McCann Professional - Dog Trainers

What McCann Professional - Dog Trainers does

McCann Professional Dog Trainers (operating as McCann Dogs) is a privately held Canadian dog training company founded in 1982, headquartered on a 21-acre purpose-built campus in Flamborough, Ontario (near Hamilton). The company delivers a proprietary dog training curriculum called the McCann Method®, structured as a sequenced progression from pre-arrival Puppy Prep Guide through Puppy Essentials (puppies ≤15 weeks), Life Skills (dogs 16+ weeks), and Advanced Courses in higher learning and dog sports. Training is delivered through two channels: scheduled in-person classes at the Flamborough facility (serving Southern Ontario customers in Burlington, Hamilton, Guelph, Oakville, Cambridge, Brantford, Ancaster, and Dundas) and a self-serve online learning platform at mydogcan.mccanndogs.com that sells subscription bundles priced from $97 to $714 USD for 3–7 months of access. The company states it has served more than 100,000 dogs and their families since 1982 and currently trains approximately 500 students per week.

The business operates four complementary revenue streams beyond core training programs: (1) a Shopify e-commerce storefront selling proprietary branded training equipment (house lines, leather leashes, treat pouches, Biothane collars, tug toys) and third-party brands (Kong, Nylabone, Hyperflite), (2) a seasonal outdoor dock diving pool (open annually from early June) offering rentals ($35–$60), private lessons ($75–$150), and group classes ($299 for 4 weeks), (3) gift cards, and (4) ad-supported content distribution across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn that functions as a top-of-funnel acquisition channel. Infrastructure includes three large air-conditioned training halls, a 12,000 sq. ft. regulation artificial-turf sports arena used by Team Canada agility members, and the seasonal pool. The company's public profile is anchored by Kayl McCann, identified as a 21-time world champion dog trainer. There are no disclosed funding rounds, external investors, M&A activity, or AI/technology platform components; the company's differentiation rests on curriculum IP, physical infrastructure, brand longevity, and instructor expertise.

Name

McCann Professional - Dog Trainers

Legal name

McCann Professional Dog Trainers

Website

https://mccanndogs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McCann Professional Dog Trainers (McCann Dogs) is a Canadian dog training company founded in 1982 that delivers its proprietary McCann Method® curriculum through in-person classes at a 21-acre Flamborough, Ontario campus, a global online learning platform, and a branded equipment e-commerce store, serving over 100,000 dog-owning families to date.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Training Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ)

Keywords

• Dog training services
• Puppy obedience training
• Dog training equipment
• Dock diving facility
• Online dog training

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. In-Person Training Programs: On-site training programs delivered at the Flamborough facility including Puppy Essentials, Life Skills, and Advanced Courses. Programs are structured around small class sizes with professional instructors providing real-time feedback. Students attend scheduled sessions at the training halls.
2. Online Training Programs: Digital training programs accessible worldwide through the mydogcan.mccanndogs.com platform. Programs include Puppy Prep Guide ($97 USD for 3 months access), Puppy Essentials, and Life Skills. Bundle pricing incentivizes multi-program purchases. Online programs provide video lessons and instructor support.
3. Training Equipment & Products: E-commerce sales of dog training equipment including house lines, collars, leashes, treat pouches, and toys. Products range from $3.60 (Tick Removal Tool) to $34.56 (6' Leather Leash). Items are shipped from the training facility in Flamborough, Ontario.
4. Pool Facility Rentals & Lessons: Dock diving pool rentals and swimming lessons for dogs. Pool rental pricing: $35 for 30 minutes, $60 for 1 hour. Private lessons: $75 for 30 minutes, $150 for 1 hour. Group classes: $299 for 4-week program. Pool opens annually at the beginning of June.
5. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase, allowing customers to gift training programs or products to others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

McCann Professional Dog Trainers delivers dog obedience and behavior training through its proprietary McCann Method®, structured across four programs: Puppy Prep Guide (pre-arrival preparation), Puppy Essentials (for puppies 15 weeks and younger), Life Skills (for dogs 16+ weeks), and Advanced Courses (higher learning and dog sports). Training is delivered in-person at the Flamborough, Ontario facility and online globally through the mydogcan.mccanndogs.com platform, supplemented by a Shopify storefront selling branded training equipment and toys and a seasonal dock diving pool facility.

Product overview

McCann Professional Dog Trainers operates as a multi-faceted dog training business offering both training programs and retail products. The core training programs include Puppy Prep Guide (pre-arrival preparation), Puppy Essentials (for puppies under 15 weeks), Life Skills (for dogs 16+ weeks), and Advanced Courses (dog sports and higher learning). Training is available in-person at their Flamborough, Ontario facility or online through their digital platform. Their retail store offers proprietary training equipment including house lines, leashes, collars, treat pouches, and tug toys, as well as branded interactive toys and third-party chew toys (Nylabone, Kong). They also operate a seasonal outdoor dog pool and dock diving facility. The company serves dog owners across Southern Ontario and globally through online programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The McCann Method®: The proprietary training methodology developed by McCann Professional Dog Trainers, built to help dogs and owners develop skills and a great bond over time.

Products and services

• Puppy Prep Guide Online guide preparing prospective puppy owners for bringing a new puppy home, covering home preparation, shopping lists, socialization, and multi-pet household advice. Priced at $97 USD for 3 months access.
• Puppy Essentials Training program for puppies 15 weeks and younger, providing foundational skills (crate training, house-training, socialization, bite inhibition, basic commands) for lifelong success. Available in-person at Flamborough and online.
• Life Skills Training program for dogs 16 weeks or older focused on real-world reliability including loose leash walking, reliable recall, greeting manners, impulse control, and distraction proofing. Described as the most popular program. Available in-person and online.
• Advanced Courses Higher learning and dog sports programs for students who have mastered basic training foundations, covering agility and competition-level work using the regulation sports arena.
• Dog Pool / Dock Diving Facility Seasonal outdoor dog swimming pool and dock diving facility at Flamborough offering pool rentals ($35 / 30 min, $60 / 1 hr), private lessons ($75 / 30 min, $150 / 1 hr), and 4-week group classes ($299). Opens annually in early June.
• Training Equipment & Supplies Shopify storefront selling McCann-branded training equipment including the 5-foot Puppy Training House-Line, Flat Buckle Dog Collars, 6-foot Leather Leashes, Training Treat Pouches, Gentle Leader Headcollars, 21-foot Long-Lines, the First Month Puppy Training Journal, and the Tick Removal Tool. Items ship from the Flamborough facility.
• Interactive Dog Toys McCann-branded interactive toys including the Puppy Training Tug Toy, Fuzzy Ball Tug Toy, Retrieve Trainer, Treat/Tug Pouch, and HyperFlite K-10 Jawz and SofFlite flying discs for fetch and tug play.
• Chew Toys Third-party chew toys resold through the McCann Dogs Shopify store, including the Classic Kong (red rubber), Extreme Kong (black rubber for powerful chewers), and Nylabone Power Chew (durable nylon with raised bristles for dental health).
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards allowing customers to gift McCann Dogs training programs or retail products to other dog owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 dogs and their families successfully trained since 1982
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Petco Dog Training: National big-box pet retailer offering in-store group dog training classes at hundreds of US locations. Competes with McCann's beginner-level Life Skills and Puppy Essentials programs but lacks McCann's 21-acre dedicated facility and 40-year methodology depth; operates as one service line within a much broader pet retail business.
• PetSmart Dog Training: Largest North American pet specialty retailer offering group dog training classes across hundreds of store locations. Represents scale-based competition in beginner obedience but with vastly inferior facilities and curriculum compared to McCann's purpose-built campus and proprietary McCann Method®.

Emerging players

• Dogtopia: US-based dog daycare franchise with integrated structured training programs. Comparable to McCann in combining facility-based services with training curriculum, though Dogtopia's primary offering is daycare with training as a complement rather than training-first like McCann.
• Camp Bow Wow: North American dog daycare and boarding franchise with basic training services. Adjacent competitor in the multi-service pet facility category but with daycare-led model rather than the training-led, methodology-focused approach that differentiates McCann.
• Victoria Stilwell (Positively): Online-first dog training brand led by a celebrity trainer with digital courses, YouTube content, and book publishing. Direct competitor to McCann's online bundle offering but operates purely digitally without McCann's facility infrastructure and in-person advantage.

Direct peers

• Zoom Room Dog Training: US-based dog training franchise offering structured group classes, agility, and puppy training in purpose-built indoor facilities. Comparable to McCann's in-person training model with branded methodology and franchise-style consistency, though Zoom Room operates a franchise model rather than single-ownership like McCann.
• Sit Means Sit Dog Training: Multi-state US dog training franchise offering group classes, private lessons, and board-and-train programs. Direct competitor in the structured obedience and behavior training category with similar curriculum-based approach to McCann's Life Skills and Puppy Essentials programs.
• Bark Busters Home Dog Training: Global in-home dog training franchise with proprietary training methodology and 30+ year brand history. Comparable to McCann due to branded methodology, multi-decade operating history, and structured curriculum for life-skills obedience—though delivery model is in-home versus McCann's facility-centric approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/McCannDogs
• Facebookfacebook.com/mccanndogtrainers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccann-professional-dog-trainers
• Instagraminstagram.com/mccanndogs
• TikToktiktok.com/@mccanndogs
• Xx.com/McCannDogs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McCann Professional - Dog Trainers