Franchise opens to rejoicing pet owners
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
LAWRENCE Do not underestimate the power of the "bahh."
The "bahh" can be used to silence, command and tame. And it serves as a sort of mantra for Keith Axsom’s Princeton-area franchise, Bark Busters.
Bark Busters, a home dog training service that originated in Australia and made its way to the United States in 2000, uses the understanding of canine behavior as the root of its training philosophy. By tapping into the animal’s primitive needs, Mr. Axsom teaches owners of dogs with behavioral issues, such as barking, aggression and hyperactivity, to be more effective pet parents.
"This isn’t really dog training, this is people training," Mr. Axsom said. Mr. Axsom, formerly a corporate accountant for 25 years, bought the East Windsor-based franchise in August because, he said, he always wanted to run his own business. Mr. Axsom said he selected Bark Busters because of his love of dogs and his belief in the training concepts of the franchise.
Instead of coaching owners to scream at their dogs uncontrollably, Bark Busters challenges them to enter the minds of their pets because a "bahh" with oomph sounds more threatening and dog-like to a canine than a measly "no."
The crux of the Bark Busters concept is for the human to assume "leadership" over the pet. Because, as we all know, our fluffy friends once ran with a pack and that mindset has outlasted the domestication of dogs.
As a house pet, "he’ll be looking for leadership just like he would in the wild," Mr. Axsom said. "The leader always leads in the dog world."
Mr. Axsom exhibited his Bark Busters techniques on Mozart, a 5-year-old Australian shepherd and chow mix who, according to owner Andrew Graham, has a vexing penchant for barking. On top of that, Mr. Graham said, Mozart is slightly controlling a problem common to dog owners observed by Mr. Axsom and one that, he said, is easily corrected. Once the control is reverted from the dog back to the master, the owner will gain that leadership quality the dog so craves.
"Outside, it’s like I don’t exist," said Mr. Graham, a Lawrence resident. "Inside, he’s a little more well-behaved."
After Mr. Axsom digested the characteristics of the relationship between Mozart and Mr. Graham, he began the active part of the Bark Busters session starting with some words of advice to the pet owner.
"Nothing is on his terms," Mr. Axsom said. "Everything has to be on your terms."
According to Mr. Graham, one of Mozart’s poor behavioral tendencies is to bark incessantly at an arriving guest. The reasoning behind this, Mr. Axsom explained, is that Mozart is simply trying to be the leader, to protect the other pack members of the house and alert them of impending danger.
So, giving Mr. Graham a chance to stretch his leadership legs, Mr. Axsom left the house only to re-enter as a "guest." In order to regain his role as the boss, Mr. Graham was instructed by Mr. Axsom to belt out the "bahh" upon first bark and any barks thereafter. Mr. Graham was then instructed to approach the door first, not allowing any leeway for Mozart to arrive there before him. That reinforces the dog’s impression that he no longer has command of household situations.
Other ways to make the pooch’s ego crumble include not moving toward the dog, but rather calling him toward you, crouching when calling the dog in order to get down to his level, and always maintaining control when educating the dog.
After applying a few of the suggested techniques, Mozart began to exhibit signs of submission, which, according to Mr. Axsom, include the head being down, a droopy tail and ears, and licking of the lips.
"We want the dog to be submissive," Mr. Axsom said.
The rationale behind the Bark Busters recipe is that it simply utilizes natural instincts to create positive behavior. "They understand this (training) innately, which is why it works so well," he said.
According to Mr. Axsom, people react in amazement at the success of the training. "Some say things like ‘This is not my dog, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it,’" Mr. Axsom said. "I’ve had people hugging me. I’ve had people walking me out to the car and waving like it’s Thanksgiving and I’m a relative."
So how has Mozart progressed since his dose of Bark Busters?
"If I catch him (misbehaving) in the act, I’ll stop him," Mr. Graham said.
But the problem arises when Mr. Graham can’t catch the naughtiness in time to apply the proper discipline. "I’ve definitely been working with him," he said. He said there have been notable improvements since the Bark Busters sessions, though Mr. Graham acknowledged that he would most likely be uttering a few more "bahhs" in his lifetime.
Headquarter: East Windsor
Employees: 1
CEO: Keith Axsom
Phone: (609) 529-3269 or (877) 280-7100
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.barkbusters.com

