Connie is a great at training both my dog, Winnie, and me. I'm guessing you probably know if you've ever watched Caesar Milan, that you know that it's us humans who need training, not so much for the dogs. Trust me when I say, I need a lot of training! Connie is both personable and patient. She has a great sense of humor and really understands animals. One of the things I like best about Connie and Bar Buster's is the Positive Training as opposed to negative (shock, choke collars, etc.). Winnie and I have made a lot of progress, but still have a ways to go with training, but I'm sure with Connie's help we will get there. I HIGHLY recommend her.
Connie did a fantastic job with my very hyper poodle mix puppy! So nice to know that she will help me in the future should an issue pop up. Only wish that we found Bark Busters sooner!!!
I hired Bark Busters, Connie DuBois last Oct. to help me with my puppy Lily (Pom-Chi). I found it so easy to treat a small dog as a “toy” and not as a “real” dog. Connie helped me with getting my "Alpha Dog" back. Lily has learned respect and has turned into a great companion. Last month I adopted another very small 10 month old Chihuahua mix (7lbs). Chuck is full of puppy life and attitude. I needed Connie back here badly! Within an hour of working with Connie, Chuck was not jumping into my lap like he owned me, his attention was not on outside distractions, it was on me. I was blown away! I have watched video after video, there is nothing like having Connie at my home working one on one with me. Thank you Connie for giving me my control back with lots of puppy love included.
Wow. We have a Border Collie puppy. Really thought there was no hope but after just one visit with Connie we were surprised at his progress. Now a month in we have a dog that listens and responds to us. Her advise has been invaluable and we highly recommend.
Wow, thank you Connie for helping us find a peaceful balance with our pup! Six months ago we adopted Iggy from the shelter, we fell in love with his shy/ sweet temperament and adorable face. As a 2ish year old pit mix he had already been returned to the shelter twice and was on his 3rd family because of his aggression on leash and with other dogs. When we met him he didn't even have a name he could identify with because he had been shuffled around so much. After a month or so with him in our family he started exhibiting his intense aggression while on walks when he passed other dogs and sometimes people- full on lunging, growling, barking. We tried so hard to train and figure it out on our own but nothing seemed to click. It finally got to the point where our efforts were failing, and we decided we couldn't even walk him up and down our street until we got a trainer to help. THANKFULLY in our search for dog training we came across Barkbusters! After just one session with Connie we understood Iggy more, and she gave us the tools to be better humans for Iggy. We were shocked how quickly the simple homework and tools remedied our problem(s). After that first visit we could walk him! Now, after just a few sessions with Connie, we have a pup who can not only take relaxing long walks with his family- but he has easily joined us on crowded hikes with dogs all around. Just today he took a walk side by side with another dog who later joined us in our yard to visit! Oh, and he has also stopped barking crazily at anyone who knocks at the door which NICE. It takes commitment and work, but Iggy is full proof that there are no bad dogs! Overall he a is much happier, balanced pup and we have the tools to continue that for years to come. We are so thankful for Connie’s training.
I wished I had worked with Connie a lot sooner. She has helped me with work with my Mini Schnauzer in a different manner than I'm used to and our trainings are now positive reinforcement sessions as opposed to a "No No No" session! We made a difference within the first 2 hours of her very first visit. Key areas of where we worked on was relationship with visitors, excessive barking, leash pulling and doggie door training. A lot of the changes in my dog's behavior was evident within the first week of the training and ensuring consistency of training with my dog has proven successful! Connie not only helped me with my dog but changed how I approach and interact with my dog's behavior as well! Connie is a true dog whisperer! THANK YOU CONNIE!
Connie is absolutely AMAZING! She walked me through how to humanely and effectively correct my dogs when they were doing something they were not supposed to and I started regaining leadership in my pack. She is very knowledgeable in dog behavior and dog training. She lays everything out in great detail which in turn makes the training easier. After the first session with Connie, I saw HUGE improvements in behavior in both my pups. My pups have stopped barking at dogs and people from inside the car and in the house from windows and front door. We are now working on walking properly on leash and seeing big improvements with them walking in the heel position! I am very happy with the results I am seeing. I am looking forward to seeing what my dogs will be like in a few months after seeing drastic changes in just a few weeks. I highly recommend Connie.
"Stop". "Don't Do That"."Bad, bad girl!" Does this sound like your house? " Can I tell you how many times I yelled this until Connie DuBois visited my house? Although I have had a dog before, none were as challenging as Berry. Our first training was about 2 hours long and it was transformative. Totally different dog. I did my homework for 15 minutes a day (follow through is key) and voila! Berry understands what I am saying. No more shouting. Bark Busters only uses dog friendly methods, and I love that. Now in our house you'll hear more, "Good girl!" "Good... (command, mostly leave it and drop it)" "Thank you for the kisses!" and "What a sweet girl! (because she is more now)" I only regret not calling her sooner and saving myself months of frustration!
We recently adopted a shelter dog who had been a stray and is about a year old. Connie has helped us work through a number of issues due to his lack of training and socialization. The most challenging was that he was barking incessantly while in the car. In just one training session, she was able coach us on how to change his behavior so that he now is an enjoyable car companion. Connie has an innate ability to diagnose the root of a behavioral issue and come up with a primary solution and some back up strategies for handling it. She is untiring in her dedication to helping her clients and her love of animals is obvious. I can't sing her praises enough. She should have her own TV show!
Connie has been tremendously helpful in correcting some issues in our dog that we had been living with for years thinking, "this is just how he is." Our dog, a pointer-pitt mix, had some bad habits. We avoided having anyone over to our house because the barking was incessant and no matter what we would do to try to correct it, he would just keep going. He is aggressive toward other dogs, so we avoided going outside our house or back yard with him for fear of how he would react to other dogs. We knew there were things we could probably do to improve his behavior, but often felt like we just didn't have the right tools in our toolbox. Connie has helped to equip us with the tools we need to feel like we can address the behaviors we had lived with for so long. The difference in our dog - even after the first session - was remarkable. We now have more ideas of things to do with him to make our lives and his better. We opted to do the "lifetime training" options and are so glad that we did. Connie has been responsive, proactive, and really open to tackling any issue we want to address. We've even took our dog out for a walk for the first time in years today, and he did so well thanks to the ways that Connie helped us build up to that. We would absolutely recommend Connie to anyone looking to address issues they've been living with. You don't have to just deal with it - call Connie!
Connie is awesome! Just had our second visit. We have a five year old English Springer Spaniel and a fourteen month old Chocolate Lab. With Connie's training we are getting control of our dogs! She explains your dogs behaviors and body language and gives you tips specifically for your dogs behaviors. We have noticed significant improvements from day one with Connie. It is definitely worth the time and effort that we put into it. We are excited to keep seeing progress as we follow Connie's training. We love our dogs unconditionally, but it is so much more enjoyable for them and us when they behave themselves! :-)
Connie is awesome! Just had our second visit. We have a five year old English Springer Spaniel and a fourteen month old Chocolate Lab. With Connie's training we are getting control of our dogs! She explains your dogs behaviors and body language and gives you tips specifically for your dogs behaviors. We have noticed significant improvements from day one with Connie. It is definitely worth the time and effort that we put into it. We are excited to keep seeing progress as we follow Connie's training. We love our dogs unconditionally, but it is so much more enjoyable for them and us when they behave themselves! :-)
I was very impressed with the training we received. My dog responded very well to all of the training. Our walk have been going extremely well., and my confidence in walking my very large dog knowing he will now listen to my commands is very comforting. Thanks Connie!!
with the first lesson. henry was no longer pulling my arm off. it was wonderful. working on all the other things. looking forward to walking this summer. henry is much better. thanks to Connie DuBois. henry was headed for the dog pound, now he can stay !! thanks Connie.
Connie saved our dog from being returned. She is so knowledgeable and understood what we needed to work on almost immediately. She gave us strategies that really worked and helped us control our dog better. She was committed to helping us be successful. We are so appreciative of Connie's work and guidance.
Connie was spectacular. The lessons she taught us are invaluable. There is a "new world order" in our house where the dogs are no longer in charge. Connie has extensive knowledge about not only the dogs and their behaviors but also incredible insight into human behavior and our tendency to treat our dogs like children. Combine this knowledge with her obvious compassion and love of animals and you have the perfect dog trainer. My family and I would highly recommend Connie.
Connie is extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior and how to correctly tackle the issue. She's easy to talk to, which makes the training that much better. My dog has had many issues and Connie is giving me the tools to help our family live a more harmonious life. She is wonderful!! I love that she offers lifetime visits to help with new issues or to help us with anything that is much harder to train.
We have a 3 year old Lab/Rottie mix, Renin, which is my ESA Support Dog. We have owned him since he was 8 weeks old. ESA Support dogs are owner trained and we have taught him sit, stay, down, come (plus a few fun ones like shake). Renin would bark at other dogs on walks, get agitated around other people (unless he knew them) and was generally reactive including barking at knocks at the door. Connie gave great explanations of what we, as owners, needed to do and demonstrated them effectively. She listened to our story and was able to come up with a plan that we could easily follow for our dog. The plan that Connie came up with included simple tools that work. During the first session we saw results immediately. We were truly impressed to see how eager our dog was to learn. He has improved significantly, including very little to no barking at other dogs on walks. It has only been 3 days! It is important to note that the owners are the ones that get trained by Connie, not the dogs. The tools and techniques she provides, allows the owners to be aware of how your dog thinks and learns and to provide the correct response in a given situation quickly. These responses have had a great effect on Renin and we could not be happier with our interactions with him. With Connie, we did not feel pressured into any sales. We knew that we had to do something and contacted her for the first session. We knew, based on our needs and the effectiveness of our training that her service was invaluable to us. We recommend her highly and cannot give her enough praise for what she has done for us.
Guessing at meeting date (jeez... why make it so hard?) Connie really came through teaching us to take back control from our Frenchie, Batman. He's a much happier boy now that we're in charge and he gets along far better with our Pugs.
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.
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!
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!!