The Backyard Pack

We tried The Backyard Pack based on the Unilocal reviews and what a mistake! I was a bit hesitant when we first came in for our evaluation day, since you’re not allowed in the back. But I know this is normal since it upsets the dogs. But most facilities will at least let you see some of the back rooms. When Laurie has to squeeze in and out of the door to make sure you can’t even peek in the back room — major red flag. And the blinds keep everything hidden. They don’t have webcams, so you can’t snoop on your dog during the day. When I picked up my pup after 4 hours, he was thoroughly freaked out. Crying, running for the door, running back to jump in my arms. VERY unlike him. He’s usually worn out and ready to go. He’s NEVER been freaked out after daycare before. Ever. No clue what happened during the day but Laurie’s flippant response of «oh that’s normal behavior» did not sit well with me. We will most certainly not be back.

I am so glad I found this daycare! I moved to Virginia about a year ago and was looking for a place to take my 2 dogs. Most of the places I found had hours that didn’t fit with my work schedule, were outrageously priced, or had a bad daycare/​boarding environment. When I checked The Backyard Pack out I loved everything about it. My dogs love going there for daycare or boarding and are always anxious to go back and play (they rarely even look back to say «bye» to me before going into the play area… jerks). Laurie has given me lots of training advice about my younger dog, who I adopted right before I moved to Virginia, and she is always available to answer my questions. The prices are very reasonable, especially if you have multiple dogs. I highly recommend this place!

I could not be happier with the Backyard Pack! My dog, Asha, absolutely loves it and it’s well worth me driving 15 minutes past work just to drop her off for a full day of fun. She sleeps the entire way there and perks up when we get closer like she knows we’re almost there. Laurie has been so pleasant and easy to talk to since the day I met her and as a dog owner that was many years removed from the last time I had a dog, she gave me great tips and tricks for training. She and Brian have welcomed us with open arms and I couldn’t imagine another daycare where Asha would get the kind of exhaustive playtime she gets with the Backyard Pack. Her time here has greatly impacted her socialization skills and how she interacts at the dog parks near home. I’m very thankful for Laurie and Brian!

The backyard pack is hands down one of the best things about living in Northern VA. We are a young couple and we searched long and hard for a boarding facility where we knew our fur baby would get plenty of TLC. We hated the idea of her sitting in a lonely room or crate. If you’re searching for the same thing, look no further this place is the one! Laurie and Brian are such dedicated owners and absolutely will take the very best care of your pups. With their dog training knowledge and passion for canines we’ve never once doubted that our girl is in the very best hands. Our pup has a lot of anxiety but when it’s time to go to BYP she leaps for joy and cannot get to the car fast enough. She loves playing all day long with her friends. We recently had some health issues and Laurie was beyond supportive with helping us to sort through options to help us to save on vet bills and find the best remedies for our girl. The time and attention she gave to us for no other reason other than she genuinely cares for all her BYP dogs meant the world to us. We love BYP so much that we often tell every dog owner we encounter on walks. It’s hard to summarize how much this place means to us, let’s just say we talk about moving but BYP is one of the reasons we don’t.

As I have gotten to know Laurie, and now have seen the back where the dogs play… I don’t know what we would do without this place. I do and have recommended this place to anyone in the area.

TBYP is the ONLY place I trust taking my rescue to for boarding. Brian and Laurie are very knowledgeable and it seems like at least one of them are always around looking after the dogs, which is nice. I don’t have to worry about my dog being in an environment where the employees don’t really have a good understanding of dog behavior. I think that the structured play at TBYP is great and I don’t worry about my dog when he’s there. I also think the pricing is very reasonable for what you get and it’s clear that Brian and Laurie are really passionate and caring with what they do.

We’ve been clients with TBYP for 3 years now. If I can sum up everything The Backyard Pack is as a dog daycare, training and boarding facility is, these people are dog lovers before they are in the business of making money. They do not nickel and dime you like other «dog resorts» do with a la carte services I. e, snuggle time, extra feeding or extra walks. Everything is included in a single rate. No surprise costs when you come to pick up your pet. I know our 3 dogs are in good care when I drop them off. Never a worry. Our kiddos absolutely adore their Auntie Laurie and Uncle Brian. You want a high quality, no frills daycare boarding facility, this is the place.

I am extremely pleased with the results of using TBYP for boot camp training for my dog. My review is really long in case there are any panicked Unilocalers looking for a dog trainer as I once was! But the short version is that they are great!
The dog I adopted last year gradually developed what looked like severe leash aggression. I hired multiple trainers to come to our house to work with us, spoke with other trainers on the phone, and took an 8 week class for reactive dogs, but still had a dog that would get so panicked on a leash that she would turn around and bite me when she saw another dog approaching us. Because of her leash problems, I stopped feeling comfortable taking my once very social dog to the dog park despite her problems being generally confined to when she was on a leash. Slowly, Zoe started growling at people and children too. Walking the dog became a really stressful and exhausting activity so I decided to look into board and train programs and I am SO GLAD I did. After doing a little research I landed on TBYP.
Zoe had an initial assessment and was deemed a good fit for the boot camp training program so I dropped her off for 5 weeks at TBYP with Brian and Laurie for a VERY reasonable price. Laurie emailed me updates occasionally and after 5 weeks I met Brian to pick Zoe up and receive my training. The training session was brief, and my first impression was that Zoe was not perfect on a leash, but had come a long way. I also went with Brian and Zoe into a dog park and watched with relief as Zoe played totally normally with other dogs as she once had. Brian and Laurie also provided a follow up training session a couple of weeks later, and answered multiple emails full of my questions.
After having Zoe back for 3 months, and using the corrections I learned from Brian, Zoe is so much better. I think it took her a little time to realize I was going to use the same system as Brian and Laurie but once she did the growling, snarling, jumping around like a maniac, and (ahem) biting me stopped completely. Very occasionally if provoked Zoe will do a little anxious dance or small woof but that’s about it. She doesn’t growl at people, children, or dogs which feels like a Christmas miracle based on her behavior last March. For anyone nervous about leaving positive reinforcement training behind, I’ll just say using corrections (which are mild) has worked so much better for my dog than the 5 months of positive reinforcement training did. I honestly think it’s kinder to the dog to give clear guidelines and be in charge so they don’t feel the need to be in charge themselves.
To be clear, my dog is not perfect now, and will probably always be a little anxious on a leash (and sometimes off a leash), but Brian and Laurie gave her a great head start on training and with constant work at home she is a million times better. I also use Brian and Laurie for daycare and boarding since they are the only people I trust with my dog.
If you have a dog with a problem you’ve been unsuccessful correcting I would highly suggest getting in touch with TBYP.

I have been meaning to write this review for awhile. I was so lucky to find Brian and Laurie to help me with my rescue dog. She was developing aggressive behavior against my other dog and the situation became very dangerous. I was absolutely frantic trying to figure this out. The first time I talked to Brian about it, I was literally in tears. Sophie did 6 weeks of bootcamp (for a very reasonable cost) and came back a very sociable little girl! It far exceeded my expectations. Now her and my other dog tolerate each other well, and even play. I take her for day care a couple of times a month to keep her sociable. I won’t take her anywhere else for boarding, as long as I live in the DC area. I literally drive 30 miles out of my way to take her to the Backyard Pack.
Brian and Laurie are awesome. They even came up with an installment plan so I could pay for sophie’s rehab over the course of several paychecks.
I can’t recommend them enough.

My husband and I adopted a dog through The Backyard Pack in June 2010, and it was a nightmare! They told us the dog was «aggressive on a leash» and needed some more training… after having him for a week, we discovered that not only was he aggressive on a leash, (and by aggressive, i mean he would foam at the mouth and try to bite the leash off), he bit my father-​in-​law on the nose for absolutely no reason, and tried to attack anyone and everyone who walked in our front door. We called them and told them we could not handle the dog and that it had bitten someone and they said «well, he’s never done that before», insinuating that we must have done something to the dog. We brought him back and that was the end of that. If you want to adopt a rescue dog, DO NOT go through these people – go to Lost Dog Rescue in Arlingon, they were awesome and we got a great dog from them!

We are using their dog day care for our boston terrier. She loves Brian and Laurie, everyweek she get so excited to meet them.
We put our dog for 2wks when we went to oversea trip to see my family.
I was worried about leave her behind untill we finally found best place for her to stay while we’re gone!
It’s very nice place to put your dogs day or night and i like how they are having your pet in their house&yard, not like big shelter like other places. I think our dog feels more like being at friends house than being at daycare :)

If you want to read about the boarding stuff, read my previous reviews. Also, their cost includes everything, so no paying extra for special play times or anything.
After checking out a few trainers, I got together with Brian at the Backyard Pack for some leash training for my dog. They (Brian and Laurie) worked with him a bit while he was being boarded, then met with me to teach me how to work with him.
Duke pulls a lot on leash, and barks furiously at distractions (other dogs, runners, bikers, squirrels…)
For an extremely reasonable price, they came to my house for a session. They brought another dominant dog who they were training, so the dogs could be walked together. They walked us right up to distractions, and showed me how to handle his panic both before he reacts, and after, if he does react.
I feel like I finally have the tools I need.
Duke’s improved a lot. He’s still a work in progress, but we have way more good walks than bad ones now. They sent me a list of tips, followed up with me, and are available for me to ask follow up questions via e-​mail.
I’m happy because they’ve helped me to control his behavior, not just distract him with food.

I brought my little Shi/​Tzu Poodle Mix, Mia, to The Backyard Park for her fist doggie daycare experience. Brian took great care to make sure she was comfortable in her surroundings, introducing her to all the other dogs. The Backyard Pack keeps the dogs active throughout the day, playing in the pool, running all over the backyard, and somehow manages to even get in nap time. The dogs are continually supervised and monitored for any behavior problems, and Mia being a littler dog was able to play with dogs her own size as well as interact with the larger dogs because of this. What I like most about The Backyard Pack is that the owners will go out their way to help make your dog a better dog, with behavior modification, training, overnight visits, grooming, and positive reinforcement.
Mia was all tuckered out after we brought her home. She can’t wait to go back and play with all her new friends!!!