Sylvia Wilson and her husband, Danny, are the co-founders of the worlds largest dog training company, Bark Busters. They have spent the last 18 years training dog trainers, dog owners, and dogs in hundreds of cities across eight countries. Their secrets are now revealed in a new book, Training Dogs The Aussie Way.
Sylvia discusses and explains:
- How to raise a well-behaved, fun-loving dog.
- Why the toughest-to-train dogs dont need to be euthanized – just understood
- How to choose a dog breed based on your personality.
- Two things that primarily influence a dogs behavior: instinct and experience.
- Why your dog acts the way it does.
- When to growl “Bah” at your dog and why saying “No” is useless.
- How to ease a puppys transition into its new home.
- Why teaching your dog to come or react immediately to your command is important.
“Dogs not only feel instinctively more at ease, but are also safer and better accepted by society when they are part of an ordered pack with a strong leader that provides guidance through discipline and praise,” explains Sylvia. “As your dogs owner and pack leader, it is your responsibility to provide the kind of training the dog would otherwise receive from its mother, family members, and even siblings, depending on its positioning in the pack.”
Sylvia co-founded Bark Busters in order to establish a global network of dog behavioral therapists and trainers who can enhance enjoyable and responsible dog ownership – and to reduce the very sad possibility of mistreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia of companion dogs. She, along with Danny, ended up building the largest, most trusted home dog training company in the world.
Based in Australia, some 50 miles from Sydney, Bark Busters has grown since its inception in 1989, and expanded to 340 franchised offices across New Zealand, The United States, Canada, The United Kingdom, Israel, Taiwan, and Japan. Over 350,000 dogs – and their owners – have experienced the proprietary holistic and humane dog training system. With 235 locations in the U.S., they serve 40 states and over 100 American cities. Entrepreneur magazine rated Bark Busters as the #1 Pet Service Franchise in America.
Horrified by the substantial number of dogs being euthanized due to behavioral issues, Sylvia made a pledge to get the word out that almost any dog can be successfully trained.
Sylvia has helped new dog owners, owners of puppies, frustrated dog owners, parents concerned about their dog and family interactions, dog shelter personnel, animal control officers, and veterinarians. She travels the world advocating for natural, humane training methods and championing responsible dog ownership to enhance the human-canine bond, addresses these challenging behaviors and many more:
- Dogs who display unwarranted aggression toward humans or dogs.
- Canine kleptomaniacs, show-chewers, and dogs that mark in the house.
- Barking at night, at neighbors, at guests, out a window, or when a car goes by.
- Dogs who eat garbage or beg for food, or act unfriendly towards groomers and vets.
- Yard-diggers, run-aways, hand-nippers, and separation anxiety sufferers.
“The good news is that most dogs can be successfully trained, even those that have been abused or allowed to develop bad habits as a result of inadequate or not training,” says Sylvia. “Discipline and leadership are not enemies of fun. Training doesnt inhibit a dogs playfulness or spontaneity.” Most dog owners simply accept the disruptive or aggressive behavior of their dogs because they think it is normal or dont know how to change it. Learning about pack leadership and canine communication is incredibly interesting for dog lovers. By gaining a better understanding of the dog psyche you can strengthen the human-dog connection. “Understanding your dogs nature and how it learns is necessary to train it effectively and to ensure its safety and well-being,” says Sylvia. “By learning how to select the best dog for your personality and lifestyle – and how to raise it to be a healthy and happy animal – is the best gift you can give your dog and yourself.”
Publication Data: Training Dogs the Aussie Way by Sylvia and Danny Wilson; StarJunction Books; Trade Paper; 6 x 9; $19.95; 208 pages; ISBN: 978-0-9790956-1-0
