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THE BARK BUSTERS 'TAIL'

Bark Busters Home Dog Training have been helping owners and their dogs since 1989. One of the world's largest dog training businesses, operating around the world

SPEAKING DOG THE BARK BUSTERS WAY

Bark Busters Dog Training

Following is the story of how Bark Busters was born and how it came to be. Our Head Office is in Wollongong NSW Australia.

BARK BUSTERS IS BORN

Bark Busters was formed in Australia in 1989 by Sylvia and Danny Wilson, expert dog trainers and authors of many dog training books on dog psychology and training.

Sylvia managed an RSPCA shelter for 10 years, in the Southeast of NSW Australia, before forming Bark Busters with her husband, Danny.

She had studied the behaviour and communication methods of dogs from childhood. While managing the shelter she was saddened by the number of dogs she saw being maltreated, abandoned and euthanised for behavioural problems, which she knew was due to a lack of consistent leadership, understanding and clear ‘canine communication’.

 

Meanwhile on the other side of the globe Danny was working with farm dogs and helping farmers deal with behavioural issues. Danny realised early on, that ‘communication’ between man and dog was one of the most important ingredients in stabilising and calming stressed and traumatised dogs. 

The merging of their ideas became the basis for creating the Bark Busters innovative, naturalistic and holistic training techniques. Our unique techniques have propelled Bark Busters' phenomenal growth worldwide.

Bark Busters is now the world's largest dog training company with more than 300 trainers worldwide.

 

ABOUT SYLVIA AND DANNY

Sylvia was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom and emigrated to Australia with her parents at the age of 5.

Danny was born in Australia but was brought up near Newcastle-upon-Tyne United Kingdom. He returned to Australia when he was 26.

Some years later, Sylvia first met Danny when she was managing an RSPCA branch. They realised there must be a way to stop dogs from being returned to the shelter because of their behaviour. This is how Bark Busters came into being.

Danny and Sylvia’s comments:

"We realised, while working at the RSPCA centre, that many dogs were being surrendered in their prime by their owners who could not control their bad behaviour. At the time there was no help for these people whose problems fell through the cracks“
"We noticed that many dog trainers were reluctant to deal with dogs deemed dangerous or difficult to train. Many prefer to recommend euthanasia without even meeting these dogs face to face. We never recommend euthanasia. We never turn any dog away!"

 

AWARD WINNING COMPANY

  • 2017 Sylvia Wilson named winner of the PetAge Icon Award
  • 2015 Sylvia Wilson named by Smart Companies-Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs in Australia
  • 2014 Sylvia Wilson named Entrepreneur of the Year-Women in the Pet Industry Network USA
  • 2013 Sylvia Wilson named by Smart Companies-Top 30 Female Entrepreneurs in Australia
  • 2007 Bark Busters named Australia's 5th fastest growing franchise in BRW's Hot Franchises List
  • 2006 Sylvia Wilson (co-founder) recognised in BRW's Top 10 Australian Women Entrepreneurs List
  • 2005 Illawarra Business Awards - Winner of the Wollongong City Council Innovation category
  • 2004 Illawarra Business Awards - Winner of Exporter of the Year category
  • 2002 Australia Post Small Business Awards- Small Business of the Year Winner. Integral Energy Illawarra Small Business Awards - Winner of Oz Industry, Export & Small Business Categories
  • 1999 Sylvia Wilson inducted into Business Women's Hall of Fame-Australian Women’s Business Network
  • 1998 Telstra Small Business Awards - Winner and Telstra Small Business Awards Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year (NSW) - Winner

 

BARK BUSTERS TRAINING IS AHEAD OF THE PACK

OUR TRAINERS HAVE THAT SPECIAL SOMETHING!
  • Our trainers are passionate about the welfare of dogs
  • Bark Busters training never employs any harsh methods
  • They care for their clients
  • Follow the holistic teachings of the Founders
  • They deliver a professional service.
  • They get results, where others fail.
Bark Busters is a howling success!
  • Bark Busters is a well-established, respected worldwide dog training system, established in 6 countries.
  • Our system is holistic, kind and humane, using a unique method of training which is based on communication, not treats or pain.
  • Bark Busters has trained over 1 million dogs worldwide.
  • Bark Busters’ dog training is non-physical, effective and fast.
  • We use the dogs’ own language and teach the owners how to communicate with their dogs.

 

BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES ARE NORMAL DOG BEHAVIOUR

BEHAVIOUR THAT ANNOYS HUMANS

Dog behavioural issues, those things that humans think of as unacceptable, are just normal dog behaviour.

In the dog world, dogs bark, chew, jump up, dig holes, snap, bite, and chase animals.

It's when the dog enters the human world that this behaviour is frowned upon.

It's these behaviours that humans commonly need help to address.

Dogs understand and Speak Dog

Dogs in the ‘dog world’, living with other dogs, don’t seek help to address other dogs behavioural issues, they deal with things themselves in a ‘canine way’.

It’s called ‘canine communication’ and most dogs will do what we want them to do, if we also communicate in a canine way and speak in a language they understand.

 

BARK BUSTERS TRAINING PHILOSOPHY

We know dogs have their own form of "CANINE COMMUNICATION"

BARK BUSTERS use the dog’s form of communication to train, educate and form a strong ‘HUMAN-CANINE’ BOND.

We know that a ‘mother dog’ raises her puppies to LIVE with dogs, NOT humans.

We believe that she provided the BLUEPRINT to show us how to educate and COMMUNICATE with them.

Bark Busters BELIEVE that the human has to LEARN the WAYS of the DOG.

"...if they want to form a ‘BOND that will LAST and one that is built on Mutual RESPECT’."

"...it’s amazing the results we achieve in just two to three hours.”

 

A GUARANTEE NO ONE CAN MATCH

The Bark Busters worldwide guarantee is unique in the industry.

It is designed to help owners ensure that a dog’s behaviour and obedience issues are resolved, and to provide customers with ongoing peace of mind and is redeemable in any country where Bark Busters is established.

Dog owners who have moved from the USA to Australia, for example, would be able to redeem their guarantee in that country.

The guarantee moves with the dog!

If a dog is rehomed, the Bark Busters guarantee goes with the dog and is redeemable by the new owner.

Over 35 years of history - over 1 million dogs trained!

 

WE ARE ALWAYS GROWING AND LEARNING

OUR TRAINERS NEVER FINISH LEARNING.

We are constantly upgrading their training because dogs are always teaching us something new every single day.

 

THE BARK BUSTERS PROMISE: WE TRAIN ANY DOG, ANY AGE, ANY PROBLEM!

OUR PHILOSOPHY, IS NO DOG SHOULD EVER BE TURNED AWAY REGARDLESS OF ITS PROBLEMS, AGE, OR BREED.

"We are impressed with Philippa's knowledge and approach. She took all the time needed to analyse our situation and propose a tailored training plan to address the reactivity issues with our dog, which was our main concern. She also proposed to improve behaviour around leash walking, recall and stay. Our dog, a 5 year old Kelpie cross responds well to the training methods. The training plan consists of daily short specific exercises based on "passively" establishing leadership and no-treats positive feedback. Our dog respond well to this approach and seems happier and more relaxed now. We're looking forward to our second session with Philippa."

Peter
Trainer: Philippa Dakin

"We were very pleased how much we achieved in our first lesson and the changes in Cruz"

Brett
Trainer: Martin Blattman

"Kelly has already after lesson 1 been able to assist our family , enabling boundary setting , setting hierarchy in place to deal with behavioural issues and getting us to a calm space"

Julie
Trainer: Kelly McClelland

"I cannot say enough positive things about Kelly. From the moment we met and she came to our home we felt reassured and knew we had made the right decision in joining BarkBusters. Kelly was so informative and caring, really listened and knew exactly what was needed to do in assisting us to train our cheeky toy poodle Rusty. :) We are excited for our next lessons and for the well trained dog I know Kelly will help us achieve. Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou......."

terriann
Trainer: Kelly McClelland

"Kye is honestly one of the best dog trainers I’ve worked with. My dog had resource guarding issues, and after just a few sessions and following his plan, it’s like the problem never existed. He communicates really clearly, listens well, and always remembers the little details about our dog and past lessons. He’s also super available whenever I have questions. I’m so impressed with the results and would highly recommend him to anyone feeling stressed about their dog’s behaviour. He also addressed other little habits I didn’t notice before or raised with him. I would really recommend him to anyone looking for a knowledgeable trainer with real results!!"

Ally
Trainer: Kye Morris

"Had a fantastic experience with Philippa from Bark Busters. Everything was explained in an easy to understand way and we could see the results with our two dogs immediately. She gave us all the right tools and techniques to continue our training at home so now it’s up to us to be consistent with it!"

Ed
Trainer: Philippa Dakin

"🐾 BARK BUSTERS MAGIC! 🐾 We had the best experience with Bark Busters Home Dog Training, and I just have to share it! From the moment I filled in their online form, the communication was amazing — quick, clear, and super friendly. Because a spot opened up, we even got booked in within the week! 🙌 When Glen arrived, our dogs wasted NO time showing him their usual “talent”… aka loud, chaotic front‑door greetings. 😂 But honestly, Glen worked magic from the second he walked in. He reset the energy in our home instantly and showed us how to take the lead in a way the dogs understood straight away. The best part? ✨ Training was done at home (so convenient!) ✨ NO treats, no shock devices, no gadgets — just simple, calm communication ✨ He taught us how to show the dogs what we expect ✨ Our “family pack” hierarchy finally made sense ✨ And the results… were JAW‑DROPPING from day one 🤯🐶 We learned so much, Glen was fantastic to work with, and the dogs responded better than we ever imagined. I 100% recommend Bark Busters to anyone with dogs — honestly the only downside is that I wish we had called them sooner! ❤️🐾 #BarkBusters #DogTraining #WorthEverySecond #HappyPups #DogParents #GameChanger"

Hanri
Trainer: Glen & Maureen Guelfi

"I was unable to be at the first training lesson due to work commitments, my wife was very skeptical about the training as we have had experts before but with minimal results, after the first lesson my wife rang me and was over the moon with the results she had seen in the first couple of hours with Emma's tuition and with the ongoing lessons felt confident we could get control of our headstrong puppy"

Craig
Trainer: Emma Reeves

"We can’t thank Martin enough for the incredible transformation we’ve seen in just a few days. Before we started training, Ollie’s behaviour when visitors came to our home was overwhelming — he would become overexcited, jump up constantly, and struggle to settle. Walks were just as challenging, as he pulled relentlessly on the lead, turning what should have been enjoyable outings into stressful experiences. Thanks to the knowledge and guidance we received, Ollie has made remarkable progress in a small amount of time. He is calm and shows self-control, when anyone comes to the door. Ollie is also showing progress with our walking training in the backyard. The training methods Martin provided were clear, practical, and tailored specifically to Ollie’s needs. We felt supported every step of the way and learned so much about how to communicate with him effectively. We’re so grateful for the positive impact this has had on our daily life. I would highly recommend this trainer to anyone struggling with similar issues."

Kim
Trainer: Martin Blattman

"Thank you Emma for showing me how to communicate with my dog. Now that I know how to express what I want, he is less confused, more relaxed and me too!"

Cecile
Trainer: Emma Reeves

 

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