Many of us consider our pets to be a regular part of the family. Owning a dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences... or maybe one of most frustrating.

Training a puppy or even an older dog can be down-right tiring, but it may not have to be. One man says he can help in just two hours.

Personal dog trainer Patrick Logue describes taking your dog to obedience school as putting a bunch of juvenile delinquents in a room together. That's one reason he trains dogs in the privacy of his clients' homes.

One woman says it works so well, she credits Barkbusters with saving her dog's life.

When dog trainer Patrick Logue first met Hansie, he knew he was putting himself in a potentially dangerous situation.

"Hansie was very standoffish," Logue says. "He barked quite a bit, and I will admit I was terribly nervous."

That's why Diane Grgach decided to call Barkbusters in the first place. Hansie lunged and bit her mother.

"I went down to grab something and he just went for my hand," Jean Burmeister, Diane's mother, say. "The dog chased me to the table and if it wasn't for Diane, he would have really done a number on me."

"At that point the neighbors were calling and telling my mother they'd put the dog down for her," Diane says.

The 85-pound mutt, rescued from the side of the road, was a classic "bad dog."

"Anything on the counter -- food, towels -- would be gone. He'd get a hold of toilet paper rolls and unroll them, slam into the door, slam into the windows."

Call him reformed. In the total time we spent with Hansie, I never felt threatened and he didn't bark -- even once.

Diane says a two-hour training with Barkbusters did the trick.

"Barkbusters saved his life," Diane says. "The next step was to put him down because the whole neighborhood was against him."

So how did he change? Patrick says it takes patience and letting your dog know who's boss.

"Dogs are pack animals and packs have rules, which are demonstrated and conveyed by leaders," Logue explains.

That's why Barkbusters doesn't really train dogs -- it trains people. Your body language and tone of voice tells the dog what you want.

"Humans try to communicate with their dogs as if they were furry humans. They're not. They're never going to act and think the same way we do," Logue says.

One of the first lessons Patrick teaches is how to speak "dog."

"I sound like a pirate when I walk through the neighborhood because I make the 'baaah.' If Hansie starts to forget that I'm the leader, I do a low guttural 'baaah' sound," Grgach says.

Next -- establishing you as the leader -- and the dominate member of the pack.

"If a dog has it in its mind that it's the leader of the house, well then the number one job of the leader is to protect," Logue says. "The pizza delivery guy, the mailman, your neighbors coming over -- these are all threats to the national security of the dog."

It was one of the major problems Diane had with Hansie.

"If you came here a year ago, the only way I could let you in the door is if I corralled him and put him in the other room," Grgach says. "He'd be slamming against the door and barking like crazy."

Since then she's learned to take control.

"I put blue masking tape around the area around the door to mark the 'no dog zone.' If Hansie came into the room, he could only come that far away from the door and visitors," Grgach says.

"The whole purpose behind this exercise is to literally show the dog that leaders are responsible for letting people in and out of the den -- not followers, in this case, the dog," Logue says.

Patrick teaches clients to use body language to state their case. For petite Diane, she learned to beef up her stance.

"You have to be the alpha dog -- 6'2," she says.

Barkbusters says it's all about a relationship -- respect and bonding between you and your four-legged friend.

"If a dog comes up and gives you a little nudge, most people pet the dog. The problem with that is that if the dog can get a pet any time it nudges, then it might start to think well I must be the leader because I'm always initiating," Logue explains. "We suggest that you ignore it until the dog goes away, then the second the dog starts to go away, call it over to play with it, pet it, do whatever the dog originally wanted -- now you're initiating."

Patrick says they are simple solutions that take time but are designed to make your life easier.

"If there's anyway to save a dog from being euthanized, this is a perfect way to work with a dog," Grgach adds.

If you have a problem dog, you can call Barkbusters at 1-877-500-BARK or log on to www.barkbusters.com.

If you have an idea for a Maggie Monday, please send Maggie Crane an email at maggie.crane@winktv.com.