About The Canine Barkyard

The Canine Barkyard runs an 8,000 square foot facility at 4294 US-11 in Cortland, on just under an acre two minutes off Interstate 81 at exit 12. It is a boarding and daycare business as well as a training one, and it says its facility is operated by dog trainers and dog behavior specialists, so the whole staff is trained to handle dogs.

Method

The site states its approach plainly: "The Canine Barkyard uses balanced training methods with a heavy emphasis on positive reinforcement and relationship building in all our programs." It argues that obedience is easy to teach once there is a strong, positive and respectful relationship between dog and owner, and it teaches structure in the home, relationship building and boundary setting alongside the obedience work itself. The stated goal is that owners understand the behaviors their dog is showing and can carry the training into real-life situations after the program ends.

Training programs

Five programs are published. Daytrain is a Monday-to-Friday drop-off in the morning and pick-up in the evening, run over one to four weeks depending on the goals, with a 30-minute one-on-one lesson each week for the owner. Board and Train is a Monday drop-off and Friday pick-up, described for owners who already need boarding and for dogs needing on-leash or off-leash work that does not fit the daytrain shape; it carries the same weekly 30-minute owner lesson. Play and Train pairs group play with one training session a day, with a recommended minimum of three days and a video plus a written report for the owner. Group Class is presented as the most affordable option and as a controlled environment for working on focus around distractions. Private Lessons are the flexible option, run either onsite or out in public.

Who the programs are for

Each program lists the dogs it suits rather than making claims about results. Daytrain is described for treat and food motivated dogs, dogs needing on-leash work, dogs learning to be calm around people and other dogs, owners wanting off-leash obedience, and dogs with minimal anxiety or reactivity. Board and Train is described for dogs with reactivity, anxiety or confidence issues, and for already-trained dogs needing maintenance.

Facility and boarding

Indoor space is on non-slip flooring and kept separate from the kennel areas; the outdoor yards have grass and shade trees and are split into multiple individual yards for dogs that want less contact with others. The site notes it does not require a dog to be sociable with every dog and person to be accepted, and that it staffs up to five people per shift. Boarding, daycare and enrichment are sold alongside training and are not training services.

One thing to know

The home page states that group classes and private lessons at the facility are "performed through Homefront canine" – a separate operator working out of the same building. The daytrain, board-and-train and play-and-train programs are described as the Barkyard's own.