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Ivan Balabanov, a renowned, gifted competitive sport dog trainer, once rightly said, “If you don’t understand how something works, you can’t improve upon it.” Your dog is doing the best they can with the information you are providing. So, if your dog is still behaving in an undesirable way, it is not to give you problems, but because they are having one.
To change or modify your dog’s existing behavior, you must attempt to thoroughly understand it first. While there is a plethora of free information available out there, nothing beats a paid dog training course that directly speaks to you and addresses your dog’s issues.
As a professional dog trainer, I particularly enjoyed working on this article because it gave me a chance to research, review, and learn from other dog trainers’ work. If there is one thing that I have learned as a dog trainer, it is the fact that learning never stops. Out of all the courses that I have reviewed in this article, the one that resonated with me the most is Simple Solutions for Common Dog Behavior & Training Problems by Dr. Ian Dunbar.
We’ve also partnered with Ian Dunbar’s Top Dog Academy to give our readers a 1-Month Free Trial with access to all his online dog training courses. 🤩
Being a certified trainer myself, when in doubt, my first preference is to turn to other qualified behaviorists. Dr. Ian Dunbar is not only a renowned name in the industry but also a highly qualified professional who has helped thousands of dogs with his excellent training and behavior advice.
Let’s get on with some other online dog training courses that are well-known for helping hundreds of dogs and dog parents.
5 Best Online Dog Training Courses
Here are my top picks for the best online dog training courses every puppy-raiser must know about.
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- Develops your dog's hidden intelligence
- Eliminates bad behavior
- Create an obedient, well-behaved pet
1. Simple Solutions for Common Dog Behavior & Training Problems
What does this course offer
Simple Solutions for Common Dog Behavior & Training Problems consists of over six hours of video training and lecture that delves deep into dog training and behavior problems, including house soiling, destructive chewing, excessive barking, digging, home-alone problems, etc and offers simple and practical solutions to deal with them.
Apart from tackling puppy hyperactivity, adolescent exuberance, and behavioral problems, the course also discusses rehabilitating adult dogs with temperament problems like fearfulness, fighting, and also biting. This seminar addresses both dog owners and professionals who are interested in knowing more about dog behavior and training.
About the trainer
Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian and a dog trainer with a doctorate in animal behavior. He has authored numerous books and DVDs about puppy/dog behavior and training. Apart from his qualifications, he has an impressive list of credentials that include designing and teaching the world’s very first off-leash puppy socialization and training classes, creating and developing the San Francisco SPCA’s Animal Behavior Department, and hosting the popular UK television series Dogs With Dunbar for five seasons.
What we love about the course
We love the fact that the course is designed by a professional who is actually qualified and has a rich background in the dog training and behavior industry. This course dedicates plenty of time to cover each aspect of dog training and behavior in detail while giving solutions and practical advice that can be followed by not only a regular pet parent but also a professional in this field. With over 20k purchases on Udemy, this course has an impressive rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.
Click here for the Simple Solutions for Common Dog Behavior Problems.
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2. Brain Training 4 Dogs
What does this course offer
Brain Training 4 Dogs is a dog training system that functions on force-free training and positive reinforcement. The core of this course is based on the fact that every dog, without exception, has a hidden intelligence. The neuroplasticity of the dog’s brain enables it to mold, change, and adapt itself to new behaviors and habits.
This course focuses on increasing the dog’s brain’s neuroplasticity through various forms of mental stimulation and brain games that not only help dogs make better decisions but also reduce and prevent undesirable behaviors like jumping, nipping, barking, hyperactivity, reactivity, etc. Brain Training 4 Dogs is divided into 6 broad categories, namely Dog training and courses, Puppy training, Behavior problems, Adrienne’s Archives, Case Studies, and Forum.
About the trainer
The course Brain Training 4 Dogs has been developed and taught by Adrienne Faricelli, a certified professional dog trainer-knowledge-assessed (CPDT-KA). She has a rich experience in training dogs, eliminating bad behaviors, and teaching pet parents to bring out the “hidden intelligence” in their dogs.
What we love about the course
Apart from the fact that it is developed by a qualified professional, we love that this course strictly follows positive reinforcement techniques and focuses on the dog’s cognitive skills to teach them desirable behaviors rather than just correcting undesirable behaviors. It has 7 modules and over 21 exercises which start at an easy level and advance to a difficult level at a pace that would be easy for pet parents and dogs to keep up with.
"Brain Training for Dogs" unlocks hidden intelligence and eliminates bad behavior in your pet. Developed by a certified trainer, this revolutionary program creates a well-behaved, obedient companion. Strengthen your bond and enjoy a happier, smarter dog. Get started now!
- Develops your dog's hidden intelligence
- Eliminates bad behavior
- Create an obedient, well-behaved pet
3. Success Dogs
What does this course offer
Success Dogs offers 3 types of training programs for dogs, namely –
- 👉 The Good Dog Everyday Program: In this course, you would learn to teach your dog to respond to visual and verbal cues and sharpen their reward-based training skills with their dogs.
- 👉 The Walk in Harmony Game Plan: The concept of this course is the emphasis on building your dog’s 5 core walking skills: attention, awareness, obedience, loose leash manners, and self-control.
- 👉 The Superhero Game Plan: This course is to help teach your dog advanced and complex behaviors like the ones taught to service dogs.
This enables pet parents to choose exactly what they wish to focus on. The author uses positive reinforcement as a way to communicate with dogs.
About the trainer
The author Jean Cote is most known for building the Dog Trick Academy in 2006, where he brought over 10,000 dog owners together with one uniting goal: to teach dogs cool and unique tricks. Jean has a vast background in the field of dog training and behavior and is considered to be an expert in the area of trick training with the help of positive reinforcement.
What we love about the course
We simply love the categorization of the training courses which enables pet parents to choose their area of focus. It is reasonably priced and each course talks in detail about the topic at hand. Although Jean may not be a certified trainer, his methods are strictly science-based and have positive reinforcement at the forefront. His courses focus more on the dog’s well-being and on building a lasting relationship of love and trust between the dog and the pet parent, rather than just correcting undesirable behaviors and reprimanding the dogs. His technique is proven to work time and again leaving less scope for accidents.
4. The Online Dog Trainer by Doggy Dan
What does this course offer
The Online Dog Trainer dives deep into the loving “Canine Leadership” technique of training to transform a dog’s behavior in just a few sessions. In the course, Doggy Dan explains that dogs have “pack leadership” psychology ingrained into their DNA. Which means they are always trying to figure out the leader of the pack they are in.
What very few people know is that the position of pack leader can vary in different situations. Eg, you may assume the position of a pack leader and provider while feeding your dog, but your dog may assume that position when taking a walk outside with you. 😅
Being a pack leader does not mean showing dominance or physical aggression to your dog. The course talks about 5 gentle psychological techniques that can not only demonstrate your position as a pack leader to your dog, but also help you build a lasting bond of love and respect.
About the trainer
Dan Abdelnoor, aka Doggy Dan, is a renowned canine trainer and a popular YouTube personality who offers a variety of video training tutorials. He has starred in a TV show called “Dog Almighty” and is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Lastly, he is also a qualified dog listener. It is important to know that regardless of his impressive credentials, he is not certified in the field of dog training and behavior.
What we love about the course
The Online Dog Trainer has over 250 videos that provide tips and tutorials on dealing with the simplest to the most complex dog behavior problems. This course helps you to kick start your puppy’s life off on the right note while teaching them behaviors that will be ingrained in them for many years.
Dan’s online dog training has a stamp of approval from the Royal New Zealand SPCA.
5. Brandon McMillan’s Dog Training Masterclass
What does this course offer
This course, containing 15 video lessons spanning a little under 3 hours, focuses on building and strengthening the core foundation of dog training. Rather than teaching your dog countless cues and commands, Brandon has a more simplified and unique “Hybrid training” system that he put together from decades of working with exotic and domestic animals.
The course not only teaches you to recognize and appreciate your dog’s unique personality but also enables you to build a solid groundwork for training and tackle challenging behavioral issues with simplicity at its core.
About the trainer
Brandon McMillan is the Emmy-winning host of “Lucky Dog” and an expert trainer dedicated to building lasting relationships between humans and animals. He has a lifetime of experience when it comes to training animals of all shapes and sizes. He is also certified to train service dogs and is the co-founder of the Argus Service Dog Foundation, which provides service dogs to disabled veterans.
What we love about the course
Brandon McMillan’s MasterClass is an informative and educational class that busts a lot of myths about dog training and behavior and takes a modern and unconventional approach to training and raising your dog. His masterclass will help pet parents build trust and control with their dogs through just 7 basic commands – sit, stay, no, down, come, heel, and stop. The simplicity and effectiveness of the course make it lucid for countless pet parents, thereby enabling them to transform their dogs into better versions of themselves.
Some other online dog training courses to check out
As much as I would love to review more online dog training courses, the list comes to an end here. However, I am leaving you with some more courses that may be right up your alley –
How to Choose the Best Online Dog Training Course
With the amount of information overload out there, it is important to select a dog training course that not only is credible and provides accurate information, but also matches your needs and training ethos. It is recommended to consider the following aspects while scouting through dog training courses to buy.
Author credentials and instructor qualifications
It is a commonly known fact that dog training is an unregulated field. Several people with zero qualifications and experience but with great on-screen personas have gained popularity in the last couple of decades. It is due to them that there is an insane amount of misinformation regarding dog training and behavior prevailing today. Be careful and make sure to check author/ trainer credentials before investing in a course.
General customer reviews and testimonials
Unpaid customer reviews are a great way to learn about the effectiveness of a course. Make sure to check the good and bad reviews of any course that you plan to buy. Reviews may also give you insights into a few non-marketed aspects of the training.
Training ethos
The dog training industry is divided between trainers using aversive, dominance-based techniques and positive reinforcement trainers. While it’s true that not all training techniques may work on all dogs, it is crucial for you, as a pet parent to agree with the types of dog training methods and ethos of the training course you invest in. Make sure to accumulate as much information about the technique of training you choose to proceed with.
Duration and length of the course
The duration and length of each course may highly vary. While some courses may be short and can be finished in a couple of hours, some courses may be lengthy and may span over 6-8 hours, which can be broken down into several days. The duration of the course also depends on the amount of information and the length of the tutorials in the course. Courses that cover topics in detail tend to be lengthier.
Refund policy and customer support
Sometimes, even after conducting thorough research, we may end up buying a product that may not be apt for us. Over-commitment in ads and lack of value in the product or service is a common occurrence in products like online dog training courses. Make sure to pick a course that has a reliable refund policy and responsive customer support.
Trainer involvement and engagement
A good training program must offer guidance from the trainers themselves every once in a while. Trainer involvement acts as a big reassurance, especially for novice pet parents who are new to training and behavior modification programs.
Demonstration quality
Video tutorials are one of the best ways to share information on dog training and behavior because videos clearly demonstrate aspects like techniques, body language, step-by-step guidance, etc. which are not possible through mere text. Make sure to check snippets of training videos before buying the course.
Interactivity
Quizzes, weekly trackers, lists, etc. are some excellent ways to ensure customer engagement and track progress. Courses that incorporate such interactive elements are also proof that they are highly invested in the well-being and progress of the dog and dog parents.
Cost
This one’s literally a no-brainer!
Recommendation
Raising a pup can be challenging but nothing is more rewarding than watching them grow into a well-trained and all-rounded adult. Credible sources of information only make the whole process a lot easier and faster. While online Dog training courses do not replace in-person training by a certified trainer, they are an excellent resource to start you off on the right foot and guide you along the way to raise your dog into the best version of themselves.
We recommend the online dog training courses by Ian Dunbar.
Start with a free 1-month trial of his Top Dog Academy. 👈
What online dog training courses have you tried?
Share your experience in the comments below.
