Bark Busters North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood Reviews
Reviews
45 Reviews ★★★★★(Average 5 out of 5)
Maureen M.
9 years ago
— Langley, WA
Connie DuBois made a HUGE difference in our lives with our dog Odin. His issue is/was leash aggression toward other dogs. Connie's 3 hour intervention and the couple of techniques she taught us allowed up to leap forward in our progress with him to where now the most he does is look. The lunging, targeting, and pulling are gone. We will be forever grateful to Connie would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone having dog issues. The Bark Buster formula of observing the dog and owners in their home environment is essential to getting the right help, in my view.
It was my pleasure to help you and Odin communicate the way he understands! I am so thrilled you can take him for a walk now and have that be a pleasant experience!
Thanks so much!!!
Erin W.
10 years ago
— Snohomish, WA
Connie is very pleasant to work with! She is flexible and willing to work around our hectic schedule to help us with our anxious rescue Puggle, Flagger! Her descriptions and demonstrations of training/discipline tactics are clear and easy to understand. Connie's love of teaching dogs (and people) is very evident and she puts you at ease. Flagger has come a long way in just the three months that we have been working with her. We are thankful for Bark Busters and Connie!
I had given those little Bark Busters pamphlets at the vet's office a critical side-eye on many occasions. I even picked them up and perused them once in a while, but my resistance to working with a "chain/franchise" business kept me from digging too much further. Shouldn't I favor one of the many other independent small business-people whos flyers and business cards also adorned the counters nearby? How could I choose between them anyway--there are SO MANY! Paralyzed by confusing options, I simply never felt motivated to make a call to any of them.
One day when lamenting our newest young pup's anxiety issues to our beloved vet, she told us she herself had used Bark Busters with one of her dogs, and she definitely recommended we give them a call. Based on her recommendation, I visited the site, read some more about their methods, and was intrigued enough to send a mail to get connected with our local trainer. The trainer turned out to be Connie DuBois--incidentally the same trainer my vet worked with (trainers are regionally-assigned) and we could not be happier!
Our little guy is a bundle of energy--some just regular puppy energy, but some definitely based in anxiety. As a pup-parent to a rescue adoption, issues like this are something you sign on for, and we were determined to help him feel more confident in his new home. Connie came one sunny summer afternoon and spent a couple hours with us in our yard talking about all the behaviors we were struggling with. She validated every one of our concerns and attempts to train him, and then gave us a very detailed attack plan. She worked with us on some techniques we had never tried before, and by the time she left, we were **already** seeing improvement in his behavior. We were left with several printed sheets of recommended training techniques, and a personalized hand-written step-by-step plan for us to work from.
Connie never ever pressured us in any way into buying some high tier multi-visit package, and in fact was very encouraging to us to "wait and see" how the techniques work longer term and never pay or book more time with her unless we need a refresher or a follow-up. We were thrilled to not feel "upselled" in any way, and honestly really enjoyed our time with Connie not just as a trainer, but as a really funny and kind person all around.
We did end up choosing to follow-up, months later, mainly for a refresher/clean up of our methods and consistency with the training. Connie was just as patient and encouraging as the initial visit, and not only reinforced what we did previously, but gave us a couple other additional tips to try, all of which worked fairly miraculously to help our little guy improve exponentially. I do not exaggerate when I say that from the time Connie walks through our door to the time she leaves we see tangible improvement, and it just continues to improve in the days and weeks after as we gain more confidence with our new toolset. It all felt very "doable", and everyone in our household is benefiting from the new routines.
I can't recommend Connie enough. You'll see great strides in your dog's behavior, and you will feel more validated and confident in your role as a dog owner. Don't allow yourself to be turned off by the "chain", because as Connie as an example, there are some incredibly skilled, caring trainers available to help you as we were. Thanks, Connie!
I can't say enough positive things about Connie. She was so wonderful to work with and you could tell right away that she absolutely loves working with animals. Connie's techniques made an immediate impact on Pepper's puppy behavior and as she got older and new issues arose, we were able to use the tools Connie taught us to address them all. She is a wonderful resource and the one on one sessions made a huge impact on not only Pepper, but us as well. If you are considering dog training, I HIGHLY recommend Connie. She is the best!
Connie DuBois is great. She obviously loves & understands dogs. She's easy to talk with, really listens and is a great problem solver. We highly recommend Connie & Bark Busters. We called Bark Busters because our cute, lovable Yorkies were out of control. Dash & Annie barked at the door, in the car, everywhere! Walks were terrible when they met people or other dogs. We've always had dogs. In the 1990's we took our Yorkies with us for a six-month stay in Germany. They were great in restaurants, parks, stores and hotels. So why couldn't we manage these two now? How frustrating. To start Connie asked what bothered us most. During the next 2½ hours, she observed us in different situations at home and outside on walks. She said we confused Dash & Annie by treating them too much like children. She explained dogs are wired to be part of a pack with a strong leader. If Dash & Annie felt no one was in charge, then they had to step up to the job. Barking was one way to protect their environment. Sounds simple & we already knew dogs were pack animals, but Connie made it relevant. She showed us how to establish limits for acceptable behavior and how to enforce them consistently. The key is Connie trains owners and dogs, not just dogs. She's dedicated to creating good outcomes. She really wants us to succeed. Connie is always gentle but firm with our dogs. Punishment isn't part of the program. Because she knows dogs so well, she approaches each problem in a positive manner and rewards good behavior. Another reason Bark Busters is so effective is it's not a classroom setting with fixed dates and generalized answers. Instead they make it personal. Connie came to us to solve our problems. She always explained what worked best and why, but was realistic and flexible too. Connie showed us how to be in charge by setting limits and rewarding good behavior. It works. We're so pleased with Dash & Annie. Connie's just great!
Not only for dogs with "issues" but for anyone who wants to get the full enjoyment from time and life with their dogs- Our rescue pup's early years of abuse and stress made her terrified of other dogs that manifested itself by almost unstoppable barking, growling and anguish. Connie's confident approach was the turning point in our lives with our pup. We now look forward to going for walks and greeting both our canine and human friends!
I had put off hiring a one on one trainer. Tried different things to change undesirable behaviors to no avail. Finally, with a dog that is 11 years old, finally hired a Bark Busters trainer. Connie Dubois came to my house for 3 hrs and within that time helped me see that our dog had trained us very well. He was on a pedestal and we needed to learn how to handle it all. Connie did a fantastic job, and within a very short time, we have corrected most of his annoying behaviors. Being a 17 lb dog, he was aggressive toward any dog bigger than him. He is not continuously barking at the front door. We are curbing his wanting to jump up on people when they come in the house. All in all, I would not hesitate in hiring Connie for help in dog training. Any age, young or old. She was super nice and very keen on figuring out the whole picture. I should have done it years ago. It was worth every penny Liz
Connie came highly recommended by my vet to help me deal with both my dogs barking though there were several issues. I had done other training methods but couldn't find something that helped me deal with both dogs at once and the real life issues we had. After her first visit my neighbors were convinced that I had started medicating the dogs. The change was very noticeable to everyone immediately. She has helped me understand how I had let my dogs take over and showed me ways that I can take back control. She is great at getting the root of the behavior and developing plans that are easy to follow and work. While I know I'm the major problem, Connie doesn't judge and just walks me through the basics until I am comfortable. She is quick to respond to questions and to schedule appointments. She is patient and a gifted trainer! We highly recommend her to everyone.
I was first introduced to Bark Busters five years ago by my veternarian. My two bassett hounds were have difficulty transitioning to a new apartment and the resulting separation anxiety led to howling for hours on end. Trainer Jack Knudsen (in Redmond) was very helpful and showed me how to lead by example, that is become my dogs pack leader. At Jack's suggestion I purchased the Lifetime Service Guarantee. Fast forward five years..... I just moved into a new apartment home and again, my dogs were having a difficult time transitioning to their new digs. Remembering something about the Bark Busters' guarantee I called Jack Knudsen and was given Connie Dubois' number as I'd moved to Snohomish county and was thus out of Jack's territory. Connie was great. She called me back within minutes of my voicemail and agreed to meet with me, FREE OF CHARGE. Not only that, she stayed for TWO HOURS! Connie was very thorough and patient with me as she went over practically everything I'd learned five years earlier. She was professional, compassionate, and gave me the confidence to resume my role as pack leader. My relationship with my dogs has improved and I feel confident leaving the house now, without worrying about my dogs howling. Thank you Connie!
My wife and I are planning on starting a American Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue and have been fostering Am-Staff and other breeds for sometime now. We recently just have had the pleasure of fostering another little Am-Staff and his name is Roscoe! He is such a good little guy but had a couple of issues that we were not sure on how to go about helping to correct. We knew he was smart and could be very trainable with the right teacher. My wife attends Pima medical and is obtaining her Vet-Tech degree while doing so she got given a gift certificate for Bark Busters, the best thing that could have happened to us, really! So we called and talked to Connie and set up a time to that suited all of us best for her to come over to our home and start working with Roscoe. Connie was so nice and professional on the phone and made us feel so good about starting this whole process with training our new little guy that we could not wait for her to get here. Connie came to our home and started to work her magic right away and my wife and I were absolutely pleased and shocked that Roscoe took to her and her techniques so fast, and that made us very very happy and became even more optimistic about this whole process. Connie is so professional and so so sweet, she made us feel very comfortable. Connie did a superb job explaining everything that she was and will do to help us with the issues that were having, she was willing to stay as long as she needed to make sure we were all comfortable with everything. She also left us with a written regimen to follow and a bunch of other suggestions, very cool! So its been almost a week and we are happy to announce that the few issues we were having with Roscoe have been corrected and he is doing so very well with it all. My wife and I were expecting results but not this quick! Awesome!!! The techniques that Bark Busters use are absolutely superb and work so well that I recommend them to anybody that needs training on any level. We are forever grateful and so so pleased we made that call and had Connie come over. We are Bark Busters Clients for life!! Thank you Connie you are the best and you truly are a pro at what you do! Thank you very very very much!!
Maureen M.
9 years ago
— Langley, WA
Connie DuBois made a HUGE difference in our lives with our dog Odin. His issue is/was leash aggression toward other dogs. Connie's 3 hour intervention and the couple of techniques she taught us allowed up to leap forward in our progress with him to where now the most he does is look. The lunging, targeting, and pulling are gone. We will be forever grateful to Connie would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone having dog issues. The Bark Buster formula of observing the dog and owners in their home environment is essential to getting the right help, in my view.
PermalinkThanks so much!!!
Erin W.
10 years ago
— Snohomish, WA
Connie is very pleasant to work with! She is flexible and willing to work around our hectic schedule to help us with our anxious rescue Puggle, Flagger! Her descriptions and demonstrations of training/discipline tactics are clear and easy to understand. Connie's love of teaching dogs (and people) is very evident and she puts you at ease. Flagger has come a long way in just the three months that we have been working with her. We are thankful for Bark Busters and Connie!
PermalinkShay M.
10 years ago
— Seattle, WA
I had given those little Bark Busters pamphlets at the vet's office a critical side-eye on many occasions. I even picked them up and perused them once in a while, but my resistance to working with a "chain/franchise" business kept me from digging too much further. Shouldn't I favor one of the many other independent small business-people whos flyers and business cards also adorned the counters nearby? How could I choose between them anyway--there are SO MANY! Paralyzed by confusing options, I simply never felt motivated to make a call to any of them.
PermalinkOne day when lamenting our newest young pup's anxiety issues to our beloved vet, she told us she herself had used Bark Busters with one of her dogs, and she definitely recommended we give them a call. Based on her recommendation, I visited the site, read some more about their methods, and was intrigued enough to send a mail to get connected with our local trainer. The trainer turned out to be Connie DuBois--incidentally the same trainer my vet worked with (trainers are regionally-assigned) and we could not be happier!
Our little guy is a bundle of energy--some just regular puppy energy, but some definitely based in anxiety. As a pup-parent to a rescue adoption, issues like this are something you sign on for, and we were determined to help him feel more confident in his new home. Connie came one sunny summer afternoon and spent a couple hours with us in our yard talking about all the behaviors we were struggling with. She validated every one of our concerns and attempts to train him, and then gave us a very detailed attack plan. She worked with us on some techniques we had never tried before, and by the time she left, we were **already** seeing improvement in his behavior. We were left with several printed sheets of recommended training techniques, and a personalized hand-written step-by-step plan for us to work from.
Connie never ever pressured us in any way into buying some high tier multi-visit package, and in fact was very encouraging to us to "wait and see" how the techniques work longer term and never pay or book more time with her unless we need a refresher or a follow-up. We were thrilled to not feel "upselled" in any way, and honestly really enjoyed our time with Connie not just as a trainer, but as a really funny and kind person all around.
We did end up choosing to follow-up, months later, mainly for a refresher/clean up of our methods and consistency with the training. Connie was just as patient and encouraging as the initial visit, and not only reinforced what we did previously, but gave us a couple other additional tips to try, all of which worked fairly miraculously to help our little guy improve exponentially. I do not exaggerate when I say that from the time Connie walks through our door to the time she leaves we see tangible improvement, and it just continues to improve in the days and weeks after as we gain more confidence with our new toolset. It all felt very "doable", and everyone in our household is benefiting from the new routines.
I can't recommend Connie enough. You'll see great strides in your dog's behavior, and you will feel more validated and confident in your role as a dog owner. Don't allow yourself to be turned off by the "chain", because as Connie as an example, there are some incredibly skilled, caring trainers available to help you as we were. Thanks, Connie!
Stephanie W.
11 years ago
— Edmonds, WA
I can't say enough positive things about Connie. She was so wonderful to work with and you could tell right away that she absolutely loves working with animals. Connie's techniques made an immediate impact on Pepper's puppy behavior and as she got older and new issues arose, we were able to use the tools Connie taught us to address them all. She is a wonderful resource and the one on one sessions made a huge impact on not only Pepper, but us as well. If you are considering dog training, I HIGHLY recommend Connie. She is the best!
PermalinkAnonymous
12 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
Connie DuBois is great. She obviously loves & understands dogs. She's easy to talk with, really listens and is a great problem solver. We highly recommend Connie & Bark Busters. We called Bark Busters because our cute, lovable Yorkies were out of control. Dash & Annie barked at the door, in the car, everywhere! Walks were terrible when they met people or other dogs. We've always had dogs. In the 1990's we took our Yorkies with us for a six-month stay in Germany. They were great in restaurants, parks, stores and hotels. So why couldn't we manage these two now? How frustrating. To start Connie asked what bothered us most. During the next 2½ hours, she observed us in different situations at home and outside on walks. She said we confused Dash & Annie by treating them too much like children. She explained dogs are wired to be part of a pack with a strong leader. If Dash & Annie felt no one was in charge, then they had to step up to the job. Barking was one way to protect their environment. Sounds simple & we already knew dogs were pack animals, but Connie made it relevant. She showed us how to establish limits for acceptable behavior and how to enforce them consistently. The key is Connie trains owners and dogs, not just dogs. She's dedicated to creating good outcomes. She really wants us to succeed. Connie is always gentle but firm with our dogs. Punishment isn't part of the program. Because she knows dogs so well, she approaches each problem in a positive manner and rewards good behavior. Another reason Bark Busters is so effective is it's not a classroom setting with fixed dates and generalized answers. Instead they make it personal. Connie came to us to solve our problems. She always explained what worked best and why, but was realistic and flexible too. Connie showed us how to be in charge by setting limits and rewarding good behavior. It works. We're so pleased with Dash & Annie. Connie's just great!
PermalinkAnonymous
12 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
Not only for dogs with "issues" but for anyone who wants to get the full enjoyment from time and life with their dogs- Our rescue pup's early years of abuse and stress made her terrified of other dogs that manifested itself by almost unstoppable barking, growling and anguish. Connie's confident approach was the turning point in our lives with our pup. We now look forward to going for walks and greeting both our canine and human friends!
PermalinkAnonymous
12 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
I had put off hiring a one on one trainer. Tried different things to change undesirable behaviors to no avail. Finally, with a dog that is 11 years old, finally hired a Bark Busters trainer. Connie Dubois came to my house for 3 hrs and within that time helped me see that our dog had trained us very well. He was on a pedestal and we needed to learn how to handle it all. Connie did a fantastic job, and within a very short time, we have corrected most of his annoying behaviors. Being a 17 lb dog, he was aggressive toward any dog bigger than him. He is not continuously barking at the front door. We are curbing his wanting to jump up on people when they come in the house. All in all, I would not hesitate in hiring Connie for help in dog training. Any age, young or old. She was super nice and very keen on figuring out the whole picture. I should have done it years ago. It was worth every penny Liz
PermalinkAnonymous
12 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
Connie came highly recommended by my vet to help me deal with both my dogs barking though there were several issues. I had done other training methods but couldn't find something that helped me deal with both dogs at once and the real life issues we had. After her first visit my neighbors were convinced that I had started medicating the dogs. The change was very noticeable to everyone immediately. She has helped me understand how I had let my dogs take over and showed me ways that I can take back control. She is great at getting the root of the behavior and developing plans that are easy to follow and work. While I know I'm the major problem, Connie doesn't judge and just walks me through the basics until I am comfortable. She is quick to respond to questions and to schedule appointments. She is patient and a gifted trainer! We highly recommend her to everyone.
PermalinkAnonymous
13 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
I was first introduced to Bark Busters five years ago by my veternarian. My two bassett hounds were have difficulty transitioning to a new apartment and the resulting separation anxiety led to howling for hours on end. Trainer Jack Knudsen (in Redmond) was very helpful and showed me how to lead by example, that is become my dogs pack leader. At Jack's suggestion I purchased the Lifetime Service Guarantee. Fast forward five years..... I just moved into a new apartment home and again, my dogs were having a difficult time transitioning to their new digs. Remembering something about the Bark Busters' guarantee I called Jack Knudsen and was given Connie Dubois' number as I'd moved to Snohomish county and was thus out of Jack's territory. Connie was great. She called me back within minutes of my voicemail and agreed to meet with me, FREE OF CHARGE. Not only that, she stayed for TWO HOURS! Connie was very thorough and patient with me as she went over practically everything I'd learned five years earlier. She was professional, compassionate, and gave me the confidence to resume my role as pack leader. My relationship with my dogs has improved and I feel confident leaving the house now, without worrying about my dogs howling. Thank you Connie!
PermalinkAnonymous
14 years ago
— North Seattle, Everett & Lynnwood
My wife and I are planning on starting a American Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue and have been fostering Am-Staff and other breeds for sometime now. We recently just have had the pleasure of fostering another little Am-Staff and his name is Roscoe! He is such a good little guy but had a couple of issues that we were not sure on how to go about helping to correct. We knew he was smart and could be very trainable with the right teacher. My wife attends Pima medical and is obtaining her Vet-Tech degree while doing so she got given a gift certificate for Bark Busters, the best thing that could have happened to us, really! So we called and talked to Connie and set up a time to that suited all of us best for her to come over to our home and start working with Roscoe. Connie was so nice and professional on the phone and made us feel so good about starting this whole process with training our new little guy that we could not wait for her to get here. Connie came to our home and started to work her magic right away and my wife and I were absolutely pleased and shocked that Roscoe took to her and her techniques so fast, and that made us very very happy and became even more optimistic about this whole process. Connie is so professional and so so sweet, she made us feel very comfortable. Connie did a superb job explaining everything that she was and will do to help us with the issues that were having, she was willing to stay as long as she needed to make sure we were all comfortable with everything. She also left us with a written regimen to follow and a bunch of other suggestions, very cool! So its been almost a week and we are happy to announce that the few issues we were having with Roscoe have been corrected and he is doing so very well with it all. My wife and I were expecting results but not this quick! Awesome!!! The techniques that Bark Busters use are absolutely superb and work so well that I recommend them to anybody that needs training on any level. We are forever grateful and so so pleased we made that call and had Connie come over. We are Bark Busters Clients for life!! Thank you Connie you are the best and you truly are a pro at what you do! Thank you very very very much!!
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