Bark Busters Service

Problems Solved

Bark Busters works with you to solve behaviour problems so your dog behaves the way you want. Here are descriptions of the most common problems we help with:

Excessive Barking

A dog that barks at birds, noises, the neighbors, passing pedestrians or other dogs is not a good watchdog. A dog like this is similar to a car alarm that keeps going off for no reason. People will eventually take no notice, even when he barks for a legitimate reason. He will only annoy the entire neighborhood.

A Good Watchdog

A good watchdog is one that barks only when someone attempts to enter your property or when there is imminent danger (house fire, snake in the yard).

Good barking habits can be trained into your dog easily, providing you are clear about exactly when you want your dog to bark. Thus, you will know to respond to your dog's bark because the bark will be a warning and not just an everyday noise.

When You Are Out

Because dogs are pack animals, they may become stressed when the pack leaves without them (when you or your family leaves them at home alone).

Some of the reasons may be:>

  • Separation Anxiety. Usually identifiable by barking as soon as you leave. The dog will be pacing and stressed before you leave.
  • Apprehensive/Fearful. Usually found in the nervous, unconfident dog that barks out of fear of the unknown. He continues to bark because he feels threatened when no one is home. You will need to seek professional help to deal with any serious fears he may have.
  • Territorial. The territorial dog is usually the dominant, confident type, yet as a rule is not the worst culprit of nuisance barking. However, if you have problems with this type of dog, you will need to seek professional help.

Barking Prevention at the Puppy Stage

A young pup that barks at people or noises is a good indication that you have a budding nuisance barker. This is a nervous pup that worries about everything. A well-adjusted pup will not usually start barking until somewhere between 8 to 12 months of age.

If you have a pup that is starting to bark at everything that moves,getting started with training early will ensure a calm, relaxed dog and happy neighbors as well.

Aggression/Biting

This is a very serious problem and must be handled as soon as possible by a professional behavioral therapist.

The worst case scenario for an uncontrollable, aggressive dog is that he injures a person or child and the dog is then ordered to be put to death (euthanized).

This does not need to be the case! Most aggression is caused by fear.

By addressing this problem, you can reduce your dog's fear, which in turn will reduce his stress. You will be happier not having to worry that your dog might bite someone.

Early warning signs: Growling and barking at strangers is the earliest sign of aggression. Curing the problem at this early stage is best for all parties involved.

Separation Anxiety

If your dog howls or barks when you leave or is destructive when you are gone, he may be suffering from separation anxiety.

Your dog may be stressed and he will stay that way -- each day -- until you come home. He needs to learn that it is okay for you to go. He will be safe and you will come home. This is a very delicate behavior problem that needs professional help from therapists like Bark Busters.

Jumping Up

Jumping up is all about dog psychology.

Dogs communicate with body language. To them, height is dominance, and dogs will naturally jump up on us to test their dominance. You have probably noticed that they do this to each other, too.

Correcting this behaviour will not only keep your clothes and furniture clean, but it will improve your dog's respect for you.

Pulling on the Lead

Does your dog take YOU for a walk, dragging you at the end of the leash? You are not alone, and the solution is easier than you might think.

Your dog should walk at your side on a loose leash. You don't want to physically hold him in place because that is tiring for you and uncomfortable for your dog.

We can teach your dog to watch and follow your leg.

When you stop, he stops. When you turn, he turns without being pulled around by the leash.

Toilet Training

For Puppies and for Older Dogs

Toilet training for your puppy should start as soon as the puppy is home with you. You must be prepared to be patient and observant!

Times When Your Puppy Will Need to Relieve Himself

There are six times a puppy should be left outside for about 30 minutes to toilet:

  1. before going to bed for the night
  2. as soon as he wakes up
  3. after a nap during the day
  4. after eating
  5. after exuberant play
  6. after you return home from an outing.

Many people take their puppies out for a walk only to see the puppies relieve themselves as soon as they get back indoors. To avoid this, walk the puppy to his toilet area. Stand still with him, allowing the puppy to lose interest in you. Do not sit down as this will only encourage the pup to jump on you and forget what he is out there for.

Praise him if he performs. NEVER rub his nose in any mistakes! Positive reinforcement when he does the right thing in the right place is the best and quickest training method.

Outside Training:

When training the puppy to go outside to relieve himself, LEAD him to where you want him to go, stay with him, praise him when he performs. Note that a male puppy sometimes takes longer to perform than a female.

Remember that just like a child, when a puppy has to go, he really has to go! Your puppy cannot travel long distances to relieve himself, so keep his toilet area nearby.

Scratching and Whining

Scratching or whining is your dog's way to get what he wants, which is to come into the house. If you let him in when he whines or scratches, he will do it over and over because he has discovered how the door "works". He learns, "I scratch, the door opens."

This habit can be irritating, particularly if you have guests. We can teach your dog to sit quietly outside, even with the door open, during those times when he is not invited in.

Boundary Control

Boundary control is teaching your dog that he is not allowed in certain rooms or on the carpet without your invitation, he is not allowed in the house without your invitation (even if the back door is open) and he is not allowed out the exterior gates without your invitation.

This is important for control as well as the dog's safety.

Boundary control gives you the opportunity to invite your dog inside more often because you know that he will stay in his designated dog-friendly areas.

Chewing

Dogs do not instinctively dig, chew or try to escape. These activities are usually symptoms of a more significant behavior problem; they are doing these things for a reason. We can help to find the cause and suggest a solution by talking with you and surveying the environment.

Digging: To help discourage digging, place your dog's droppings in the hole and bury them just under the surface. You can also bury chili powder. Your dog may be digging because he is bored, so you might want to provide more entertainment. Also consider if he is stressed due to separation anxiety.

Chewing: Do not give your dogs chew toys that resemble items that you do not want them to chew (like shoes). They often cannot tell the difference between good shoes and their "chew shoe." Some taste deterrents may work on wood and patio furniture. You probably also need to provide more entertainment or the chewing may be related to the stress of separation anxiety.

Not Coming When Called

This is one of the more difficult things to teach your dog, particularly if other dogs are around. However, it is vitally important for your control of your dog . . . and for your dog & other's safety.

We can teach your dog to be more attentive and aware of you all the time. That way, your dog will be looking for your signal and will respond immediately if you want to call him out of harm's way, or simply to move to another location.


Bark Busters Lesson

Our research has proven that in order to solve problems effectively, we need to work in the dog's own environment. That is why Bark Busters primary service is In Home Training. Here's what a typical session is like:

  1. A Bark Busters Behaviourist Therapist and Trainer comes to your home
  2. They assess the situation, see what the issues are, see how the dog interacts with you in its own environment.
  3. Then we put a plan in place and teach you the techniques you need.
  4. We leave you with a written, easy-to-follow workplan that will keep you and your dog on track.
  5. Normally this process takes just under 3 hours
  6. We leave you with a Written Lifetime Guarantee

Written Life of the Dog Guarantee

Our in home training is guaranteed for the life of your dog. That means that if problems recur or new ones emerge and the dog owner has reasonably followed the therapist's instructions, the therapist will return FREE OF CHARGE, at any stage, to fix the problem old or new.

Pricing

Our pricing is dependent on the issues you are having, the age of your dog, and the number of dogs you have. We give generous discounts if we are working with more than one dog within the same family. For an accurate assessment of your situation, you will want to contact your local Bark Buster directly by calling 0120 272 109.