The Difference Between

Dog Behavior Modification & Dog Obedience Training

Jumping up, pulling on the lead, biting, mouthing, nipping, inappropriate toileting, aggression towards dogs, food aggression, aggression towards family members, pack aggression, stranger aggression, fear aggression, inattentiveness (dogs that won’t listen), poor recall (dogs that won’t come back when called), destructive behaviors, chasing cats, horses and livestock, over exuberance, nuisance barking, crying, yelping, howling, separation anxiety, digging, escaping, chewing, hyperactivity, item obsession, phobias or general disobedience.

Whatever your dog training requirements are, rest assured that our Bark Busters dog trainers can deal with any problem. Any dog, any age, whatever the issue, do not despair – Bark Busters can help!

COMMON BEHAVIOR

Most behavioral issues are learned based on both experiences and environment. That’s why in-home dog training is so effective because this is where most behavioral issues occur because it’s where your dog feels the safest. Because your dog can’t speak English and you can’t “speak dog” many miscommunications occur. Bark Busters can teach you how to communicate with your dog in a language he understands.

Connie H.

Ruth was kind, observant and compassionate. I saw results very quickly with her hands on instruction and easy notes to help me practice. She helped me understand how my behavior and tone affects the […]

Connie H. | South Lyon, Oakland
Janet H.

Ruth Skinner came to our home to train our dog. She gave me instructions and the tools to use to train him. She followed up with me today, and I told her that he caught on very fast and that i will […]

Janet H. | New Hudson, Oakland
Laurie O.

We’re so pleased with the knowledge we gained from our first 2 hr. session. We were introducing a younger dog to an older dog who will be living in the same home. The older dog was not happy and we […]

Laurie O. | Pinckney
Rex and Marie C.

We have 3 dogs (1 older and 2 younger) They are relatively well-behaved around us, however, they had a habit of barking loudly and aggressively at other people. It got to the point that we actually […]

Rex and Marie C. | Brighton, Livingston
Claire K.

We were so pleased with our time with Ruth! She gave us some great tips and was so encouraging. Colt is a pit bull living with three golden retrievers who are best of friends. He stays to himself […]

Claire K. | Lake Orion, Oakland
Amber T.

If you are like me and looking through countless reviews before you schedule an appointment for your dogs behavior issues, I remember how overwhelming it felt but I truly believe you are making the […]

Amber T. | Howell, Livingston
Susan B.

I understand that there is already one Dog Whisperer, but I am convinced that Ruth is the Midwest's version! My Luna is a rescue dog and she is very anxious. She would always approach a situation with […]

Susan B. | Ann Arbor
Michelle T.

I don't think I really realized how stressed and overwhelmed I really felt about my dogs' behaviors or my inability to effectively lead them until Ruth came to our home. I knew my dogs were anxious […]

Michelle T. | Lake Orion, Oakland
Beth N.

Ruth was very helpful to my husband and myself on how to help Angel. Was a great experience. […]

Beth N. | Howell
Carol G.

The day of the lesson I saw results but was concerned it may have been because the trainer was there, however, the dog has continued to respond all week now. We have made significant progress in […]

Carol G. | BRIGHTON
Teresa H.

Ruth was extremely kind and detailed. The behavior was already different by the time she left. Looking forward to seeing results after some time implementing ideas. I think us humans over complicate […]

Teresa H. | Howell, Livingston
Alison B.

I can't say enough good things about Bark Busters training, and Ruth in particular. Our dog Jake is a good dog, but a big puppy (now 85 lbs at 10 months), so the normal puppy things like pulling, […]

Alison B. | Ann Arbor
Lue B.

I adopted my rescue sweetie on June 30, 2018; he is a poodle mix about 4-5 years old. We’ve been working with Ruth from Bark Busters for about four months. We needed help with greeting people, […]

Lue B. | Brighton, Livingston
Stephanie S.

We had one 2 hour session today with Ruth. We already see noticeable improvement in Hugo. No lie. He is taking cues, responding to commands, and seems calmer. My husband and I are very inspired. We […]

Stephanie S. | Saline, Washtenaw
April S.

Boomer and I have needed a lot of help for some time now with our communication and with our first baby on the way I knew that dog training was something that needed to be done and FAST. I found Bark […]

April S. | Howell, Livingston
Suellyn V.

Nickel is a wonderful pet who barks loudly at other dogs and many people including our neighbors. I wanted help controlling some of this behavior without using aggressive or negative reinforcement […]

Suellyn V. | Mason
Adam S.

My family loved Ruth and the manner she presented all of the information. It was a lot to take in but she had such a calm, relaxed approach it made my wife and kids feel very confident. The basic […]

Adam S. | New Hudson
Janna W.

I can't say enough about the great skills Ruth taught to Jerry, and Buster and I! We had a ten person dinner party this evening which was a complete success thanks to you Ruth! God bless you! […]

Janna W. | Saline
Cheryl S.

The training session was informative and hands-on. It has been easy to follow the instructions. […]

Cheryl S. | Ann Arbor
Kim B.

Muncie has really bad separation anxiety. I had to take her to work with me, and couldn't do simple tasks around the house without her right by my side. With Ruth's help after a few days it is already […]

Kim B. | Lake Orion
Amanda and Stefan S.

We loved Ruth and so did our puppy! We thank her a million times over for the help with our puppy! We've only had one training session so far and we're 100% satisfied ! […]

Amanda and Stefan S. | Howell
ADRIENNE F.

Ruth was very encouraging and explained everything in good detail. Theo responded well as did my other dog. I used the technique a few hours after Ruth left and I was able to cook dinner without […]

ADRIENNE F. | Ann Arbor
Maureen S.

Ruth is amazing! She's very knowledgeable and helpful. In just 1 1/2 hours with her here showing us techniques and giving us a different perspective on how to deal with him, he was a different dog. […]

Maureen S. | New Hudson
Amanda N.

My fiancé and I have 2 pitbulls, Miley is 8 years old and Bogey will be 2 this year. We have had our hands full! = Sibling rivalry became an issue, our oldest would become more aggressive […]

Amanda N. | Brighton
Susie S.

Ruth was wonderful! She was very easy to reach and schedule an appointment with and even offered a lot of helpful tips over the phone before we even met in person. She was prompt, organized, and was […]

Susie S. | South Lyon
Heather C.

I'm thrilled with how much of a difference Bark Busters has made on my dog!! My trainer, Ruth, taught me how to handle almost any problem that I've experienced and even problems that I could […]

Heather C. | Dexter
Lisa D.

Ruth was great. She understood our dog so well. We are pleased with the results so far. […]

Lisa D. | Brighton
Megan Q.

It was great! I couldn't believe how well Cash responded to the training! Ruth was very nice and helpful! The training made a lot of sense! Thank you so much! […]

Megan Q. | Brooklyn
Angel H.

It's only been 24 hours since we had our training, but Remy is already catching on and making great progress. Ruth was very knowledgeable and had great remedies for the problems that we were […]

Angel H. | Brighton
David T.

Working with a 5 month old puppy has its challenges. Ruth showed consistency and Shanti did begin to listen over time. She also determined some parts of boundary training were not yet going to work […]

David T. | Ypsilanti
Martha H.

Very helpful. Ruth assessed well the parts of communication that were working well and the parts that needed help. The training techniques she introduced me to worked wonders, and my dog Lily was very […]

Martha H. | Ann Arbor
Selene N.

Ruth did an amazing job of teaching my daughter and I how to read the behavior of our dog, Snoopy, and how to interpret it so that we could take the steps necessary to train him. He used to drive us […]

Selene N. | Ann Arbor
Mike and Angi P.

Ruth was excellent. Very knowledgeable. The puppies took to her right away. Rambunctious Oscar didn't like being told what to do but came around nicely. […]

Mike and Angi P. | Saline
Aaron J.

It went very well, and both dogs responded much better than expected. Ruth was extremely friendly and helpful. […]

Aaron J. | Ypsilanti
Jon W.

We have 2 ESS and 2 Westys. Aggression with the male springer, Jasper, was the issue relating to neighbor dog(s). Ruth quickly identified the root issue with the aggression. This made perfect sense. […]

Jon W. | Fowlerville
Brandi S.

Ruth was amazing with helping to solve our dog's issue with marking in the house. We had recently moved and previously house trained our puppy. Jax began to mark in the house up to 7 times per day. […]

Brandi S. | Saline
Gail G.

We were very pleased with our first session. My husband and I immediately liked Ruth; she is extremely easy to converse with and knowledgeable. We just had a few traits we wanted to work on with our […]

Gail G. | Waterford
Beverley G.

Ruth is EXCELLENT. Modeled everything, instructed me, guided me to train my dog in items listed below. I've used several trainers with other dogs. Ruth, and the Barkbusters system approach to […]

Beverley G. | Ann Arbor
Doreen W.

Ruth Skinner was very professional and friendly. She accomplished dramatic results in less than two hours. Jesse was a sweet, friendly dog most of the time but she was beginning to show […]

Doreen W. | South Lyon
Karen D.

I was so impressed! Within minutes Roscoe was like a different puppy! […]

Karen D. | Ann Arbor
Sean & Samantha M.

Ruth worked amazingly with us and our puppy !! She explained the training process thoroughly. The demonstrations and "hands on" training were key to our learning. Our goals were exceeded in the […]

Sean & Samantha M. | South Lyon
Alexandra S.

Vinny is my 2 year old rescue pit bull who struggled with fear aggression, barking at strangers, ect. I had an unfortunate incident where he attacked someone and it made me fearful of trusting him […]

Alexandra S. | Ypsilanti
Dawn & Brian H.

Our trainer, Ruth, was prompt, professional, and personable. She spent plenty of time with us, teaching us several techniques that were immediately effective. We are practicing what she taught and […]

Dawn & Brian H. | South Lyon
Diane S.

Ruth is wonderful, she was at our home for two hours. She worked great with us and Arrow. We are empty nesters, treating Arrow as one of the pack and we were not the leaders of him. I've been a […]

Diane S. | Brighton
Jaquelin W.

Ruth is great! The training is extremely helpful. Each time we meet she gives Rocky and I homework and he showed signs of improvement after the first lesson we had. I would highly recommend her to […]

Jaquelin W. | South Lyon
Kathy R.

I was really impressed with how quickly and well Bacardi´responded to Ruth's methods. Now I just have to remember to be consistent with applying them! […]

Kathy R. | Brighton
Brittany C.

I am very pleased with Ruth and what she has done for Mya. Thankfully Ruth has been able to explain Mya's anxiety in a way that makes sense! Mya responded well to the first training session and I […]

Brittany C. | Saline
Bob & Ellen D.

Ruth is very patient with both dog and owners. She understands issues very well and is confident in her techniques. She is very interested in resolving problems and behaviors with both dog and […]

Bob & Ellen D. | Ypsilanti
Patti M.

I am so grateful and in such SHOCK! I HIGHLY recommend Bark Busters for dog training and corrective behavior. I especially HIGHLY recommend Ruth Skinner. She is AMAZING! I'm exhausted. I just spent […]

Patti M. | Howell
Jacci D.

My rescue dog Dunkn came from a puppy mill, he was a stud that lived in a cage. He had no idea what the outdoors was like, birds, squirrels or stairs. When outside he would stare, and drink the […]

Jacci D. | Brighton
Debra R.

I was becoming increasingly worried about my dog's fear aggression getting worse and also afraid of having an incident resulting in a dog bite. I googled home dog trainers and luckily clicked on Bark […]

Debra R. | Brighton
Allison B.

We were extremely happy with the two training sessions, both during the actual session and the results of the sessions. Ruth's methods were very effective for our sensitive and slightly anxious dog […]

Allison B. | Ann Arbor
Cheri G.

I absolutely loved Bark Busters. It was extremely beneficial to be at home, as this is where I see most of the behavioral problems. We already tried classes at a local store, but those are only […]

Cheri G. | Brighton
Cris G.

I have a 6 year old, 110 pound German Shepherd who is very sweet and fairly well-trained, but who is anxious and a little unpredictable around children. He's a very loud barker, with no real […]

Cris G. | Hartland
Carolyn C.

I was very close to finding someone that would take my male boxer pup and give him the structure I was obviously not providing. I had just about reached the end of the training rope. Then, a friend […]

Carolyn C. | Ann Arbor
Katie H.

I was very nervous before our first session - I was embarrassed that I had let things get out of control with Bella, but Ruth put me at ease right away and the training was fun. It works !! I feel […]

Katie H. | Fenton
Holli T.

It has been awesome having Ruth available to back me up whenever a problem has come about. Ruth's instructions are very clear and easy to use. […]

Holli T. | Brighton
Holli T.

Ruth has been a lifesaver! We adopted a Mastiff mix puppy last year and brought her into a house of chaos with kids, grand kids, other animals. We hired Bark Busters for puppy management and decided […]

Holli T. | Brighton
Linda N.

I was very pleased with Ruth's instruction and enjoyed the training being in my home. The techniques are easy to follow and something we can do on our own. Very enjoyable experience ... Should have […]

Linda N. | Ypsilanti
Steve & Lindsay E.

Our dog has done a complete 180 !! The training was easy to follow and has worked incredibly on our dog. The training was worth every penny !! […]

Steve & Lindsay E. | Whitmore Lake
Keith & Elise Y.

Ruth knows her stuff !! Our puppy responded to the training right away. Every time we meet with Ruth, as our puppy gets older, we come up with a new action plan which helps a lot. We like how […]

Keith & Elise Y. | South Lyon
Delaine H.

Ruth was easy to understand and listened to our needs and concerns. We had another trainer last year and never got the results we did with Bark Busters. Both dogs responded fast and well. Ruth was […]

Delaine H. | Ypsilanti