I would recommend Gerard to anybody with a problematic dog.
We have an Australian Shepherd that was unpredictable, snappy, fearful, and generally anxious.
This training was well worth the money, and we can now enjoy ourselves with our dog without constantly worrying about him getting out of control in social situations.
Thank you!!!
G+G.... and Bricey in Tucson, Az (not beastly anymore) posted 4/2010
My dog, Ms. Dolittle, was afraid to come up the stairs to my apartment. I had to carry her up the stairs every time we went outside. She is overweight and my back and knees hurt badly. I almost moved to a downstairs apartment and then I found Gerard and Bark Busters. It took Gerard two visits before she was going up the stairs and does it every time now. He was the best thing that ever happened in our lives. Thank you for your patients and the love you show in your training.
-- Jackie Farrar and Ms Dolittle Tucson, AZ posted 2/2010
Gerard was absolutely top notch working with our lab Scout. We were amazed with what he could do with an over-exuberant 6 year old lab. He is extremely knowledgeable, very patient and clearly adapts his training methods to the individual dog and his/her tendencies, issues and personality. We saw tangible results on Gerard's first visit with us. We would absolutely recommend Gerard to any of our friends looking for a great dog trainer who is highly effective.
Scott & Kim Campbell Tucson, AZ. Posted 12-2009
When we decided to add a dog to our family, we really had no idea just how in over our heads we were about to get. We adopted a young puppy, cute as could be, and quickly fell in love with her. Everything went great until our adorable baby girl had to go potty. She only knew how to go, and we were completely lost on how to teach her where to go. Soon our little girl grew, and with her increased size, the messes she was leaving behind got bigger, too. Holly (our puppy) is a Great Dane, so she really did start leaving big messes all over the house in short order. By the time we discovered Bark Busters and had Gerard make his first home visit, we had to ask him to wear plastic bags over his feet to protect himself from any puddles we may have missed! It was completely humiliating. As much as we adored Holly, we were at the brink of giving her away because we simply didn't know how to train her. Gerard was our last hope. Within 30 minutes Gerard had asked lots of questions to get to know Holly and where we were at with her. He knew exactly what we needed and just how urgent the situation was. The next hour was spent with Gerard showing us how to correctly interact with Holly, in a less confusing way for her, so she would get the message and understand what we wanted of her. He showed us what to do, and then he watched us as we did the same things. Gerard was incredibly patient and never seemed discouraged by our frustrations. It was our surprise to see Holly learn her first basic commands during that initial visit with Gerard. Holly is now nine and a half months old, weighs about 100 pounds, and while she is still very much a puppy, she is a manageable and a permanent part of our family. She hasn't had an accident in the house in many months, and she only had a couple after Gerard's first visit! Even Holly is a happier girl since we have learned how to communicate with her in a good and consistent way. She knows what we want from her, and it makes her proud to fulfill our wishes. It really is thanks to Gerard that we still have Holly. We wouldn't have made it much longer with the way things were going before he came to our rescue. Now we get all the good out of being dog owners, without all the bad that comes from a poorly trained dog.
Venessia R. Vail, AZ. Posted 12-2009
Gerard, we can't thank you enough for taking the time to teach us how to properly train Lucy. You answered all of my questions and made yourself always available if we had any problems. We were very lucky that Lucy, by nature, is a very smart, loving and easy going Goldendoodle pup. After just a few 5 minute sessions a day, she is already responding to all of the commands (and several cool tricks, which have impressed all of our friends, since she is only 6 months old). She still has selective hearing when she is given the command to come, especially while at the park with all of her friends. We will keep working on that one. Thanks again Gerard for getting us off to a great start.
-- Jane Smith Marana Posted 12-2009
I was very happy having Gerard train my dog, Diva. He is patient with me and the dog. He comes up with original ideas for each individual dog and owner. He is responsible, returning calls and answering questions. He always arrived on time for lessons and no matter what problem I was having with my dog, he figured out a way to resolve it.
Kirk Sketchley Tucson, AZ. Posted 11-2009
Gerard is a patient, knowledgeable, gentle trainer who can get my dog, Maddie, to do anything. Since I am in a wheelchair, he used innovative and creative ways to train Maddie. He taught her to be able to walk alongside my wheelchair without jumping or getting tangled in the leash. He also trained her not to bark when the doorbell rang, not to jump on people, to walk off leash and to respond when I call her. He did it it in a positive, loving way. I call him the 'Dog Whisperer of Tucson'.
Michelle L
Tucson, AZ. Posted 11-2009
Gerard has proven to us that "you can teach an old dog new tricks."
We are grateful that the "tools" Gerard gave us to train our 7 year old Jack Russell Terrier, Katie, made such a big improvement in her behavior in just a month. In just a few short weeks she changed from an aggressive, anti-social, fearful barker to an obedient, calm, friendly, social dog. The change in her has amazed our friends and neighbors. And Katie
is enjoying all the extra attention because she is so well-behaved.
Thank you, Gerard, and BarkBusters.
June, Skip & Katie
Tucson, Posted 9-2009
Like many rescued dogs, Susie came with temperament problems. When I first brought her home, she barked so much when I was at work that the neighbors complained! She was so excited to wake up every day that she nearly bit my face off with good morning kisses. She ate toilet paper. She jumped up on everyone. When the doorbell rang, she went berserk! She was just plain anxious and needy. . . . I checked out Bark Busters on the Internet. I was impressed by the testimonials and by the company's history and philosophy. That night, I called the 877 number, and within a short time, Gerard Raneri called me. We talked for quite a while and set up an appointment for the next weekend. ~ After a few sessions with Gerard, Susie is a much happier dog, and I'm a much, much happier mom. After our first session, her barking cut in half. After the second session, it cut in half again. She now sits politely [when the doorbell rings] and waits for me to say 'okay' before greeting guests. She used to take me for walks, and now I take her. Within just a few moments' training, she was heeling. My friends and family have noticed how Susie has calmed down. She still has her moments, but the change is remarkable. I realize that it's up to me to be the leader. It was so awkward for me to growl and be assertive with Susie, but I knew it was the key to success. ~ I would recommend Bark Busters (and especially Gerard) to anyone in need of dog training (or people training, which it really is). . . . Thanks, Gerard!
-- Cary D., Tucson , AZ
We are so impressed with Gerard and the Bark Busters method. Having a trainer come to our home to work with us and our dogs is priceless. We have tried other training companies and just found that when working in a group setting, we learned a standard set of "tricks." With Gerard, we get to work on any problems we feel we are having with our dogs, and we get to work at home in our problem environment. Now our home is relaxed and quiet, and our dogs and family are much happier. Thanks for everything!
— B. Gonzalez, Tucson, AZ (Trainer: Gerard Raneri)
My shepherd mix, Echo, was having some minor behavioral issues that were beginning to become major issues. Not only did Echo need to be trained but I also needed to be taught how to properly train and handle my dog. Gerard did a wonderful job teach Echo and me to get her behavior under control. Gerard would meet me pretty much where ever and when ever I wanted which made things very easy. I would recommend Gerard to anyone who wants to train their dog.
— Ryan, Tucson, AZ (Trainer: Gerard Raneri)
We had tremendous success with Gerard and the Bark Busters method. Within two sessions, the major behavior problems we were having were resolved (barking and pulling on the leash) and we were able to move on to sitting, staying, coming on command and even working off the leash. Gerard was flexible, always working around our schedule and really went the extra mile to get to know our family and our dog to tailor his training to our dog's specific personality and needs.
— Marianne Robinson, Tucson, AZ (Trainer: Gerard Raneri)
I love how our trainer interacts with our Chihuahua, Nena. Nena is a 7-month-old puppy, who displays many puppy behaviors that, as an individual trying to train her on my own, I could not get under control. She still has a long way to go, but in the short time our Bark Busters trainer, Gerard, has been with us, has come to show the proper way of dealing with Nena's bad behaviors, and has been very patient with my learning of how to properly train Nena. One of our major accomplishments in the short time our trainer has been here is getting Nena to walk down the stairs of our home. From the time we got the dog, she would not go near or even walk down the first step. In one visit, Gerard was able to get Nena to walk down and up the stairs with ease, and she was not afraid of the steps anymore. The one thing that drew us to this service was the lifetime guarantee. This gives me time to gradually learn to train the dog. Our trainer is very personable and always willing to lend a helping hand and is a credit to the Bark Busters company.
— Joe Barrier, Tucson, AZ (Trainer: Gerard Raneri)
Bindi is doing great. We all enjoyed the training and are so excited and relieved. We ran her through a few more "come" commands and even when she had her babies, she paid attention. A few times I had to advance toward her, immediately she was submissive and came to me. Bark Busters is great. I just can't wait to see how this will change our family...it already has!
— Kathy Roby, Tucson, AZ (Trainer: Gerard Raneri)
