Our Final Verdict
We give The Puppy Academy Online School a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
Effectiveness: 4.9/5
Quality of Information: 4.9/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
Value: 4.8/5
During my years as a certified dog trainer, I taught my fair share of puppy obedience classes. In that time I learned a lot about what it takes to raise a well-mannered pup and how easy it can be to end up with a teenage monster dog. One of the biggest things that determines how well-behaved a puppy ends up being is how committed the owners are to training them.
Of course, in this day and age, committing to obedience classes, even just once per week, can be a challenge. That’s where The Puppy Academy’s Online School comes in.
This genius service allows you to train your puppy at home in just 60 days. The Puppy’s Academy’s in-depth training videos walk you through the basics of each command so you can practice on your own time. In addition to training, the course also comes with a backlog of videos on common puppy behavioral issues, potty training help, and more.
As someone who knows how much bad information there is out there concerning training dogs, I was very interested to learn more about this service from The Puppy Academy. After watching their videos and exploring their wealth of resources, I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen.
If you have a puppy in need of training, keep reading. I’ll walk you through my assessment of this training service and give you my take on who it’s best suited for in my full review of The Puppy Academy Online School, below.
What Is The Puppy Academy?
The Puppy Academy was started in 2016 by new puppy parents, Ricci and Marco. After a tough time dealing with their yorkie mix puppy, Coconut, they were lucky enough to discover the transformative power of effective training. Wanting to bring that same hope and connection to other new puppy parents, they opened The Puppy Academy.
Where Is The Puppy Academy Located?
The Puppy Academy first opened with a brick-and-mortar training center in Hermosa Beach, California. Here, they provide 12 weeks’ worth of training in a school-like environment where pet parents drop their puppy off for 3 to 6 full days each week.
To help reach more pet parents, the company recently launched their online school option. This course is available to puppy owners across the country.
Who Is The Puppy Academy Online School Best Suited For?
Every puppy out there will benefit from early, consistent training. In the ideal world, this training would take place in a classroom where your dog would be exposed to other dogs and people and where you could get one-on-one help from the instructor.
But this kind of training takes time and commitment that many of us just do not have.
For puppy owners who can’t make it to in-person training or don’t have the option available to them, this online puppy training course is a wonderful option.
Online School Overview
Here is an overview of everything that comes with your enrollment in The Puppy Academy’s Online School. We’ll look at how it works, the training videos, the extra resources, and pricing.
How It Works
Getting started with this online course is simple. Once you sign up and pay for the online school, you’ll receive an email to set up your account.
Once logged in, you’ll have access to dozens of videos, PDFs, and other resources for all things puppy. Included in this package are eight training videos that walk you through the obedience training process one step at a time. You’ll start with the Lesson 1 video on training basics and move through to Lesson 8 on heeling and long-line work.
The course is set up for you to watch one video per week then use the homework sheets to continue to reinforce the training in 15-minute sessions throughout the week.
Of course, the beauty of this approach is that you can slow down if needed. And if you miss a week, you can always start back up where you left off when you’re ready.
The Training Videos
Your weekly training videos are led by The Puppy Academy’s master trainers, Sparky Serka and Bethany Wilson. In each video, these experienced trainers walk you through the lesson for the day and then demonstrate using a variety of puppies from their in-house training program.
This setup allows you, as an owner, the opportunity to see how different dogs require slightly different approaches to training. This is something you would see in a real training class (assuming you’re being led by a knowledgeable trainer) as they work with different students. But most online training platforms fail to cover this aspect of puppy training.
The approach to training in these videos is rooted in positive reinforcement training. That is, behavior modification and command compliance are achieved by motivating the dog to do what you want them to. Incorrect and unwanted behaviors are dealt with through redirection and the removal of rewards.
This is the only kind of dog training that is backed by scientific research and the only training I endorse. Not only is it effective but it doesn’t carry the same risk of creating undesirable stress behaviors and reactivity that punishment-based training does.
Another thing many online training courses fail to consider is the valuable help a trainer can be to new puppy parents outside of obedience training. I spent most of my time before my puppy classes and the last ten minutes of each lesson discussing common puppy problems with the owners.
With other courses, you don’t have access to these resources, but The Puppy Academy ensures you do. Not only does your course subscription get you access to the training videos, but you also get:
Training foundation information
Nineteen videos dealing with common puppy issues
Access to live Q&A sessions
A backlog of previous Q&A sessions
Extra puppy owner resources, including a calm music playlist for puppies
Altogether, your training videos and the extra resources provide over 151 videos with new videos added weekly to help you and your puppy survive puppyhood.
Pricing
All the above is available to you for $299. There are no extra fees for additional content or pricey upgrade options.
I really appreciate this structure because it ensures every puppy owner gets access to all the information The Puppy Academy provides for one price. Best of all, these resources are available to you for the extent of your dog’s puppyhood. This means you can revisit the training classes and extra resources as often as you need to.
Pros & Cons
Easy 8-week course structure
Over 150 training and informational videos
Fun and energetic trainers
A huge variety of puppies used as examples
Work at your own pace
Lacks the socialization aspect of in-person training
Key Features
Train Your Puppy In Just 60 Days
The Puppy Academy’s Online School is designed for you to tackle one course video each week for eight weeks. Based on what you learn from this video, you’re meant to work with your puppy one to three times a day for about 15 minutes each.
This structure helps ensure your puppy is getting consistent training that progresses at a pace most young dogs do very well with. But, of course, if your pup is struggling or your personal life gets in the way, you can always adjust the pace to suit your needs.
Training your puppy to sit and stay are just two small pieces of what goes into making a good dog. You’ll also need to train them not to nip, to stay down, and not bark at everything they see. And that’s why this course comes with over a hundred extra videos to help you make your pup the best pup they can be.
With this course, you’ll not only learn valuable obedience lessons but also how to tackle all the common puppy behavior issues.
Live Q&A Sessions
One of the most distinguishing things about The Puppy Academy’s online course compared to other options is the inclusion of live Q&A sessions.
These weekly sessions allow course participants to ask questions of their trainers in real-time. These questions can cover anything from obedience commands to potty training help. In addition to the live sessions, you also get access to the backlog of Q&A videos to get answers to your questions without having to wait.
Is The Puppy Academy Online School a Good Value?
The average cost of puppy obedience classes is about $30 to $40 per session. That means you’d be paying between $240 and $320 for 8 classes of in-person training. While The Puppy Academy’s 8-week Online School sits toward the upper end of this range, it’s important to remember all the extras you get.
With a full year of access to the online school (over 150 videos to learn from), plus live weekly trainer Q&A sessions every week, I would say this course is more than worth the price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there age restrictions for the online course?
Not technically speaking, but the course is designed for puppies and is likely to be most beneficial for dogs under 9 months of age. If you have an older dog, it may be worth hunting down a course for adult dogs since their needs are different.
At what age should I start training my puppy with this program?
Most puppy training classes start around 12 weeks of age. But this is largely due to the vaccination requirements of in-person training. Most puppies are mature enough to start training between the ages of 8 and 10 weeks and this is a good age to start online classes.
Do I have to finish the course in 8 weeks?
No, you don’t have to finish the course in 8 weeks. The Online School is designed to train your puppy in 60 days. However, you always have the option to slow down the pace or repeat lessons as needed.
Our Experience With The Puppy Academy’s Online School
As a former dog trainer, I was very interested in checking out this offering from The Puppy Academy. It has been decades since the last time I had a puppy in my house thanks to back-to-back adult rescue dogs coming into my life. But my time teaching puppy obedience classes is fresh in my mind.
One of the most important things I considered as I audited the classes from this course was the type of training used.
With a bachelor’s degree in zoology with an emphasis on animal behavior, I spent plenty of time in school learning about behavior modification techniques. Despite the popularity of a handful of deplorable punishment-based trainers, science overwhelmingly backs positive reinforcement training as the best method for training dogs (and most other animals).
So I was very relieved to find that The Puppy Academy’s techniques are all rooted in positive reinforcement. This means they teach you to reward your dog’s good behavior to get them to repeat it.
It also means that they teach the technique of redirection and negative punishment to stop undesirable behaviors. This involves ignoring your dog or removing them from the situation when bad behaviors occur.
These approaches both work because they help keep your pup’s stress levels down during training. Because stressed-out dogs can’t learn, this is key to achieving fast, lasting results. It also helps to strengthen your bond with your dog so that they want to listen to you.
Another thing I was very impressed with when perusing this course was all the extra resources provided. As I said above, the hardest part about having a puppy is not training them to sit. It’s the house training, nipping, chewing, and all the other behaviors you need to untrain.
The Puppy Academy does a great job of making sure you have information and support in these areas.
Despite all of these great aspects, I was still hesitant to endorse this training option for the same reasons I hesitate to recommend other online training options.
First, online classes rarely give you the opportunity to speak to a trainer. That means if your pup is struggling in a way that is not covered in the videos, you’re usually out of luck. But with The Puppy Academy’s weekly live Q&A sessions, this is not the case.
The other issue I have with online training is that it doesn’t allow puppies to socialize with other puppies. This is such a key part of their development and vital for raising a well-rounded dog. And it’s one issue that online classes will never be able to overcome.
But, given the many benefits of this program, I do see it as a great option for pet owners who can’t attend in-person training classes. And when paired with a weekly socialization class, neighborhood puppy get-together, or other socialization options, I truly believe The Puppy Academy’s Online School has the power to help you turn your rambunctious puppy into a well-mannered adult.
Conclusion
If you have a new puppy in the house, there’s no time to waste when it comes to introducing effective, consistent training. The Puppy Academy’s Online School allows you to train your puppy with the help of enthusiastic and knowledgeable trainers on your schedule.
The wealth of resources and videos you get with this course will help you tackle everything from obedience to potty training to separation anxiety. And with scientifically backed training techniques and live Q&A sessions each week, you can feel confident in your approach.
For every puppy owner out there who doesn’t have access to great in-person training, I highly recommend giving this online course a look.
