Bark Busters Home Dog Training Greater San Diego

Nicrista-Jane Alfaro · 5★ · 2026-08-07

Five stars isn’t enough! Not only is Justin a proven expert trainer, the amount of compassion and commitment he has shown is unreal and truly heartwarming. He says his passion is helping people and their dogs, and I have no doubt about that.\n\nA month after separating from my partner and moving out to my own place, my leash aggressive, two year-old cane corso, Zeke, lunged at another dog in my apartment complex and took me with him. Fortunately, aside from a few cuts and bruises I sustained, everyone was OK. But the anxiety and emotional trauma that was left behind made me avoid taking Zeke out for walks all together and when I did my hands would start shaking. Thinking that I would be able to do it in my own, I watched hours and hours of dog training videos and even tried using an E collar, none of it helped. Not only were things stressful outside of the house, but inside of it too. My 14 year-old cocker spaniel and poodle mix, Lexi, is very reactive towards Zeke. Because her senses are not what they used to be. She has even mistaken me for Zeke and has snapped at me. The thought of me potentially losing my apartment, having to give up Zeke, and the fear that Lexi may accidentally bite one of my children caused even more stress on top of what I was already going through from the separation, so I knew I needed to get professional help.\n\nAfter just one phone call with Justin I already felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. We have only been working together for two weeks and have already seen improvement, not only with Zeke‘s responsiveness to corrections while on walks but with my confidence in leading my pups to a calm and happy life.\n\nJustin really set me up for success by giving me tools, demo videos, and tips - making me confident in my ability to correct Zeke’s leash reactivity. Walks with Zeke are so much more calm for us both!\n\nSo grateful for what Justin does and how he does it. He is so responsive and genuine, really making us a team with the same goals! Can’t recommend him enough! THANK YOU, Justin!

Laurel Quinlan · 5★ · 2026-04-21

Justin did an amazing job helping me support my rescued pup. Aerie was struggling with aggression toward everyone except me. This made it impossible to have people over and really limited her quality of life. She barked constantly and always seemed on high alert. I had to crank white noise every night to drown out noise outside, otherwise neither of us would sleep.\n\nIn just one session, Justin showed me how to communicate to Aerie that I’m the leader and protector, and her only job is to relax and enjoy herself. This training has given us so much hope! With consistency using Justin’s techniques, Aerie is now living her best life (and I am too!). We sleep through the night, and she ignores outside noises. Taking her for walks is much easier since she no longer lunges at everything. And I’m finally able to have people over again!\n\nAerie and I will be forever grateful for Justin’s passion and dedication to training. I can’t rave about our experience enough!

Cape Shirreff AERD · 5★ · 2026-03-09

We adopted a ~3yo male bull terrier mix from a shelter and needed help getting him settled in. He is nervous around men, especially tall men, and was starting to get very overly protective of our home. "Boot camp" options seemed extreme, so I called Bark Busters (BB), seeking in-home private lessons. Justin responded the same day I left a message, and we talked about my concerns with our new rescue. I decided to try the BB program, which ended up being the BEST DECISION for my pup and for me! Justin set up our first session with trainer/coach James. James spent much of the 1st session going through the goals, objectives and concepts of training, including a timeline based on reasonable expectations of my dog. James spent a lot of time explaining how to "read" my dog's behavior, and how to properly respond. He explained the concepts behind each step, which helped me to understand not just what to do, but why (thus enabling me to understand how to deploy the training to different situations). James also set up scenarios to practice, going through each step so I could gain confidence in what my role is while helping my dog settle. It really is about training the owner how to work with the dog. James provided summaries of each session, plus videos demonstrating how I can use different responses/techniques to reshape how my dog reacts to stressful situations. I saw significant progress very early in the training, and was surprised at how quickly we were able to help my dog understand his role (and to feel safe) in our home. The best part is that if I need more help, I just have to reach out to James/BB and schedule more sessions - this is included in the initial program. Given that it takes a rescue dog a while to COMPLETELY settle in, new issues could arise as time passes, and if so, all I have to do is call to set it up. In summary, Bark Busters is a GREAT dog training program, and James is a FANTASTIC BB trainer/coach! Definitely recommend Bark Busters to owners that want help with their dogs.

Michelle Opal-Smart · 5★ · 2026-07-10

Literally, the first day was a huge improvement. Our walks that were a chore I worked around times that I hoped nobody would be out and that were unpleasant at best have now turned into the thing I look forward to the most in my crazy day. We go out twice a day now and love every minute. My mini-schnauzer used to lunge, bark, snap and generally harass even people across 4 lanes but now he walks at my side and calmly deals with dogs, joggers, bikes, scooters, etc. Justin is amazing!! He checks in regularly and gives me actually useful help, like how to handle our recent road trip vacation to the mountains, the doorbell reaction and other things that just make living with a dog much better. I CANNOT say enough good about Justin and this program and already have talked it up to some neighbors.

jessica b · 5★ · 2026-04-23

Passionate. Professional. Patient.\n\nJustin Scher has provided much needed structure and guidance for us and our newly adopted dog.\n\nWe adopted Bug at the age of three with an unknown history. At first, he was heavily medicated for anxiety. He was fearful of restraint, was reactive with dogs, he would pace/whine and he would bark. We tried self paced online training which Bug was receptive to in the moment, but nothing that stuck when the stakes were high.\n\nThe idea of a lifetime guarantee was really critical for us. At our first session, Justin came to our house, walked in the door and Bug went wild. Justin gave a simple verbal correction and immediately Bug stopped. It was if Justin knew his language and just told Bug to “chill”. All I could think was we just paid for a lifetime membership of training when all we had to do was learn the right sound.\n\nWell, it is harder than it looks 🤣 Bug wasn’t immediately receptive to us the way he was with Justin. Justin would come right back over and Bug would listen to him, then Justin would leave again and we would hit a few snags. The lifetime training started to make a lot more sense when I realized Justin got to where he was with a lifetime of experience and we were just starting off. Justin truly is invested in us and in Bug. His communication is absolutely excellent. He is always checking in, sending us videos, making recommendations and setting up sessions. He pivots when needed and tailors his training for Bug.\n\nWe are still making adjustments here and there, but in just a few short weeks Bug is completely off all anxiety meds, he is walking politely without pulling or reacting to dogs and he is generally more happy and relaxed in our home.\n\nJustin didn’t train Bug how to give a paw, roll over or any other silly thing. Justin trained US on how to communicate effectively with Bug so we could help him understand and listen to our boundaries.\n\nThis is the single most important investment we have made as pet owners and it has turned out to be the single best investment we have made as well.