Customer Reviews

Bark Busters: Solving Your Dogs Behavioral Problems

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I got a Jack Russels terrier three months ago and when I brought her home it was like bringing Tarzan home from the jungle. This little creature was totally uncivilized, knew nothing, turned our lives in a living hell. The first thing she did was to bite me when I attempted to clean her ears (thank God she had the baby teeth when she did that!). She was barking & biting us, no one would dare to touch her! My little "Tarzan" finally responded to her name after a whole month. I was so surprised with her behavior, comparing her to my poodle who brought all her good manners with her upon birth and learned everything almost instantly. I was really in a bad situation with her since I had to find a way to civilize my Tarzan and make her part of the family. I got a few books on training, and used my own methods I used for my poodle but none of them would work. Tarzan would still bite us, bark any time of the day and unfortunately night too, take things from the coffee table, drink our coffee from the cup when left alone, and take GOOD care of all the plants in the house!

That's when this book came to the rescue. I must say I was very surprised with the techniques the author uses, but since I was desperate and had nothing to lose I put those methods to work. Well, after only a week Pinky learned more than what I tried to teach her in two months time.

The author is down to earth when it comes to dog training, making it clear that you have to understand that it's a dog you are trying to train and not human. She shows you the dog's point of view in order to understand their behavior better. Why they do the things they do, their way of thinking, and how you can can solve those problems. How would I know that by just spraying plain, natural water on her face would stop her from biting! But it did. That simple. Or when you want your dog to come to you, you must not run after her as she takes that for a game, but simply sit down and pat your legs.

We all love our dogs, there's no doubt. If we didn't, we wouldn't have got them in the first place. But that doesn't stop them from barking or biting. Just showing love and affection to the dog won't solve any behavior problem. If you are in the same situation I was, get this book, and you will see the benefits from the very first lesson. Thank you Mrs. Wilson.

On Saturday morning 2nd August 1997 I took my dog "Chisel" a boxer staffy X for a walk as usual to the shops. And as usual he dragged me from the moment I left my house to the moment I returned. My hands were sore and my arms were tired. At the shops he also jumped up playfully onto a passer by who was clearly not impressed.

I had heard about "Bark Busters" and had seen the book at the vets. I went down to my nearest bookstore on Saturday around lunchtime and bought the book. I read through the first half and then turned to my specific problem on dogs "pulling" on the leash.

By Monday morning 4th August 1997 my dog was walking calmly by my side and it was once again a pleasure to take him for a walk.

There are some other problems I would like to cure and I am confident that using the techniques outlined in the book I will have no problem

We couldn't leave our dog in the back yard because of her barking at children, at neighbors, at the enemy cats next door, at joggers . . . everyone and everything. After three or four days of following the suggestions in this book, we have no more annoying barking. None! It's a miracle.

I don't know this author and have no stake at all in her selling this book. But if you have a behavior problem with your dog, you'll never spend a better fifteen dollars (with shipping).

I cannot believe that all 4 of us read the same book, LOL -
I found it stunning and spent a lot of time picking my jaw up from the floor, :--))
or quoting the most-incredible parts to fellow-trainers, who were just as amazed as I was.

One of the most-bizarre suggestions regarded a teen-dog barking at visitors -
a very, very common behavior, indeed; most dogs find their bark around puberty, and begin to alert or bark territorially at non-family.


The author suggested THROW the throw-chain down repeatedly and SHOUT at the dog, LOL -
yeah, that'll work!
and if it did not, the book went on, persuade A FRIEND THE DOG LIKES to come over, and THAT person also shouts at the dog, flings the throw-chains forcefully to the floor, etc.

Q - how long do you think it would take, with both people shouting threats at the dog and smashing the throw-chains to the floor, to get a 6-to-9-month-old guarding breed to STOP barking?!

Personally, I think the owner (and friend!) are more-likely to develop laryngitis over the next week or so, LOL, than for any teenaged Rott, GSD, Dobe, etc, to shut-up in that weird scenario.

This book has some entertainment value, but I would *never!* suggest that anyone use it as a training manual - 2 thumbs DOWN for real-life application.
--- Terry Pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA; member of Truly Dog-Friendly

If you are a shepherd and consider your dog as more of a working partner than a loving pet, and if you spend most of your time with your dog working in the great outdoors, then this is the book for you. It is developed from techniques used to train working dogs, eg. to herd sheep, and uses methods that do not require a leashed dog, since working dogs are free ranging. Bark Busters requires no corrective (e.g., pronged) collar to tug on for quick correction, but requires you to carry things to throw at your dog when it misbehaves, such as beanbags, water balloons, or anything else to get its attention (stones, tree branches??). Any lead training is principally used toward getting your dog to mind off leash. Remember, you need your hands free to throw things at your dog and to use hand signals when it is in the next pasture. You are never to coddle or give treats to reinforce the training. You are supposed to yell and growl at your dog, including mixing positive commands with sounds of disapproval (and your dog will figure out what you mean?). You are supposed to use people and bonds already formed to break the dog of bad habits, since you will rarely encounter other people, other animals, or the unexpected in your fenced fields. You may probably guess if you have read this far that I believe this type of training is totally ridiculous for training a house pet. If you want your dog to flinch when you come near, and if you feel the power from intimidation, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, choose a technique based on collar/leash training, treat reinforcement and praise. If you love your dog, never treat it as recommended in this sorry book.