Tap! Swipe! Sit!

Dogo, Puppr, GoodPup, Pawsitive, and GoDog. Yes, they sound like what you might say when asked, “Can you think of a few dog-themed names for an app? You have five seconds.” But they’re some of the most popular dog-training apps on the market. 

What they offer varies. Some have virtual one-on-one training sessions; others come with preloaded courses, videos, chat access to trainers, or a social component. A few even offer access to AI that will analyze your dog’s posture and movement and give corrections. 

The sleek Puppr app comes with a virtual clicker, a tool used in dog training to audibly reinforce positive behaviors. Its primary free offering is trick tutorials, which are separated into categories (“basics,” “useful,” and “charming,” among others) and which reviewers typically praise. (Though the praise — “I love this app and it has helped me so much!” — is frequently coupled with a complaint about the community sections, like “People will post off-topic on the tricks sections and get upset if you try to inform them on the rules and report you”.) GoDog is somewhat heavy-handed monetarily; it has some free computer-generated trick tutorials, but the user is constantly reminded that they could get more with in-app purchases. 

Most of the apps have free stuff or free trial periods, but they all hope you’ll sign up for a paid subscription plan to teach your dog manners, or work on certain behavioral issues.

Humans love spending money on their companion animals. According to a survey from the American Pet Products Association, 66% of American households in 2022 had pets. Those households spent nearly $137B on them that year, about an 11% increase over 2021. The association specifically noted a rise in spending on pet tech and predicted a steady increase over the next year. And the pet-training-app corner of that world is booming: a report from research company HTF Market Intelligence said that the dog-training-apps market, which stands at $1.2B, is expected to increase by $3.2B in the next seven years.

Like app-based talk therapy, dog-training apps are designed to offer consumers an easier way to get what in the past may’ve been too expensive or out of reach. But where research has been done on the (not always positive) real-world effects of app-based therapy, none has been done on the effects of app-based dog training. And the dog-training world is largely unregulated, meaning anyone can decide to call themselves a trainer and start taking clients. 

According to Juliana DeWillems, a certified dog trainer and behavior consultant, it means pet parents need to do their research and be careful about which app they choose. “They range from an app that has nothing customized, nothing personalized, yet still promises to ‘fix’ your dog,” DeWillems said, “all the way to having a real trainer at your fingertips.” 

Brooke Greenberg, also a certified dog trainer, said you should proceed with caution. “With no regulations in place,” she said, “anyone can create a dog-training app.” Look for credentials like CPDT (Certified Professional Dog Trainer), CBCC (Certified Behavior Consultant Canine), or CDBC (Certified Dog Behavior Consultant) when researching trainers involved with apps, and make sure they use positive-reinforcement methods.

“These apps are not all created equal,” DeWillems said, “but if they're good, I think they serve an important role of being a more accessible option for people.”

Morgan Rivera, who manages shelter partnerships at the app GoodPup, thinks that accessibility is a big reason the dog-app market is growing so rapidly. “It's easy access,” she said. “You need a smartphone or computer with video and an internet connection, and you can train with your dog.” 

Plus, the cost is lower than working with an in-person trainer, which can run you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. There are reasons people are turning to apps unrelated to convenience. Maybe your dog doesn’t do well with other dogs, or they’re afraid of new people; maybe they’re scared of riding in the car. “There are a lot of reasons why being able to do it from the comfort of your own home, without even having to have a stranger physically in the home, can go a long way,” Rivera added.

GoodPup, which partners with shelters and rescues, in addition to being available to individuals, offers one-on-one live virtual sessions with certified positive-reinforcement trainers. Rivera has a background in the shelter world and said when she was working in adoptions it was hard not to worry about whom adopters might choose to train their dogs. “I remember doing an adoption and being like, oh gosh, I really hope they actually find a good trainer,” she said, “and not one of the 10 terrible trainers I know are in this city.” With GoodPup, she said, she at least knows that they’ll be in good hands no matter where they live, or how much knowledge they have about what to avoid in the dog-training industry.

Still, the trainers I spoke with urged caution about attempting to use an app to solve particularly tricky behavioral issues, especially if the app doesn’t offer virtual training sessions with actual trainers. 

“If you're using an app to teach your dog to sit, stay, lie down — that's one thing,” DeWillems said. “But I definitely don't recommend apps for more severe issues, anything that goes more into the behavior-modification realm, like separation anxiety, reactivity, aggression, resource guarding, fear, or generalized anxiety,” she said. “All of those are very, very risky.” 

Greenberg, too, advises against it. “Changing an emotional response to a problem takes time,” she said. “Rushing through exercises has the potential to worsen the problem.”

Behavioral issues can often be a sign that something is going on with a dog’s health. Left to work with predetermined courses or videos, or wonky AI, a pet parent might miss signs that a trainer would otherwise catch; this could exacerbate the behavioral issue and physically harm the dog. “If there ever is a big change in behavior, the first question [GoodPup trainers] ask is, have they been seen by a vet?” Rivera said. Then it’s up to the human to communicate (or show during a video session) anything they’ve noticed that might be medically relevant. 

“We ask those questions, but we aren't there in person,” she said, so it’s possible they could miss something an in-person trainer might see. “But generally our clients are very communicative, and they really want to share everything with us and make sure that we have the complete picture.”

DeWillems noted that the percentage of pet parents who typically elect to do private training is a fairly small one. “So if these apps can reach people who would not have historically thought to train their dog, or don't know how to train their dog, or don't have the funds to train their dog,” she said, then they can be a positive thing. This is both because the training is itself helpful and because it allows for the pet parent to spend quality, enrichment-focused time with their dog. 

“As long as the training being recommended is based on positive reinforcement, is humane, and is not recommending anything that's harmful or detrimental,” she said, “I see it as a win.”

Kelly Conaboy is a writer in New York who covers dogs, culture, and dog culture.