old rescue dog, Sadie. Since adopting her, we had problems with dog-aggression and fear-aggression towards strangers. Seeing a dog on a walk or having a guest over was a very stressful thing for all of us and made us shy away from those situations entirely.
Justin came in swiftly and told us it was all going to change. He taught us the techniques to let Sadie know she was no longer in charge. We immediately saw a shift in her mindset - she was able to relax and just able to enjoy being a dog (instead of 24/7 guard dog). We introduced to her to our family and friend's dogs and found out she LOVES to play! I never would have thought I'd see the day when Sadie would have dog friends. Justin even recommended a great kennel-free daycare/boarding that carefully screens dogs and now Sadie can go there to play + work on her socialization skills. That all would not have been possible without Justin's training and assistance.
My family is AMAZED by the transformation they've seen in Sadie. She went from being a somewhat loose-cannon to a relaxed, happy dog that just loves to be apart of our pack. Justin has helped us accomplish this. I'd highly recommend Justin to anyone looking for a talented, personable trainer who truly cares about his clients (canine and human).
Justin at Bark Busters is the absolute real deal, but what do you expect from the Trainer of the Year and International Trainer of the Year award winner?
Just like many of you, my wife and I read through all the reviews very carefully before we made the decision to work with Justin. Every single one of the reviews offered up crazy hyperbole, stories and examples to describe how awesome Justin is and we were hopeful but slightly skeptical. (How could you not be right?) Let me tell you, not only is Justin everything stated in these reviews, but he is even more than that.
From the very first lesson, our Vizsla puppy Scout, responded to everything Justin taught us immediately. She went from pulling on every single walk to walking right beside us RIGHT AWAY. She stopped jumping on our friends RIGHT AWAY. She became a different dog RIGHT AWAY. It left my wife and I completely speechless and it still amazes us that everything Justin taught us worked so well, so easily and so quickly. It completely changed our relationship with Scout and it was not difficult at all to learn and implement - just listen to Justin and be consistent!
Also, Justin is just a good dude that truly cares about dogs and people. He caters his methodologies to each individual dog, owners and their personalities. He always stresses that he's super available to help out either over the phone or in person so definitely take him up on that.
If you're even considering hiring someone else, DON'T. We couldn't recommend Justin more. Some of the best money we've ever spent. Ever.
Justin is a miracle worker! My baby was a spoiled brat and now he is just spoiled. I used to hate taking him anywhere because all he would do is bark and pull on the leash as well as jump on others. He had no manners at all! Now he is a dream to take out! No pulling, one or two barks but listens to corrections, and doesn't jump on people. He actually sits and waits to be petted instead of jumping. He is so much more enjoyable to have around and seems to be a much happier pup! I don't know what I would do without bark busters. I recommend him to everyone! We had taken our baby to 3 different training classes and my pup is smart so he would behave in class and learn everything but, the second we get home he "forgot" everything. With Justin coming to our house my pup knows that the training isn't just for in class but for everyday. After 1 training with Justin my baby was a changed pup. Well worth the money as the value you get in life with your dog is priceless.
Jesus, I mean Justin...I get them confused some times. Oh I remember, Jesus turns water in to wine and Justin turns dog owners into pack leaders and skittish dogs into calm and obedient followers. Close.
First of all, we want to thank all the other people that wrote reviews because we would have never called Justin if it were not for the stories I read, which made us realize there were so many other dog owners out there going through similar experiences.
Here is our story, we adopted Henry "Hank" Fitzgerald from Helen Woodward a year ago this month. They had no background on him since they received him from another shelter. They did however tell us he was roughly six months old and a terrier mix that would be no more than 25-30lbs. We are quite certain he is a coonhound with a beard and well he's 60lbs now. Initially we found Hank to be incredibly submissive, sweet and friendly, but a couple months after we had him he was sprayed in the face by a skunk in our backyard. Shortly after he became very territorial of us, the house and would patrol the backyard barking at night. Every sound he heard, his hair would stand up and he would bark aggressively at the fence. Another month or more, when anyone would approach the door he would charge the door and bark aggressively, which evolved into him growling at friends coming into the house and eventually nipping two of our friends. We could tell he was feeling very anxious and afraid, but we were uncertain what to do. Another thing Hank would do was bark at us constantly to play. We would let him out to the backyard and he would bark until we joined him and if he was in the house he would bark at us until we played with him, it was a nonstop bark fest. Next, he was kicked out of daycare. He had always been incredibly friendly with other dogs, but apparently had an issue with an old yellow labrador retriever that napped all day. It started with him barking at him on occasion, but later turned into him viciously snarling and lunging at him. We were called to pick him up and they recommended not bringing him back until he had some training. We recently had a couple other experiences of him lunging at friends and aggressively barking and lunging at an old sick dog while camping. Long story short...we felt like we needed help soon before something serious happened.
After a quick google search Bark Busters came up on Yelp. I couldn't believe all the 5 out of 5 star reviews especially considering most people use the internet to complain. After reading the stories I hoped that Justin was the answer to our problems and he definitely was. Just like everyone else said, Justin came to our home, spent the first 30 minutes educating us on dog psychology and establishing dominance in the home. He taught us the tools we need to take ownership back over our home. We began practicing on Hank and literally within 20 minutes he was an entirely different dog. He was submissive, relaxed and happy. He was walking around the house seeking our approval and attention, which is not something Hank would do in the past. It was unreal how quickly he responded. No really...UNREAL! After one training session, Hank now sits at the door before he comes in and out of the house and he no longer barks at us for attention. We are still working on the front door and visitors, but he knows we are in charge and he doesn't approach the door or our guests anymore. After the second training, he is now leash trained. He used to pull us all over the neighborhood, but now he is a perfect gentleman and walks behind us. There is plenty of more to do and every day is a training day, but our lives and Hank's life have changed dramatically. We enjoy every second with him now. He knows we are in charge and he's living a much calmer and more fulfilling life because of it. He's a calm, cool and collected coonhound thanks to Justin.
Seriously, do not hesitate calling Justin. He truly is amazing. He's a great teacher, listener and the best part is, we have his support for the rest of Hank's life. Thank you Justin. Our family is a happier and healthier family now because of you.
Where to even begin? Justin deserves every single 5 star review written here and more.
My dogs are my babies. I have 2 boys, a 2 year old dachshund I've had since he was a pup and a 1 year old chihuahua mix I got from the humane society about 4 months ago. They are wonderful additions to my little family, but they both barked consistently, walking them was like flying kites and they completely ruled our house.. Which is why I called Justin.
We have now had 2 sessions with him and even just a few minutes into our first session they were different dogs. He teaches how to properly correct the dogs behavior and it's actually effective!! Finally, I feel like we're getting through to them and not just consistently speaking another language to them, which is frustrating to us and the dogs too.
They don't bark or bombard guests coming into my home any longer, they walk by my side, come when called, and so much more! It's amazing!!!
Having these tools to communicate with my boys is priceless and so rewarding when your dogs show you respect and treat you like the alpha that you are.
I love my dogs to pieces and having them so well behaved is only making my bond with them stronger. If you are even thinking about getting a trainer, look no further! You won't find anything better than Justin.
Needless to say we were the classic case of SRDS (Spoiled Rotten Dog Syndrome), luckily we did find a cure... Justin from Bark Busters! He is seriously one of the best investments we have made for our precious lil' boy. Rudford's "SRDS" made him an unruly dog, he was very aggressive: barking at and jumping on people. He pretty much ruled our house. Justin really brought to light what we were doing wrong, why Rudford was doing the things he did and how to EFFECTIVELY correct it. After just the first session with Justin it was like we had a new dog, the results were immediate! It has been a month now and we feel more at ease anytime strangers are around. Thank you Justin for all your help, you definitely earned the Dog Whisperer Badge of Honor!
Our story:
We have two large dogs (Rottweilers) both under three years old. We were having aggression issue with our younger male dog. He would go after other dogs while we were on walks, and towards other dogs he was introduced to. We called Justin and he was nice enough to come to our home (even though we live far out in east county.) He showed us how to communicate with our dogs in away that would give results and let our dogs know that we were in charge, not them. The results were immediate! I never thought I would see our dogs behave this well. I will say that his training requires daily reinforcement by us, but we are happy to do it, especially with these results. Although we worked on only a few exercises with the dogs their demeanor has completely changed for the better. They are not constantly pawing at us anymore, no more grunting, and I can see that they actually respect us more (sounds weird I know) I also have no idea if this is a result of the training or not, but they are sleeping longer too! No more early wake up calls anymore! Since we've only had one session I can't wait to see what we can accomplish next time.
My husband and I both work at the zoo as animal keepers and trainers. We adopted an 8 year old dog about 2 years ago from a shelter and he was a great addition to our household. The only problem was that he and one of our cats could not seem to get along. We spent the last 2 years breaking up fights and doing everything we knew to do to try to fix the problem, but it was not working. I was at my wits end with the situation and was concerned for my cats life. The reality was settling in that I may have to re-home my dog, which broke my heart. We decided to bring in a professional as a last attempt to help everyone get along. We found Justin on Yelp and he had the best reviews of any other trainer I had researched, so we made an appointment. After our first session with him it was like a whole new household, we felt more in control of our environment and all the pets were calmer around each other. Both our dogs are now better behaved and we can take them on walks with out having them pull us down the street or worry about running into other dogs. Justin is a lifesaver! We highly recommend him, it's well worth the price.
Justin of BarkBusters has worked a miracle with our dogs. Our 6 year old chocolate lab and 2 year old boxer/husky mix, while super sweet, suffered from a severe inability to walk without barking incessantly at people and especially dogs, as well as from getting way overexcited whenever anybody walked through the door. Our first session went so well that our dogs improved to the point that we never would have even needed to call him in the first place. But after our second session, we realized just how much better they can be. While they used to pull and whine and bark on the leash, they now walk slow, steady, and very disciplined, in just 2 sessions! Justin's approach is very confident and stern mixed in with super caring and sweet to reward good behavior. He not only trains your dogs, but you as well, so that after he leaves your dogs respect your commands and behave the way you want them to. I highly recommend Justin of BarkBusters San Diego to anybody who wants their dogs to behave better than they currently do.
To sum it up, Justin is a miracle worker! I used to dread taking my dog, Jax, for walks. He would pull, not walk in a straight line and bark like crazy when he saw another dog. We also had problems ranging from agressivness with other dogs to Jax jumping on people when they entered my home.
On our first session, Justin went over all the things i wanted to work on. Justin showed me how to speak "dog" and the proper way to correct Jax's behaviour. Justin was able to teach me how to turn Jax from a high energy and nervous dog to a relaxed and calm one. When working with Justin I felt like I was on an episode of the Dog Whisperer!
I can't say enough amazing things about Justin. I'm still in awe that after our first session I saw such a dramatic change in Jax's demeanor. Everyone tells me its like I have a different dog. I can't thank Justin enough. Book a session with Justin, he'll change your life!
Kim P.
9 years ago
— Greater San Diego
There is clearly a reason why Justin has all 5-star reviews. He is an AWESOME dog trainer who lives up to every. single. review.
PermalinkWe found Justin through Yelp (after reading all these amazing transformation stories from other clients that we could relate to) when we relocated back to San Diego with our 3yr old rescue dog, Sadie. Since adopting her, we had problems with dog-aggression and fear-aggression towards strangers. Seeing a dog on a walk or having a guest over was a very stressful thing for all of us and made us shy away from those situations entirely.
Justin came in swiftly and told us it was all going to change. He taught us the techniques to let Sadie know she was no longer in charge. We immediately saw a shift in her mindset - she was able to relax and just able to enjoy being a dog (instead of 24/7 guard dog). We introduced to her to our family and friend's dogs and found out she LOVES to play! I never would have thought I'd see the day when Sadie would have dog friends. Justin even recommended a great kennel-free daycare/boarding that carefully screens dogs and now Sadie can go there to play + work on her socialization skills. That all would not have been possible without Justin's training and assistance.
My family is AMAZED by the transformation they've seen in Sadie. She went from being a somewhat loose-cannon to a relaxed, happy dog that just loves to be apart of our pack. Justin has helped us accomplish this. I'd highly recommend Justin to anyone looking for a talented, personable trainer who truly cares about his clients (canine and human).
Will S.
9 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Justin at Bark Busters is the absolute real deal, but what do you expect from the Trainer of the Year and International Trainer of the Year award winner?
PermalinkJust like many of you, my wife and I read through all the reviews very carefully before we made the decision to work with Justin. Every single one of the reviews offered up crazy hyperbole, stories and examples to describe how awesome Justin is and we were hopeful but slightly skeptical. (How could you not be right?) Let me tell you, not only is Justin everything stated in these reviews, but he is even more than that.
From the very first lesson, our Vizsla puppy Scout, responded to everything Justin taught us immediately. She went from pulling on every single walk to walking right beside us RIGHT AWAY. She stopped jumping on our friends RIGHT AWAY. She became a different dog RIGHT AWAY. It left my wife and I completely speechless and it still amazes us that everything Justin taught us worked so well, so easily and so quickly. It completely changed our relationship with Scout and it was not difficult at all to learn and implement - just listen to Justin and be consistent!
Also, Justin is just a good dude that truly cares about dogs and people. He caters his methodologies to each individual dog, owners and their personalities. He always stresses that he's super available to help out either over the phone or in person so definitely take him up on that.
If you're even considering hiring someone else, DON'T. We couldn't recommend Justin more. Some of the best money we've ever spent. Ever.
Junelle S.
9 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Justin is a miracle worker! My baby was a spoiled brat and now he is just spoiled. I used to hate taking him anywhere because all he would do is bark and pull on the leash as well as jump on others. He had no manners at all! Now he is a dream to take out! No pulling, one or two barks but listens to corrections, and doesn't jump on people. He actually sits and waits to be petted instead of jumping. He is so much more enjoyable to have around and seems to be a much happier pup! I don't know what I would do without bark busters. I recommend him to everyone! We had taken our baby to 3 different training classes and my pup is smart so he would behave in class and learn everything but, the second we get home he "forgot" everything. With Justin coming to our house my pup knows that the training isn't just for in class but for everyday. After 1 training with Justin my baby was a changed pup. Well worth the money as the value you get in life with your dog is priceless.
PermalinkTricia M.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Jesus, I mean Justin...I get them confused some times. Oh I remember, Jesus turns water in to wine and Justin turns dog owners into pack leaders and skittish dogs into calm and obedient followers. Close.
PermalinkFirst of all, we want to thank all the other people that wrote reviews because we would have never called Justin if it were not for the stories I read, which made us realize there were so many other dog owners out there going through similar experiences.
Here is our story, we adopted Henry "Hank" Fitzgerald from Helen Woodward a year ago this month. They had no background on him since they received him from another shelter. They did however tell us he was roughly six months old and a terrier mix that would be no more than 25-30lbs. We are quite certain he is a coonhound with a beard and well he's 60lbs now. Initially we found Hank to be incredibly submissive, sweet and friendly, but a couple months after we had him he was sprayed in the face by a skunk in our backyard. Shortly after he became very territorial of us, the house and would patrol the backyard barking at night. Every sound he heard, his hair would stand up and he would bark aggressively at the fence. Another month or more, when anyone would approach the door he would charge the door and bark aggressively, which evolved into him growling at friends coming into the house and eventually nipping two of our friends. We could tell he was feeling very anxious and afraid, but we were uncertain what to do. Another thing Hank would do was bark at us constantly to play. We would let him out to the backyard and he would bark until we joined him and if he was in the house he would bark at us until we played with him, it was a nonstop bark fest. Next, he was kicked out of daycare. He had always been incredibly friendly with other dogs, but apparently had an issue with an old yellow labrador retriever that napped all day. It started with him barking at him on occasion, but later turned into him viciously snarling and lunging at him. We were called to pick him up and they recommended not bringing him back until he had some training. We recently had a couple other experiences of him lunging at friends and aggressively barking and lunging at an old sick dog while camping. Long story short...we felt like we needed help soon before something serious happened.
After a quick google search Bark Busters came up on Yelp. I couldn't believe all the 5 out of 5 star reviews especially considering most people use the internet to complain. After reading the stories I hoped that Justin was the answer to our problems and he definitely was. Just like everyone else said, Justin came to our home, spent the first 30 minutes educating us on dog psychology and establishing dominance in the home. He taught us the tools we need to take ownership back over our home. We began practicing on Hank and literally within 20 minutes he was an entirely different dog. He was submissive, relaxed and happy. He was walking around the house seeking our approval and attention, which is not something Hank would do in the past. It was unreal how quickly he responded. No really...UNREAL! After one training session, Hank now sits at the door before he comes in and out of the house and he no longer barks at us for attention. We are still working on the front door and visitors, but he knows we are in charge and he doesn't approach the door or our guests anymore. After the second training, he is now leash trained. He used to pull us all over the neighborhood, but now he is a perfect gentleman and walks behind us. There is plenty of more to do and every day is a training day, but our lives and Hank's life have changed dramatically. We enjoy every second with him now. He knows we are in charge and he's living a much calmer and more fulfilling life because of it. He's a calm, cool and collected coonhound thanks to Justin.
Seriously, do not hesitate calling Justin. He truly is amazing. He's a great teacher, listener and the best part is, we have his support for the rest of Hank's life. Thank you Justin. Our family is a happier and healthier family now because of you.
Kylee E.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Where to even begin? Justin deserves every single 5 star review written here and more.
PermalinkMy dogs are my babies. I have 2 boys, a 2 year old dachshund I've had since he was a pup and a 1 year old chihuahua mix I got from the humane society about 4 months ago. They are wonderful additions to my little family, but they both barked consistently, walking them was like flying kites and they completely ruled our house.. Which is why I called Justin.
We have now had 2 sessions with him and even just a few minutes into our first session they were different dogs. He teaches how to properly correct the dogs behavior and it's actually effective!! Finally, I feel like we're getting through to them and not just consistently speaking another language to them, which is frustrating to us and the dogs too.
They don't bark or bombard guests coming into my home any longer, they walk by my side, come when called, and so much more! It's amazing!!!
Having these tools to communicate with my boys is priceless and so rewarding when your dogs show you respect and treat you like the alpha that you are.
I love my dogs to pieces and having them so well behaved is only making my bond with them stronger. If you are even thinking about getting a trainer, look no further! You won't find anything better than Justin.
Grace F.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Needless to say we were the classic case of SRDS (Spoiled Rotten Dog Syndrome), luckily we did find a cure... Justin from Bark Busters! He is seriously one of the best investments we have made for our precious lil' boy. Rudford's "SRDS" made him an unruly dog, he was very aggressive: barking at and jumping on people. He pretty much ruled our house. Justin really brought to light what we were doing wrong, why Rudford was doing the things he did and how to EFFECTIVELY correct it. After just the first session with Justin it was like we had a new dog, the results were immediate! It has been a month now and we feel more at ease anytime strangers are around. Thank you Justin for all your help, you definitely earned the Dog Whisperer Badge of Honor!
PermalinkLindsey G.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Our story:
PermalinkWe have two large dogs (Rottweilers) both under three years old. We were having aggression issue with our younger male dog. He would go after other dogs while we were on walks, and towards other dogs he was introduced to. We called Justin and he was nice enough to come to our home (even though we live far out in east county.) He showed us how to communicate with our dogs in away that would give results and let our dogs know that we were in charge, not them. The results were immediate! I never thought I would see our dogs behave this well. I will say that his training requires daily reinforcement by us, but we are happy to do it, especially with these results. Although we worked on only a few exercises with the dogs their demeanor has completely changed for the better. They are not constantly pawing at us anymore, no more grunting, and I can see that they actually respect us more (sounds weird I know) I also have no idea if this is a result of the training or not, but they are sleeping longer too! No more early wake up calls anymore! Since we've only had one session I can't wait to see what we can accomplish next time.
Lori S.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
My husband and I both work at the zoo as animal keepers and trainers. We adopted an 8 year old dog about 2 years ago from a shelter and he was a great addition to our household. The only problem was that he and one of our cats could not seem to get along. We spent the last 2 years breaking up fights and doing everything we knew to do to try to fix the problem, but it was not working. I was at my wits end with the situation and was concerned for my cats life. The reality was settling in that I may have to re-home my dog, which broke my heart. We decided to bring in a professional as a last attempt to help everyone get along. We found Justin on Yelp and he had the best reviews of any other trainer I had researched, so we made an appointment. After our first session with him it was like a whole new household, we felt more in control of our environment and all the pets were calmer around each other. Both our dogs are now better behaved and we can take them on walks with out having them pull us down the street or worry about running into other dogs. Justin is a lifesaver! We highly recommend him, it's well worth the price.
PermalinkCarl P.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
Justin of BarkBusters has worked a miracle with our dogs. Our 6 year old chocolate lab and 2 year old boxer/husky mix, while super sweet, suffered from a severe inability to walk without barking incessantly at people and especially dogs, as well as from getting way overexcited whenever anybody walked through the door. Our first session went so well that our dogs improved to the point that we never would have even needed to call him in the first place. But after our second session, we realized just how much better they can be. While they used to pull and whine and bark on the leash, they now walk slow, steady, and very disciplined, in just 2 sessions! Justin's approach is very confident and stern mixed in with super caring and sweet to reward good behavior. He not only trains your dogs, but you as well, so that after he leaves your dogs respect your commands and behave the way you want them to. I highly recommend Justin of BarkBusters San Diego to anybody who wants their dogs to behave better than they currently do.
PermalinkRyan T.
10 years ago
— Greater San Diego
To sum it up, Justin is a miracle worker! I used to dread taking my dog, Jax, for walks. He would pull, not walk in a straight line and bark like crazy when he saw another dog. We also had problems ranging from agressivness with other dogs to Jax jumping on people when they entered my home.
PermalinkOn our first session, Justin went over all the things i wanted to work on. Justin showed me how to speak "dog" and the proper way to correct Jax's behaviour. Justin was able to teach me how to turn Jax from a high energy and nervous dog to a relaxed and calm one. When working with Justin I felt like I was on an episode of the Dog Whisperer!
I can't say enough amazing things about Justin. I'm still in awe that after our first session I saw such a dramatic change in Jax's demeanor. Everyone tells me its like I have a different dog. I can't thank Justin enough. Book a session with Justin, he'll change your life!
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