Bark Busters

Having a 2 year old puppy with extreme separation anxiety is a huge problem. I was almost kicked out of my apartment (unless I «got rid of the dog» thus, eliminating the problem. I had two weeks to leave the premises. So, in my desperation, I contacted Bark Busters. (after having tried herbal remedies which didn’t work and two prescriptions from veterinarians along with an ultrasonic machine).
Marco is the trainer that came to my apartment. He seemed nice and taught us some useful knowledge of why my baby was acting that way. What he didn’t tell us (before we paid and signed the contract) is that they use negative re-​enforcement. By scaring your baby into submission. This tactic might work with some people for some reasons, but let me tell you that when you have a dog that has extreme separation anxiety — the fact that he is incredibly anxious to start with… having to throw a small bag with chains in it to the floor while yelling «BAH»… WILL NOT HELP YOUR CASE. Unfortunately for me, I jumped the gun without speaking to my vet first. When I asked him (after I had given away thousand dollars) what he thought of bark busters, he shook his head in disappointment and started telling us all the reasons why this didn’t work. Mainly that your pet is in distress. So why are you making it worse by scaring him more? I ended up giving my baby to my parents until I found a house, and not an apartment. I would not recommend Bark Busters to anyone particularly because of the way they decide to «fix» the problems in your dog. I cannot speak for anyone with other problems except for separation anxiety. This program might work really well for dogs that are aggressive etc… I wouldn’t know. All I know is that even though I have a lifetime guarantee… I will never dial that number again. Please speak to your vet before making such a rash decision also… because like my vet, he might just refer you to a canine behaviourist with a veterinary degree and a specialisation in behaviour. Which mine did.

We paid Bark Busters $ 1000 for lifetime training of our rescued puppy. Marco the trainer is a nice person and he came over four times to help with the training. He showed us the basics about Alpha/​Omega relationships and how to walk the dog properly so it would not pull on the leash. We did notice a difference in our puppy and we kept reinforcing the steps that Marco had showed us.
So what went wrong?
The contract clearly states that it is good for lifetime training of the DOG and we can call the trainer anytime for more training. When we called Marco to come over and help our friend who was house sitting our dog while we were away on holiday he refused to come saying that the contract does not cover a person who was not there during initial training. He asked us to call the main Bark Busters number to file a complaint if we were not happy with the service. The number is 18 664 184 584 and it does not work.
I would not sign up with Bark Busters again. Its a waste of money and in my opinion if the main phone number does not work then there must be business issues.