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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.

Meet Susan, Your Local Professional Dog Trainer

large susan mcnichol

In-Home Dog Training in Sarasota!

Welcome. My name is Susan McNichol and I am your local Bark Busters Master Dog Trainer. I’ve been lucky to view dog training from all perspectives - yours, your dog’s and as the dog trainer. I know how frustrated you are feeling because one of my first dogs,  Desiree, was a rescue who didn’t listen to a word I said! I tried everything from different trainers to different types of classes. Nothing worked. Not until my daughter introduced me to Bark Busters was I able to have a well-behaved dog.

Since then I have successfully trained hundreds of dogs throughout Sarasota to be the obedient dogs their pet parents want! Fortunately, Bark Busters has a network of trainers all over the world should we come across a rare issue we haven’t seen before. Here's what you can expect from the Bark Busters method:

Immediate results. After our first lesson your dog’s behavior will change dramatically and you’ll see immediate results. We’ll train in your home where most issues occur and where your dog is most comfortable. Our first lesson will be 2 – 3 hours. You’ll soon discover that in-home dog training provides the fastest results.

Dog-friendly methods. I will use only positive humane dog training methods not shock collars. Because every dog is different, we will develop a one-on-one training program that addresses your dog’s specific issues. I can help you overcome: Aggression, Barking, Chewing, Digging, Fear of other dogs or people, Lunging at the door, Jumping, Separation anxiety, Sibling rivalry, and more!

I train dog owners not dogs. What you’ll realize is that the way you communicate with your dog will change. By learning to be the “Top Dog” and assuming control, your dog will no longer have to protect you. He’ll be more relaxed and you’ll be less stressed. Lifetime Support Guarantee. Wherever Bark Busters has a trainer, should a new problem arise if you move, we can help.

Don’t wait, you and your dog can start having a great relationship.

Contact me today

Visit my dog training sarasota website

Client Reviews

See what our clients in Sarasota have to say

Susan is wonderful!! My 3 dogs were beginning to get out of control, the 2 big ones had a couple fights. Susan came to our house and taught us some very good lessons for the dogs. I never thought I would see my wife able to walk my large 105 pound dog like she can now! Only 2 lessons so far and the progress has been amazing. I would recommend Susan to anyone that is having the need for training their dogs. They are under control when guests come over, and we haven't had anymore fights. Thank you susan!
John H.
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I was extremely desperate for help with my two Papillons. I have two males from the same litter, and they were fighting daily. My husband and I were convinced that we were going to have to rehome one of them. I called Bark Busters for help, and they sent Susan to us. My husband was very skeptical that she would be able to help us, but after the very first lesson, we saw immediate results. It took 3 visits, and our boys are back to being best friends again! It took a major commitment to work every single day with the training lessons she gave us. 8 weeks have passed and we are still working on separation anxiety, but the aggression is gone, and my boys walk perfectly on a leash. I'm truly very thankful for all of Susan's help, and I look forward to continue working to help my boys with their anxiety issues.
Josh M.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan was great and attentive to the different needs each of our boys had. At the end of the day big results in just one session and homework to do as the owner is truly the only one that can change their dog. Thank you Bark Busters! Great Experience :).
Chris P.
Palmetto, FL
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Dixie is a 5.5 month old GSP. She is smart, energetic, and sometimes hard headed, but when Susan came in she took control and had Dixie listing right away. With the tools that she showed us, Dixie is training every day and is pulling a lot less on leash, waiting at doors, has better recall, and is staying longer. All in 7 days! She still needs work, but I know that with Susan's help, Dixie will be the dog we can do life with.
I highly recommend Susan, and Bark Buster's for any dog and their human, that may need help becoming a happy family.
Dan Carroll .
Port Charlotte, FL
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It is just one day after our first training session and already see a big improvement. We are able to stop Zeva's barking inside the house almost immediately. I also have more control outside. Now it's up to us humans to do our job with Zeva. Can't wait for further instruction.
Robin B.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan was great I could not have asked for a better person to work with myself and Judd. She started fresh with a puppy and he has turned out to be the best dog, well mannered and an all around great dog. I am so happy I made the decision to use Bark Busters because of Susan.

I followed all of the assignments and it paid off. Susan always made herself available and I can not say enough about her and her training skills.
Brian K.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan is patient, thorough with my pup and me. She helps with concrete examples of what to do and say, including how to stand, which voice to use, commands, etc. She worked with my older dog 5 years ago, and Metta is a delight—hasn’t forgotten a thing Susan taught her—and me!
Fran P.
Sarasota, FL
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We brought Jerry home this fall and he has a lot of aggression issues after years of trauma before he came into our care. When Susan worked with him (and us) we saw immediate results that day. It was pretty incredible. With follow up practice, he has retained his new good behaviors and has been able to take on more. I also learned a great deal from Susan about how dogs think, interact, and the leadership they want and need from their owners so that they can be their best. We are just getting started on our journey with Jerry, but Susan has given us the tools, the guidance, and the plan to make sure Jerry is successful for life. She is so knowledgable about dog behaviors, it is amazing to watch. I realized why all of the methods and tactics I have used over the years with our dogs were not working. I cannot say enough good things about Susan! I recommend her to everyone I know. The training is worth every penny.
Charlotte G.
Parrish, FL
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I highly recommend Susan's training program. Chance has made amazing progress. We followed Susan's training & guidance. She has such a compassion for training success. Chance & I are so glad we brought her into our circle
Suzanne T.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan was absolutely AMAZING. I have a two year old German Shepherd mix who was very difficult on walks and around new people. My dog suffers from sever anxiety and seeing other dogs or other people she was not familiar with caused her to act aggressive making it impossible to go on walks or have new people over. Susan came in and within the first lesson, I saw major improvements. Now my dog is very well behaved and I have little to no problems with her. She is meeting new people and new dogs and is not terrified or aggressive anymore.
Rita S.
Venice, FL
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I have a 10 year old female boxer, Lexie and had just moved to an apartment complex with her. She had previously lived in a single family home for her entire life. She was lunging and barking at cars, people and other dogs. Susan was a Lifesaver. I can ‘t say enough about the wonderful techniques she taught Lexie and I. We will forever be grateful to her! Thanks Susan!
Lisa B.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan was such an amazing trainer! She worked with my daughter, my mom, and I to train our 7-month-old golden retriever. After the first session, he was completely different - he was calm and listening much better. We all could not believe it. Susan did a great job really discussing and answering all the multiple questions we had. It only took a total of three sessions to have our boy trained, happy, and us happy too! I will highly recommend Susan to anyone, we are extremely pleased with what she has done!
Carole D.
Nokomis, FL
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From the moment I called Susan, I knew she was going to be the best fit for our pup and family. I remember Susan telling me that she usually has dogs trained within three sessions but in order for that to happen it takes the family to also put in the time and work. I thought for sure my 7-month-old puppy would need some extra help but I was shocked at the immediate change after the first session, he was a whole new dog. Susan's obvious love for animals really showed during our training. She not only demonstrated what we needed to do but explained it and why it is important. She was also very kind and patient and did not mind that my mom and grandmother wanted to learn as well. Overall, Susan was a wonderful person to help train my dog and I am very happy I found Bark Busters and her!
Lindsey J.
Nokomis, FL
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Susan is an awesome trainer! After the very first lesson we could already see a big difference in the way our German Shepherd Dog, Jake, acts. Before Susan, Jake would literally pull you down the road and bark at everything, people were scared to death of him. Now, he walks loose leash and is way more friendly towards people and other dogs. Jake only gets better and better with every visit with Susan.
Alyssa J.
Nokomis, FL
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We are very pleased with the first session and look forward to working with Susan.
She is very qualified and helped us make some good early progress with our Miniature Schnauzer Buddy
Gary D.
Osprey, FL
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Our family rescued Roxy December 2016 and tried several methods to train her to stop her habits of jumping on people,sit/stay, and most of all correct front door behavior.
Roxy is a very high spirited,over the top energy filled Black Mouth Cur.On the flip side she has a wonderful loving personality that everyone in our family has fallen in love with. But we were at our wits end with how Roxy behaved whenever someone tried to leave or come into the house. We found ourselves barley cracking the door and trying to squeeze out so Roxy would not escape.
Then we called Susan Mcnichol and after chatting on the phone with her I think Roxy knew her gig was up!
Susan came to our house and immediately shared the Barkbuster techniques and within 24 hours we had a wonderfully changed dog. Our son came home from college and was amazed at how much more calm and enjoyable the house was due to Roxy's new training. Susan, you helped train us to train Roxy and our family is forever grateful.
Linda B.
Bradenton, FL
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Susan was awesome! Her love for animals comes through in her training techniques. She is very caring and compassionate and understands the bond between the pets and their owners.
She was very professional and gave us the training that we needed and our dogs needed to get to the outcome we all wanted.
I would highly recommend her to anyone!
Karrie & Steve H.
Nokomis, FL
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I rescued George a year ago, and he is now two years old. He still has the energy of a puppy, and had the mind set of an untrained adult wanting to do whatever he pleased. Susan was an excellent trainer (training my dog as well as me) gaining respect from my dog immediately. I feel confident in his current progress, and for his improvement in the future as I can contact her if I forget how to do a specific exercise. I never thought I would be able to train my dog without a shock collar until the training sessions with Susan.
Madison W.
Nokomis, FL
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Susan is a wonderful trainer. I contacted Susan when I was seriously considering giving my girl up. After the first lesson Susan had me convinced that Sheba is both a very happy and a smart dog. She learns quickly what is expected so I learned quickly that the biggest challenge is not Sheba, but for me to consistently apply what we learn. Susan listens to my concerns and when one method doesn't work she is right there with another. Sheba loves & respects her. My primary goal was to be able to enjoy a loose leash walk - and now we do! Sheba has dog aggression and we addressed it quite effectively by establishing & maintaining good walking habits - plus a couple of tricks out of Susan's deep bag! We're still working on it, but the change in Sheba is dramatic. I love the lack of words and use of sounds & tones to get Sheba to respond. Sheba is in her forever home and we'll continue to work & play together. We could have had a very different outcome if I hadn't called Susan. Thank you Susan!
Renee H.
Sarasota, FL
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Susan was great! She helped us cover all topics we were in need for! We are so please with Chiefa's outcome. She has come such a long way in just a month Thanks Susan you're awesome !!
Brett N.
North Port, FL
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Susan was wonderful to work with! Before training with her, I was terrified to have people over to the house or take Sky to the dog park. As a rescue, he was terrified of men and often acted out aggressively when he felt threatened. Susan was very knowledgeable and calm, which helped me remain calm and learn how to assert control in situations when Sky would become aggressive. Susan has taught me techniques that I use on a daily basis and her training has helped me finally feel confident in my ability to communicate with Sky.
Samantha B.
Boca Raton, FL
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Susan was wonderful to work with! Before training with her, I was terrified to have people over to the house or take Sky to the dog park. As a rescue, he was terrified of men and often acted out aggressively when he felt threatened. Susan was very knowledgeable and calm, which helped me remain calm and learn how to assert control in situations when Sky would become aggressive. Susan has taught me techniques that I use on a daily basis and her training has helped me finally feel confident in my ability to communicate with Sky.
Samantha B.
Boca Raton, FL
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Bentley is our rat terrier-Jack Russell mix rescue dog. He was 8 months old when we got him - high energy, a jumper and a mind of his own - but handsome! Susan's training for the three of us has profoundly changed us. We have an obedient, loving and positively delicious dog. He really is so much fun to be around. He gets along with the other dogs in the neighborhood. He has helped bring two dogs who escaped from their owners homes back to where they belong. He has comforted us in the middle of the night and "protected" us during the day. Because of Susan, we have the pet we have always wanted. As an aside, Susan said Bentley was smart. So, I taught him to say, "Out," when he has to go. He really does say it, and only when he has to go! Susan has REALLY been the trainer we needed to make the three of us happy. Thank you Susan.
Sharon B.
Pompano Beach, FL
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Bosco is a 3 year old Havanese that barked, jumped and was out if control when someone came to the door. Susan gave us the tools to keep him back from the door and wait until we released him. We worked with Bosco every day for at least 20 minutes and within a few days he did it perfectly. We now can answer the door, receive food or packages with him waiting away from the door until we say it's ok to come. We use the same technique when landscapers or other maintenance people are around. What a difference to not hear barking when someone arrives!
Sharon F.
Pompano Beach, FL
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We adopted our dog Piper in January 2015 from a pet rescue. Piper had fear issues and within a few weeks it developed into protective aggression towards outside people and animals. As her sense of belonging and level of comfort with her new home and family grew it seemed to be getting worse. Things were so bad that nothing we did could break her attention from whatever issue she was �attacking�. We knew right away that we needed help! Thankfully we were referred to Susan with Bark Busters by our veterinarian�s office.

Susan came to our home to help us work with Piper. Immediately Susan�s help and instruction showed results. After the first session we knew how to watch Piper�s body language and also our own. We better understood developing consistent commands and rewards to reinforce desired behavior. Very quickly we were able to help Piper understand the family hierarchy and allow her to relax knowing that she didn�t need to be the protector. By the second session with Susan, Piper was a new dog! Now Piper is a great listener, and I know I can gain her attention under any circumstance.

We are so very thankful to Susan and Bark Busters for helping us reach the lovable gentle dog we knew Piper could be.
Mark T.
Lake Worth, FL
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What Makes Bark Busters Sarasota 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 Sarasota, 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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Professional Dog Training Near You!

Servicing: Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Cortez, Ellenton, Englewood, Longboat Key, Myakka City, Nokomis, North Port, Osprey, Palmetto, Parrish, Placida, Port Charlotte, Rotonda West, Sarasota, Terra Ceia, Venice

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