We recently met Lissette and Derek Anovick of Bark Busters, when we heard about their services from our friend Dyanah Musgrave, who sings their praises and has known them for years. While their business is based over the hill in Las Vegas they travel regularly into town and serve the needs of Boulder City dog owners regularly. Given their specialty, we decided we wanted to learn more!
We all want our dogs to be good canine citizens. If you have a dog with behaviors that are hard to control that becomes perplexing, frustrating, and downright stressful. We’ve all seen (or sometimes are the owner) of “that dog” who just won’t behave the way we want them to, especially when out in public and around other humans or animals. It’s hard to know what to do at times.
More Than Dog Trainers
There are a few options in town for basic dog training. Courses are offered via the City’s Parks and Rec department, and also Michelle Carrol of Critter Sitter’s will soon be offering services as well.
But Lissette and Derek are dog behavioral specialists. Meaning they have additional training and certification to handle problem animals. They also visit your home to help work with your pets (and this means your whole ‘animal kingdom’) in their most common environment and help the complete family better understand your dog’s needs.
Lissette tells us they can help with dogs who are aggressive with other animals, even with very extreme behaviors. She also talks about the very common issue of separation anxiety – you go to work or school, and your dog tears up the house or has other problems.
She says the initial home evaluation is super important. What your dog eats, where they sleep, household routines, all impact behavior with other members of the family whether animal or human. She says one of the most mis-understood influences can be what you feed your dog. Just like with us, some foods may not sit right with their system and cause them to act out in different ways. (Sort of like us – when we don’t feel good, we’re cranky too!)
They will help owners with puppy training or dog walking basics, but when you hire Bark Busters to partner with your pet(s) they are in it for the life of your dog. Even if you move there is likely another Bark Busters trainer nearby who is still on board to help you for the entire run of your dog’s life.
Reviews from other local Boulder City dog owners can be found HERE.
Here in town, we are a bit unusual in that we have no leash laws, so dogs can roam our parks with their humans freely. We all enjoy seeing walkers out with their pets, and we have so many amazing outdoor events and festivals and of course when appropriate for the weather, we like to have our fur-family with us! But many of us have witnessed occasional issues that have been created by dogs their owners don’t seem to have full control over. So dog handling and behavior becomes a quality of life issue for all of us.
With so much to recommend them, plus the fact that their services are needed and welcomed – everywhere – makes us feel good to share this business as a resource for local residents. Thanks to other local residents for putting us in touch with these folks! We hope you find them useful!
