Emma dealt with Barking, Pulling
Our whippet was reactive to other dogs and pulled on the lead - nothing we had tried had any success. We contacted Emma at Bark Busters to see if she could help. Emma reassured us that the training didn't use any harsh methods but neither did it use treats, which did leave us wondering a bit how it was going to work! Emma took a full history and listened carefully to the issues we had before even meeting our dog. She then explained the framework which would help our dog to understand what she had to do, and us to be better at responding in difficult situations. Emma left us with some exercises to practice and a plan of how to proceed, explaining that it is not an instant cure but that over time, our dog would improve. This took the pressure off us so we didn't feel we had to get it right straightaway. However, to our surprise, even the first exercises produced a noticeable difference in our dog's behaviour. We built up slowly as advised and she continued to improve. On about 2 or 3 occasions, we got "stuck" at a particular point when our dog seemed to reach a plateau and we couldn't work out how to progress. On each occasion, Emma was able to offer advice with a phone call, email or a visit which enabled us to get over that hump and to keep moving forwards. Just over six months on, and our dog is completely different. She walks calmly, she listens to us and no longer barks furiously at every dog she sees. We still have to pay attention, but we can now interpret her body language and intervene to stop any unwanted behaviour before it starts. Out dog is generally more relaxed and confident around other dogs when off lead, too. We couldn't be more pleased with her progress and are very grateful to Emma for all her advice and support. And there really were no treats required!
- A.B, Warwick (Testimonial)