Getting a new puppy is an extremely exciting time! But along with all the fun comes a lot of responsibility. Puppies need plenty of care and attention, and they also need comprehensive (and consistent) training.
Fortunately, there are several exceptional resources available to help new puppy owners get started.
We’ve narrowed this list down to 7 of the best online puppy training courses available right now, including how much they cost, and why they are so valuable for puppies during their first few months of arrival.
Whether you’re a first-time pet parent or an experienced dog owner, one of these online puppy courses is guaranteed to be a good fit for you and your pooch.
NOTE: The following courses are for raising a puppy and teaching them essential commands and skills.
If you’re looking for a course that addresses specific behavioral issues, or would like to teach advanced skills, then check out our post on the 13 Best Overall Online Dog Training Courses
3 Reasons to Avoid FREE Online Puppy Training Courses
While free online puppy training courses may seem like a convenient and cost-effective way to get your new dog started on the basics, there are several reasons why they are not always the best option.
1. Not Comprehensive Enough
Free online training courses are often not comprehensive enough to cover all of the topics that you need to know about puppy training. You might get some basic information, but you’re not going to get the in-depth knowledge that you need to really train your new puppy effectively.
2. Limited Time
You only have a limited amount of time to get your puppy training right – if you don’t learn everything you need to know in the course, you could end up with a poorly trained pooch. Puppies grow and learn quickly, so if you’re not diligent about their training from the beginning, you may have a few issues down the road.
3. No Such Thing as a Free Meal
Professional dog trainers need to earn a living, and they can’t do that if they’re giving away their services for free. They may offer a free introductory workshop, but the most successful trainers will be promoting a paid course. By investing in a quality puppy training course, you can be sure that you’re getting a suitable program from a credible dog trainer.
So if you want the best possible training for your puppy, you’re better off finding a good quality paid course from a reputable training provider (from the start).
Why Training a Puppy in their First Few Months is So Important
A puppy’s first few months are crucial to its development. This is the time when they are learning about the world around them and forming attachments to their new family. During this period, it is important to provide positive experiences that will help them learn to trust their human caregivers.
A professional online puppy training course should help you:
Form a Strong Bond
During the first 6 months, puppies are learning how to interact with the world around them and form social bonds with other animals and people. By taking the time to train and help them learn, you are creating a special bond that will last a lifetime.
Whilst personal one-on-one professional training is available (and expensive), it’s always best to learn how to train your pup yourself in order to build a strong bond from the start.
Set Expectations
Through training, puppies learn basic manners and obedience commands, which helps them understand what is expected of them in their new home. They also learn how to interact appropriately with other dogs and people.
By providing training and guidance during this period, you can help your puppy to develop into a well-rounded dog who is able to confidently navigate its environment.
Keep Them Safe
Puppies are full of energy and curiosity, which can often lead to them getting into trouble. Effective commands can help to keep your puppy safe in potentially dangerous situations, such as running out into the street after a ball.
The best online puppy training courses will ensure you can immediately get your dog’s attention under any circumstance.
Prevent Behavioral Issues
Puppies who receive training early on are less likely to develop behavioral problems later in life. Taking the time to train your puppy in their first few months can have a lasting positive impact on their development, preventing potential behavioral issues from developing in the first instance.
By starting training early, you can set your puppy up for success and help them to develop into the happy, well-rounded pooch they should be!
7 Best Online Puppy Training Courses
Puppyhood is an important time for socialization and learning basic obedience commands. It’s best to start your puppy as early as possible, and these online puppy training courses make it easy and convenient to do so from the comfort of your own home.
Each course is led by experienced trainers who will provide you with step-by-step instructions for teaching your pup basic to mid-level life skills. And, best of all, these courses can be completed at your own pace, so you can fit training into your busy schedule.
Here are the 7 Best Online Puppy Training Courses:
1. Essential Puppy Training Course (Best Overall)
The Dunbar Academy has helped train over 115,000 puppies, and they now bring us this brand new (and even better) Essential Puppy Training Course
This course is specifically aimed at puppies between the ages of 8-18 weeks, when they are at their most developmental stage.
With decades of dog training experience between the team, this course offers a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about raising a happy and well-behaved pup.
It’s presented in an easy-to-follow format with over 100 videos covering everything from:
- What You Need for Your New Pup
- Potty Training
- Crate Training
- Bite Inhibition
- Socialization
- Confidence Training
- Impulse Control
The great thing about this course is that it helps you identify when you are ignoring good behaviors and accidentally rewarding bad ones – something that many newbie dog owners can fall victim to!
The course comes with a Risk-Free 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied, so you can be totally confident in your purchase.
It is the most comprehensive puppy training course, well structured and easy-to-follow, and comes with a money-back guarantee, making it our best overall pick for online puppy training courses.
Best For:
Puppies under 18 weeks that have not developed extremely bad habits or behavioral issues, i.e never caused a serious injury with a bite (it is not a behavioral modification course).
$50 OFF – Discount Code
The Essential Puppy Training Course is already terrific value at $200, but the great news is you can get an introductory discount of $50 off the full price (automatically applied through link) or use the code barmybeagle at checkout. This special offer also includes access to over 25 further training videos to help your pup over the coming years, providing excellent lifetime value.
2. Ultimate Puppy Program (Best Low-Cost)
With the SpiritDog Ultimate Puppy Program, you’ll get access to detailed video lessons and a private online forum where you can ask questions and get direct advice from dog trainers.
The course covers a wide range of areas for puppy training, including:
- Hyperactivity
- Jumping Up
- Biting / Nipping
- Separation Anxiety
- Potty Training
- Breed-Specific Puppy Raising
The cost of the Ultimate Puppy Program is $49, however, many people do opt for the Ultimate Masterclass Bundle which provides lifetime access to 18 other very popular courses.
Take a quick tour of all available classes here
It’s the best online puppy training provider in terms of the variety of courses on offer that caters to almost every issue you may experience, with new courses being added all the time. With a 60 Day Money-Back Guarantee, it’s an easy choice for most new puppy owners.
3. K9 Training Insititute (Best for Reactive Puppies)
If you already have a puppy that is reactive or needs some attention on focus training, then K9 Training Institute offers the best online training course to help with this.
It’s run by Dr. Alexa Diaz, one of the most well-respected service dog trainers in the United States, along with Eric Presnall, host of the hit TV Show ‘Who Let The Dogs Out.’
Together, they have crafted a new series of workshops that will teach you everything you need to know about how to train your reactive puppy to be as well-behaved as a service dog.
The cost of the K9 Training Institute Total Transformation Masterclass ordinarily comes in at $497, making it one of the most expensive courses on this list, but for good reason. It’s the first time the secrets of the service dog industry have been made available to the public.
By learning two fundamental steps in creating a well-behaved service dog, you’ll have the skills to prevent most behavioral issues in your dog over the long term, making this the best future-proof online dog training course available right now.
Plus, it comes with the longest Money-Back Guarantee of any online dog training course – a 90 day refund policy. That’s how confident they are that you’ll love this course.
They offer a very generous free workshop that’ll show you exactly what you can expect from their Total Transformation Masterclass, often running a promotion that’ll give you $200 off the full price at the very end. This is fast becoming one of the most popular online dog training courses right now, and we’re certain the price is likely to go up once it becomes a little more established.
4. Brandon McMillan (Most Engaging Trainer)
If you’re looking for the best online puppy training classes delivered in the most engaging manner, then Brandon McMillan (Emmy-Award Winner) is your guy!
His communication is second-to-none, making it incredibly easy to grasp exactly what he is teaching. Plus, he has some of the most polished videos you’ll watch when it comes to dog training – just check out his class trailer!
He doesn’t go over basics such as preparing your home for the arrival of your puppy, or what items you need to buy in advance. He’s a straight talker who gets directly to the point when it comes to teaching your puppy obedience commands.
Brandon’s methods are based on positive reinforcement training, which is widely accepted as the best way to train dogs of any age.
You can get access to Brandon McMillan’s Dog Training Course through a Masterclass Subscription, which starts from $90 per year and provides unlimited access to hundreds of other celebrity classes.
Note: Masterclass is a platform used by world-renowned experts to teach skills, giving you access to some of the greatest chefs, writers, and artists on demand. They also offer a 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.
5. The SIRIUS® Puppy Training (Best Live Sessions)
SIRIUS® offers the most popular and best virtual puppy training class available right now. Created by Dr. Ian Dunbar (Dunbar Academy) over 35 years ago, he is widely respected around the world as one of the best dog trainers of our time.
Rather than watching pre-recorded videos, each session takes place live on Zoom, with a professional puppy trainer providing you with step-by-step instructions on what to do.
You’ll be able to ask questions, get feedback and see how others are getting along too.
The SIRIUS® classes are five weekly sessions that last 50 minutes each, and are held on the same day and time each week – so you’ll need to be available for the duration of the course.
Although the SIRIUS® Puppy Training isn’t cheap at $250, it does provide exceptional value. They are live puppy training classes, so naturally, cost more to run – yet still much cheaper than private one-to-one training sessions.
There is normally a waiting list, with classes booked several months in advance, so if you’re planning on getting your puppy soon, you’ll need to reserve your place pronto!
6. Puppy & New Dog Training (Great Value Bundle)
Puppy & New Dog Training is one of many courses offered by Holly & Hugo – a comprehensive online resource for pet owners.
From teaching basic commands like “sit” to introducing your pooch to other animals in the home, Puppy and New Dog Training will help you set realistic expectations and develop a strong bond with your pup.
With step-by-step video tutorials, interactive activities, and detailed guidance, this course is designed to make it easy for first-time owners to become confident trainers. And their comprehensive library of courses makes it easy to find the best course for you and your pup.
There is one drawback we can see to Holly & Hugo courses, which is that you only have access to classes for 45 days. Although you will have the option to add on an extended license for $7.99 if you need longer, we would prefer that individual courses came with a yearly (or lifetime) access as standard.
The side benefit of this is that prices are kept low at $49 per course, or $129 for instant access to all courses, making this bundle incredibly good value.
All classes still come with a 14-Day Money Back Guarantee if you decide they are not for you.
Whether you’re a first-time dog owner or an experienced trainer, Holly & Hugo offers some of the best online puppy training courses to meet your needs.
7. Raising Your Puppy (Best Step-by-Step Guide)
Raising Your Puppy is a step-by-step video guide on everything you need to know about puppyhood, from choosing the right tools and equipment, to what needs to be done in the first six months of having your puppy.
The course is delivered by certified dog trainer, Robin Bennett, and includes more than 100 short video lessons (all around 2 minutes). You’ll also get lifetime access to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions and get advice directly from Robin and other puppy parents.
The best thing about this course is that Robin simplifies everything so that anyone can understand how to do things the right way. The very short videos make them easy to watch and refer back to in the future when the need arises.
The cost of the Raising Your Puppy course is $139, making it extremely good value in terms of a fantastic step-by-step online puppy training course by one of the most down-to-earth trainers around.
Rounding Up the Best Online Puppy Training Courses
Puppy training can be a lot of work, but it’s so worth it when you finally see your pup catch on to a new trick or skill. And with these top online puppy training courses, you can get started right away from the comfort of your own home!
You can also make life a little easier by having the right dog training tools and gadgets to help improve your pup’s cognitive abilities from the get-go.
Do you have any other favorite online puppy training courses that we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
