Positive Petzine

Each franchisee will have their own interpretation of the Bark Busters method, but at this point they are a long way from being positive.

Sheila Wilson's (founder of Bark Busters) book was the first book I read on dog training. It had some good ideas, but I cannot endorse any method that involves throwing a length of chain towards a dog and yelling "bah!" to correct behavior problems.

The science of dog training has come a long way since the ideas that formed the Bark Busters methods. As a matter of fact, it had come a long way well before Bark Busters was formed.

Good marketing though. A "lifetime guarantee" on dog training sure sounds like a good thing - it answers a concern, and removes the immediate risk. What people never think at the time is "would I be happy to have them back?"

Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com

The collar that they use is just great! I'm not endorsing BB though... Why dont you check the collar out yourself first. A lot of great training clubs in Australia use it and it gets great results. It may save you a bit on getting BB out to you.

www.vasquezcollars.com.au

Their diet sheet is great, if you want to steer away from commercial dog food with its additives. They like to use check (choke) chains, and throw chains as a deterrent to doing the wrong thing. I didn't really like those aspects, but learning to say Uh Uh, or something similar, to stop your dog doing the wrong thing, is useful. But you don't need bark busters there to teach you that. Just find your own sound that works, and reward your dog when he stops doing the wrong thing and looks at you.

An example would be reaching down on a walk to eat something on the footpath. Or rushing ahead of you to get out the door. More useful when you have already trained your dog to behave, and are reinforcing the No when they forget, or test you.

With all dog training, or any animal training, take what you can use, what you agree with, and what works for you, and discard the rest. You will finish up with your own system of training that works for you and your dog, and comes from many sources, not just one. Read widely on dog training, try to attend an obedience class (if only to watch before deciding to take your dog), and talk to people. Learning about dog behaviour is useful too.

Hi:
I used Barkbusters for my rescue dog. It was really expensive and actually I felt the problems resolved themselves over time as the dog adjusted. The dog was really scared of everything but consistent routines seemed to dispel the uncontrollable shaking, salivating, etc. The trainer came and spent three hours and returned three weeks later for three hours.The trainer instructed me to extinguish bad behaviors with a water pistol. The dog went ballistic so that was really bad advice since the dog had been abused. The only thing that I found helpful was to keep the dog on a leash in the house which made him much more secure. I got better information from watching Cesar Milan on The Dog Whisperer. I really understand that most humans actually reward bad behaviors unconsciously. I have made great strides on that w/o a trainer.
But that's just my case. Good luck.

I have never employed Bark Busters with any of my many dogs and puppies over the years. However, I just returned from a week long TTouch Practitioners training and BB's were brought up by another attendee. The consensus of the group was not supportive of BB's and their lack of positive training methods, not to mention the high price. Just another piece of info.

Connie & the IslandZooCrew

Hi. I realize this is an old thread...but this one is an important one. A couple of my dogwalking clients have tried BB. Neither one had great results. Guarantee Schmarantee.
One of the dogs was a fear aggressive/territorial cocker spaniel..the client had me in to hear what the trainer had to say so we could all be on the same page. He told me to loom over the dog, spray him in the face when he growled and to speak loudly and deeply. I told the client this was only going to worsen the behaviour..and it did...the clients call BB back and were told to continue doing the same things. I told them that a fearful dog needs confidence building and positive reinforcements, not domination and punishment!They disagreed, I fired the client. Now they have TWO of their dogs being aggressive.
BB may not use leash corrections, but it is still corrections that stress the dog. Dominance theory is a catchall for training and doesn't remotely cover the myriad of behaviours that dogs exhibit! Dominance theory is old school and is ineffective, pack hierarchy is fluid not linear. Each dog needs to be individually assessed and the training or behaviour management tailored to that individual and to the owners of said dog. Period.
It's too bad your client doesn't understand the concept of motivators, as food rewards are NOT bribing nor do they need to be used forever for each behaviour. Oh well. There will always be people who think that giving a reward is bad but harsh corrections are good. Poor dogs.

Maggi
Tailspin Petworx

I'd like to have one of Barkbusters chain in a bag, if anyone has one they want to get rid of. I've never seen it but I've heard about it.

Marilyn Wolf, BS, CPDT
New Port Richey, FL
Pet Trainer & Behavior Consultant
727-372-9825
www.KorrectKritters.com

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide the difference you want to make. --- Jane Goodall

Hi there, I have used Bark Busters and have found them very professional and friendly, I have had them to both of my dogs and they have been a life saver. The used both negative and positive reinforcment and it works fantastically.
The trainer did not "Throw Chain" as some of you reported, he did use a training pillow which had a piece of chain inside to distract my dogs when naughty and yes they used a funny word "bah" this word is FANTASTIC, my dogs looked at me immediatly and stopped the bad behaviour, The training collar they use, and it is not a "Choke Chain" as some of you have reported, is made by a company called Vasquez in Australia and is the best collar I have ever used. My obediance club use them exclisivly.
Finally I would highly recommend Bark Busters and I have recommended them to friends and family who have had the same fantastic results as me. To the people who have posted negative posts, you obviusly have not had Bark Busters and have other agendas behind you posts. Go Bark Busters your great, keep up the good work and thanks.

HI,
I just came across this. No one dog training system is for everyone. Positive reinforcement does not work on many dogs. My breed does not like to eat, he spits out chicken and when it comes to training will not respond to anything, yes I have starved him for two days, yes I have tried every human food on the market. (Go ahead, ask me) I have been through the entire alphabet of dog training, from obedience, positive, to punishment (I didn't realize, ugh), sadly. None were effective in resolving my dog's problem. When I called in Barkbusters, I figured, 'great they will solve my dog aggression problem'. Well, the trainer was very clear that my boy was an alpha male, not one of these fake ones, that is why he had aggression. Alphas are VERY rare, great, I'm the lucky one. My dog has NEVER harmed a dog in the few fights he has been in, it's were merely him correcting the other dog. They told me this, and said to get him out of the offleash parks, do not let him interact with other dogs on walks and showed me how to control him so that we could walk by other dogs. Wow. It was absolutely incredible!!! My dog finally relaxed. Finally, a trainer was honest with me, had me work within my dog's breed/temperment limitations and didn't force him to be something he is not.
Vasquez collars are fantastic, and on the very rare occasion they do use checks, they are used the same way and the dog is never harmed. They use sound to control the dog not to choke the dog. The do not throw chains at the dog, but toss on the ground, you have to see it to believe it. Amazing! Like coins in a can but actually work!
Dog trainers are so confrontational, it's brutal!!! Why can't the trainers just work together? They are all afterall doing the same thing right? Helping dogs be better and happier? You are all collegues using different methods but helping dogs and owners.
Put your knives away and bring out some respect. Did you know Cesar Milan sends people Bark Busters when there isn't one of his local franchisees there? They are by the way far more effective, they do not flood, pin or get physical with the dog whatsoever. How many people out there have Cesar's energy? I sure don't! lol Infact, i have seen Bark BUsters sit with people and explain to them why you shouldn't be so physical.

They are fantastic trainers that work together with other franchisees and with head office, if there is a problem they can't solve they ask for help. I reccomend them in a heartbeat. If anyone has an issue I strongly suggest you contact the local trainer, have a respectful sit down. If that trainer is not working for you, ask for another one, or contact head office, not yelling but just say personalities don't mesh.

Bark Busters has saved hundreds of thousands of lives around the world, when all other trainers say put him down, BB shows you how to deal with them. I've seen them out a few times and spoken to my trainer, you got a problem that everyone else is saying won't be resolved, give them a shout.

DO NOT USE BARK BUSTERS, a couple of months ago I spent over $500 for their services.  The trainer came over with a 'flip chart' and went through the 'bah' command and metal pillow dropping.  She talked about diet etc....Well we followed all exact by the book and I can not see the difference.  BARK BUSTERS IS A COMPLETE SCAM...SLICK MARKETING AND PROMISING THE WORLD.  When I rang the trainer to complain she said she could come back out but if I still was not happy they just need a letter from me to go to head office and ithey would give me a 50% refund as long as I signed a form to say that I would not go to the media or bad mouth them.  I have just received an email today from them to say that the trainer was wrong and should not of said that and I would not be getting a refund.  I am glad for freedom of speech to now let everyone know not to give their money away as it is a total rip off!!!

Different strokes for different folks. I booked them once, and only once, because my dog was pulling on the lead. The problem I had with them is that they have three answers which are supposed to fix each and every dog problem - 1. check chain, 2. thrown chain, and 3. the BAAH sound. I like to be more flexible in my training, and I also want my dog to enjoy his walks, not be "punished" by the chain all the time. He also has collapsing trachea, which I told them, but they ignored that.

Anyway, what worked for me for pulling on the lead was to get a longer lead, and bring my dog all the way back to me each time he pulled. He soon figured it out, and now walks to the end of the lead but no longer pulls, because its hard work - he has to stop what he is doing, come back to me, and only then continue his walk.

I didnt expect an obedience-style walk on a lead, which would have been boring for both of us, and my dog was older too and not even used to a lead - mostly ran without with his previous owners. So it also comes down to your own expectations for a particular dog, depending on you, your dog, his or her age, experience, and general expectations on what good behaviour means and what is acceptable and what is not. An external dog trainer will have their own expectations which may not match yours.

I do use Uh Uh when my dog is doing the wrong thing, but I follow it up with what I want him to do. If you are constantly saying NO, Dont Do That, where does that leave your dog? Tell them what you DO want, not only what you DON'T want.

I do suggest obedience classes for all dogs if they do not know the basics, and ongoing training after that. Only let off the lead if they will come back, too - I see that a lot. Dogs that run instead of coming back, and aggravate other dogs and their owners in the process.

Its like kids - you want a well behaved member of society and its up to you to ensure that, for your safety and everyone else's. And its a manners thing too.

If you have problems with youre dog I would recommend visiting a fully qualified animal behaviourist (they are no more expensive than Bark Busters and actually have qualifications), and beware anyone can call them selves a behaviouralist (check quailifications and make sure they are a vet). An animal behaviourist has studied for many years and understands all the principles of animal behaviour.
There are many studies that do support positive reinforcement and provide the theory necessary to back it up. NO animal behaviouralist that is a qualified vet will use Bark Busters methods. Its so unfortunate that poeple will still use them, obviously advertising plays a huge part as not many people on this site recommend them and neither would I and YES, I have used them before about 12 years ago!! their methods are appauling especially for the fearful dog! I am now studying animal behaviour myself and can't believe they are allowed to practice these methods!!
If you truely love you dog and have researched all methods you wouldn't use Bark Busters. I have been a veterinary nurse for 6 years while studying vet science and used to recomend them myself but have too many times seen the horrible irriversable effects of these methods. If you are looking for a qualified opinion I would ask anyone to ask a trainer that is DELTA acrredited. As a vet now I put all nurses through this course and as a consequence I run a peaceful, positive practice.
An animal is for life using these harsh methods are not enjoyable for the owner or the dog.
(I am not a trainer therefore have no competition with Bark Busters. I have a qualified opinion and will recomend other, any other methods)