Hi! I’m Nicole Martel, your local dog behavioral therapist and trainer, serving Westchester and Putnam counties and parts of the Bronx. I will help you become the “leader of the pack”, cure your dog’s behavioral problems, and help you build and maintain a strong bond and good communication between you and your dog. I can help you with ANY BREED, ANY AGE, ANY ISSUE (YES – even aggression and separation anxiety!), all in the comfort of your home.
Why home dog training? Because dogs learn best when they can completely focus on the owner in an environment that is quiet and free of distractions, and the issues that are causing concern can be recreated and addressed. Being in a familiar environment where there’s nothing competing for your dog’s attention enables us to address the dog’s obedience issues very quickly. In fact, it’s very common for clients to see results with their dog’s behavioral issues in the first session! By building success in the home, we can then tackle challenges out in public and ensure that your dog is a well mannered canine citizen.
It’s never too late to teach an old dog a new trick, and it’s always a pleasure to be able to do so 🙂 But puppies are also a specialty of mine! There is nothing more important than laying the correct foundation for raising a relaxed, well mannered pup that you can enjoy at home and in any social setting. Investing in good behavior when your dog is young empowers you, strengthens your relationship with your dog for years to come, and enables years of stress-free fun and enjoyment.
No matter how severe (or in some cases, silly!) the problems may seem, please don’t give up on your dog – reach out and give me a call!! I will diagnose the situation and design a training plan to address your dog’s issues, relax your pup, and bring peace back to your home! Or in the case of puppies, I will help you survive the puppy mayhem and lay the foundation for years of great behavior with your family, friends, and out in public.
In addition to weekdays, I have Saturday appointments available to help work around my clients’ hectic schedules and allow time for the whole family to be involved. I also offer group leash walking practice sessions for my clients to join at any time (at no additional cost!). These are a wonderful way to get some extra practice in and enjoy a nice walk with your canine companion.
Group leash walking practice is always a big hit with the pups and the humans!
Meet Nelson, Dottie, and Cash! These adorable little creatures were giving their mom a run for the money with their barking, jumping, and door rushing. I taught her how to "speak dog" and within minutes they calmed down and were responding to her body language and tone of voice. See for yourself how their front door manners changed right within minutes!
I recently adopted Dixie, a 1 1/2 year old female Boston Terrier. She came to me very unsocialized, really having no exposure to the outside world. She’s a confident dog, so she’s not afraid of anything, but she would lose her mind with excitement in public and around any kind of distraction. She was a huge puller on the leash and would zig and zag all over with the slightest of distractions. This video shows and describes some of the awesome progress she’s made since I adopted her.
Most behavioral issues are learned based on both experiences and environment. That’s why in home dog training is so effective because this is where most behavioral issues occur and it’s where your dog feels the safest. Because your dog can’t speak English and you can’t “speak dog” many miscommunications occur. At Bark Busters, we can teach you how to communicate with your dog in a language he understands.
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Nicole is amazingly knowledgeable about dogs and very well prepared. We did several “mother dog” and recall exercises with my hyper 5 month old puppy, Jojo, and the response was immediate! I […]
I rescued Sherman when he was 11 months old. We have been together 6+ years. He initially had terrible separation anxiety. Constant Howling. I tried to reason with him by talking to him-"Man, work […]
I can't say enough positive things about Nicole and the Bark Busters program. My dog has been transformed. I was worried Brody was too old for training/retraining to make a difference but I decided […]
Nicole is amazing! I've learned more in two sessions with her than I have in all the years I've been working with my GSDs. Billy (pictured) was always on high alert, very reactive, and generally a […]
My older dog Luna has always been a bit territorial and was never good with strangers coming to my house. It was always very stressful having people over. When I adopted my second dog Bacon back in […]
Nicole has been AMAZING with training our Frenchie from when he was just a puppy and has since come back for two follow ups when we needed a refresher because we had gotten lazy and again when we had […]
I rescued Ziggy at 5 years old and his history was unknown. I wanted to make sure I created a safe environment for him while I was in and out of the home. My initial Zoom call with Nicole started the […]
This is a follow up training after our original training 4 plus years ago! Our bucolic life changed when a new neighbor moved in with a dog! Sherlock an aggressive barker and more needed help. […]
Working on training our two dogs with Nicole has been an exceptional experience. She is personable, very perceptive about identifying behaviors that need correcting (both ours and our dogs'), […]
Nicole, you’ve genuinely helped us in more ways than you can imagine. Not only has your approach drastically helped with training our dog, but you’ve done an incredible job of training us as well. […]
When our rescue dog began to show signs of aggression in the house we were unsure of what to do. We wanted to help him and make him feel comfortable in our home, while also keeping our family safe. […]
Our trainer Nicole is the real deal!! She is a terrific resource and an excellent trainer. Her communications are clear and her follow-up is always timely. She always makes herself available to us […]
Brooke is 11 years old so I never thought I would be able to solve her behavior problems. I thought I would give it one last chance with Bark Busters and cannot believe that it actually works! We […]
This is an update from previous review which was for virtual training. I just had my first in person session with Nicole and there is a reason why she has 179 five star reviews. She offers endless […]
This is an update from previous review which was for virtual training. I just had my first in person session with Nicole and there is a reason why she has 129 five star reviews. She offers endless […]
Nicole was, and continues to be, wonderful, helpful, compassionate, and knowledgeable. She has helped to make our whole house calmer, and we appreciate it. […]
There is so much to say about Kobe's progress. After our first in person session with Nicole, Kobe went from unmanageable outside, to the perfect dog on the leash. No more pulling, no more barking, […]
I started off in dire need of training for my Yorkie, Bowie. He was leash reactive and felt like he needed to protect the house. With time and training he has transformed! I felt comfortable adopting […]
Nicole was terrific! Very helpful and patient. Loved working with her. […]
Thank you so much for the 2 1/2 Zoom initial session last week!! I can honestly say that I am so glad I cancelled our initial in-person session back in October and was able to start with you on Zoom, […]
Nicole is wonderful, we are so grateful that we have been able to work with her! Lili, our French bulldog adores Nicole, and she does such a great job of giving myself and my family the tools to work […]
Nicole has shown us a whole new world with our dog. She has given us hope and happiness. […]
Nicole is great. Patient, caring, punctual and responsive. She's all the assets I want in a trainer. She is encouraging and kind. You can tell she loves dogs and also understands human weaknesses […]
Oh my word, after only one online/virtual lesson (via ZOOM) with Nicole and Delilah is already showing GREAT improvement! I contacted Nicole to help me and my 16 year old daughter train our coonhound […]
Nicole is so knowledgeable about what’s been causing so many issues with our dogs. We have a very aggressive dog. Nicole has taught us to be patient and take our time with teaching our dog to stay […]
Our 6 year old pitt- mutt basically ran our house hold, and was feeling the high stress of being the leader and protector. That meant lot’s of barking at people, territorial behavior and some […]
Nicole is incredible to work with and her methods truly deliver results. She helped us set boundaries and generally calm down our two very stressed out terriers right before our first human baby […]
Nicole was a very experienced, professional, knowledgeable and courteous trainer. I highly recommend her to anyone who needs help with their dog's behavior. […]
Nicole and Bark Busters are wonderful! If I said “life saver”, it wouldn’t be far from the truth. Nicole worked with our new 5-year old, 97.4 lb. ridgeback/shepherd mix rescue, Bella (she is a […]
Nicole deserves 10 stars! Within minutes of entering my house, my 3 boys (dogs) better behaved. Nicole could easily see the problem and we went step by step to correct their (my) behavior. Our 75 lb […]
I have gotten immediate results working with Nicole from day one in correcting bad dog behavior. I highly recommend you at least try working with her if you have an issue you can't seem to resolve on […]
My new five year-old shepherd mix rescue had significant fear-based aggression that was totally dominating both of our lives. Nicole is really helping me to communicate with my dog so that we can be […]
We met with Nicole last Saturday for our first visit and we can already see amazing results with our Ciara (3 yr old black lab mix). Ciara was, lets just say, a bit out of control, thinking she was […]
Nicole is the absolute best dog trainer that we have ever used! We have a 3 year old rescue beagle that would not let anyone into the house including extended family. She would bark, growl and […]
We got our puppy Mookie at 6 weeks and he was a handful at first. He was biting wee wee pads, eating everything bad, jumping and being super hyper with people, and the list goes on. Although we were […]
Nicole was wonderful! She understood what we needed right away and after our first lesson Trey was 100% better! It was amazing. We saw her for two more lessons as we were moving out of the area, but […]
We had used Nicole service 3 yrs ago when we got our rottie Kali and now have used her again for our new addition Rakim a rescue pitbull/border terrier mix. Her knowledge and care were phenomenal. She […]
My 14 year old dog, Dustin was barking and showing signs of age and anxiety in recent months. Somehow I remembered that we'd purchased a Lifetime Guarantee from Bark Busters 14 years ago!!! I […]
My dog (and I) learned so much from Nicole in just the first session. I had been through 3 trainers that wanted me to use treats for behavioral modifications. Unrealistic! Nicole guided me in a way […]
We love Nicole! She has been such a huge help with our German Shepard puppy “Georgia”. Nicole is so patient and very knowledgeable about a dog's behavior! She is always quick to respond to any […]
Nicole was great! Arrived on time (every time), quickly identified the issues, gave us the training WE needed to change OUR behavior and we saw immediate results. Nicole stayed in touch, came back for […]
Our dogs already are in the “green zone:” Happy and relaxed. Nicole's training techniques had an immediate, positive impact. Nicole’s style is kind to both dogs and their humans. We highly […]
Nicole is a wonderful trainer. We got Mickey (a rescue) when he was just over a year old. He had some major pulling issues and issues inside and outside of the house. She has given us ample tips on […]
We have two one-year-old Pointers, who we rescued six months ago. We have only had one session with Nicole, but things in the house area already much better. Nicole is a straight-shooter and she was […]
Amazing service and great training. Was an enjoyable experience! […]
We had our first visit with Nicole today for about three hours and we have already seen changes in our dogs behavior. The techniques we learned were easy to do and were followed up with praise and […]
Nicole is amazing! In just one session, she helped our 3 year old dog so much. She is very patient and you can tell she really loves working with animals. She is also great at communicating with […]
My wife and I have a standard schnauzer puppy who has by far been the hardest dog we have ever had. I read lots of positive reviews online about Nicole Martel and I must say they did not steer me […]
We've seen a real difference in our puppy, Shadow, since our first lesson with Nicole five days ago. She's still relatively timid, but we now have some disciplinary strategies that don't scare her and […]
Had a life changing experience working with Nicole. After our two hour session, I feel very optimistic that I can change certain behaviors, even though my dog is 6 years old. Ive already see positive […]
I highly recommend Nicole. She arrived and her presence alone was enough to let my Shih Tzu know that he wasn't in charge. Nicole observed behaviors and asked pertinent questions to get to the root of […]
We worked with Nicole on many issues that have been building up with our once very trained and kind dog, Boomer. We welcomed a baby into our home a year ago, and ever since, Boomer has been showing […]
Simply put, Nicole is amazing, loves what she does, and you will get positive results! We have been working with Nicole since our Corgi, Marzipan, was about 12 weeks old. We had issues with […]
I had no idea how to train anxiety or overprotectivenes out of a dog and how it related to other issues like jumping and barking and hyperactivity in general. Thanks to Nicole, in just one session my […]
Nicole is amazing. After 1 session with 3 dogs (9 year old mini schnauzer, 1 year old mini Aussie, and 3 month old toy Aussie) we noticed immediate improvement. She taught us how to communicate with […]
Nicole spends a lot of time talking about being a leader for your dog. Well, if we are our sweet pup's leader, she is definitely ours. She thoughtfully listened to our questions and concerns, observed […]
I usually never leave reviews, but Nicole is simply amazing! She's been working with my 1 year old Morkie Gizmo for the past few months, and I have seen tremendous changes. When we began our first […]
Just starting out with Nicole from Bark Busters- I was impressed with the first session and my dog Bella's positive reaction to all the ground covered. Nicole was friendly, professional and well in […]
I honestly don't know what we would have done with the 2 new puppies we brought home if not for Nicole. We are first time dog owners and thankfully, Nicole came out the very next day to meet with us, […]
From the start Nicole made me feel very comfortable and confident that her training would work for Maverick. He responded immediately to both Nicole and the techniques she applied. After only one […]
My husband and I met with Nicole for the first time today and it was a wonderful experience, as good as it could be, really! We are expecting our first child in August and we have 2 dogs so we just […]
Seeing is believing, Max is a year old hyper terrier and to see him respond so quickly at his first training session was amazing. Nicole was wonderful. I am so glad I finally called her and I'm sure […]
Nicole is amazing. She is so warm and friendly and really takes the time to assess the situation and give fantastic suggestions and feedback. She observed our 11 week old Labradoodle and quickly […]
I learned so much today. I have 2 male Malshi 4 month old puppies that have been out of control and today only after one class I have seen a change in my puppies already. I was clueless on how I was […]
We rescued our dog Ellie from a shelter last October. As first time dog owners, we were not sure how to handle some of her behavior issues including separation anxiety, mouthing, leash pulling, and […]
We have only met with Nicole twice but already have seen excellent results. We have a rescue pup who is full of playful energy and he is already much calmer and better behaved. Nicole has an excellent […]
My family adopted a pit bull named Louise in February 2017. She was rescued from the street, found tied up and very scared. After we had her home we realized she was afraid of men and very anxious. We […]
Unbelievable response from both dogs. We were impressed with Nicole's manner and the success of her suggestions. Having her guide us through the training exercises made all the difference. In just a […]
I would highly recommend Nicole if you are looking for a trainer in the area. She was incredibly patient, enthusiastic, and knowledgable. I have already seen results in the dogs after the first […]
Nicole's training has really helped my dog to become more calm and obedient while we walk him and also in our family home. Our dog always used to bark at other dogs when we walked him and now he […]
Nicole did an amazing job with my American Bulldog and Maltese ! In just the first hour , I could not believe how confident I became in being able to correct any prior behavioral issues with my dogs. […]
THANKS Bark Busters, you've taught us the ropes! We recently got a new puppy, first for both my wife and I, and our experience with Bark Busters gave us a ton more comfort and confidence. Nicole […]
We highly recommend Nicole Martel from Bark Busters! Her training expertise has helped us to change behaviors in our one year old rescue dog within such a short period of time. Improvement happened […]
Dog. Whisperer. I have a very strong willed husky/shepherd mix who has had very severe separation anxiety since I adopted her about 2 years ago. Like she basically ate my front door the first time I […]
We adopted a lab/hound mix 2 weeks ago. Upon bringing him home, we discovered he had high separation anxiety and crate issues. We already also have an 8 year old King Charles. Speaking with Jason, […]
Nicole Martel is fantastic. Very motivated and is so knowledgeable. She's a pleasure to work with! […]
Nicole Martel is fantastic. Very motivated and is so knowledgeable. She's a pleasure to work with! […]
Two years later - after initial...perfectly thorough Bark Buster training, our family had stepped back into old ways with our two Wheaten Terriers. As lovable as they are, we slowly but surely let […]
Nicole came to our house to help us with our Parker. Parker felt he needed to protect us from our invited guests and also barked a lot at mostly thin air. When Nicole came and explained and taught us […]
Our Pitbull Cooper has been a part of the family since he was a puppy. As soon as we were able to, we took him to puppy training classes. Although some of the training helped, it did not cure all the […]
Nicole was so helpful with our family and our pup, Nacho. In just one visit, we can see such a difference already! She was so knowledgeable, understanding and patient and was able to teach us how to […]
Our 2 1/2 year old Pitt Bull Terrier has been a part of the family since he was a puppy. As soon as we were able to, we took him to puppy training classes. Although some of the training helped, it […]
It is my pleasure to recommend a truly outstanding dog trainer, Nicole Martel. Nicole is the third dog trainer that I've consulted for my dogs. She has by and far made the difference. I have a […]
Nicole has been amazing training my 100+ pound Cane Corso puppy. He used to pull me on a walk and now he walks calmly beside me. With Nicole's help I have claimed the doorway. He no longer pushes me […]
Great first lesson, enjoyed talking to Nicole. She was great with my dogs. She explained everything with details. Felt really comfortable with everything that she asked me to do. […]
Nicole Martel was the best with my Zoey! I watched my dog transform before my eyes in minutes... dare I say seconds. I feel more empowered and in control and calmer during my walks. Luv ya Nicole! […]
Two weeks ago, I adopted a Jindo/Spaniel mix. He was saved from the meat trade in Korea by the organization Korean K9 Rescue. I was told he had separation issues, however, since I've never adopted a […]
Nicole was amazing with our dog. We had been putting up with escalating barking for years and she was able to help us to correct in a few hours. The exercises are easy to practice and our dog […]
Nicole has been extremely helpful! We had tried other trainers/programs in the past with short-lived results. I feel like this is the first one with sustainable outcomes. Nicole breaks it down and […]
Nicole was terrific! She was very thorough about not only teaching us how to do the training but also why Bark Busters chose these training methods. She demonstrated well and made sure that both of […]
So after rescuing two adorable brothers, we realized we needed help. Thank goodness for Nicole and Bark Busters. The education alone was worth the service, but the tips and instruction from just ONE […]
Hiring Nicole/Bark Busters was the best investment ever! I did a ton of research and watched YouTube videos before getting my puppy, Zeus, and thought I was prepared - boy was I wrong. When we […]
Nicole is the Dog Whisperer of Westchester County; I cannot say enough about how amazing the training experience was with her, for both myself and my 8 month old Cockapooo Puppy, Dory! Dory began […]
I honestly don't know where to begin. We met Nicole today and I can't begin to explain how much our family loves her already, including Lil Bear. I've been patiently awaiting this first session and […]
Nicole has helped our dog improve a great amount in such a short amount time. She has been wonderful at using techniques that are relevant to us and our dog. Our giant Labrador used to take us for […]
Nicole was great to work with! She explained everything in a way that really made sense and worked with us very patiently to learn the training techniques. She is extremely encouraging and […]
Nicole was very informative and worked really well with my puppy. Selena took on the training very cooperatively. It amazed me how smart my puppy was. It made me realize that with the correct tools […]
Nicole is wonderful. She is patient with the adults! I believe the adults are more in need of training than the dogs. Nicole, will demonstrate, provide whatever is necessary in the training lesson […]
I have a pack of three Boston Terriers (ages 1, 3, and 4) that I desperately needed to teach better manners when it came to "charging"€ the front door, jumping onto the couch, and not pulling […]
Hi Nicole, I wanted to update you on Iggy P.... He is a changed person!!! He no longer freaks out when someone enters or leaves or stands up in our apartment. He no longer thinks he lives in the […]
Make pulling on the lead a thing of the past. This one-of-a-kind harness is easy to use and needs little effort to get your dog walking by your side using it's patented, revolutionary communication system.
