Gear & Programs
Doggy Dan review: is The Online Dog Trainer worth it?
Puppy biting your hands at dawn, a rescue dragging you down the street, and a class you already paid for that didn't help? Before you spend US$97 a month, here is what this program offers, what it costs today, how its methods compare with veterinary guidance, and when a free plan or a professional is the better next step.
On this page (12 sections)
- Is Doggy Dan worth it? A quick decision guide
- What is The Online Dog Trainer?
- What the membership and courses include
- Doggy Dan price: what it costs in a year
- How its methods compare with veterinary behavior guidance
- A new puppy and a rescue at the same time
- Who it suits, and who it doesn't
- Free and lower-cost alternatives
- When to get professional help
- Frequently asked questions
- Keep going
- Sources
Our verdict
Worth trying for some homes, but not as a first step for most. This Doggy Dan review is based on the program's own public pages, read on October 27, 2026, set against published guidance from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). We have not bought or used the program. The Online Dog Trainer is a big library of video courses with live group coaching, sold as a membership or as one-off courses. It rejects shock and prong collars, which matches veterinary guidance. It also plays down food rewards and uses "pack leader" and "dominance" wording, which AVSAB lists as red flags when you choose a trainer.
Key takeaways
- The Canine Coaching Club membership unlocks every course plus twice-weekly live group coaching, at US$97 a month or US$777 a year as listed on October 27, 2026.
- Puppy Coach, the puppy program, was listed at US$197 one time with lifetime access.
- Its no-shock, no-prong stance agrees with AVSAB. Its dismissal of treats and clickers, and its pack-leader wording, do not match AVSAB's advice on choosing a trainer.
- For bites, guarding or panic when left alone, go to your veterinarian and a qualified behavior professional, not a video course.
- Free reward-based plans cover the same everyday problems. Try one first, and pay only if you still want video coaching.
Is Doggy Dan worth it? A quick decision guide
Use your dog's main problem and your budget to decide. These rules come from the program's own pages and AVSAB's guidance on choosing a trainer.
- Your dog has bitten, guards food or toys, or panics when you leave
- Don't start with a course. See your veterinarian first, then a qualified behavior professional (details below).
- You have one everyday problem, such as puppy biting or leash pulling
- Start with a free plan: stopping puppy biting or loose-leash walking. A single US$297 course costs more than the first three months of membership.
- You have several problems at once and learn best from video
- The membership's "everything included" model can make sense here, because one fee covers every course. Join with the 30-day guarantee date in your calendar, and use only techniques that rely on rewards.
- You want someone to watch your own dog
- A local reward-based trainer or behavior consultant will see things a video can't. Check their wording against AVSAB's green and red flags.
What is The Online Dog Trainer?
The Online Dog Trainer is the video training site of Doggy Dan, a trainer based in New Zealand. His About page says he left a corporate IT job to train dogs full time and set up the online program to reach owners outside New Zealand. It says he has been a certified dog trainer since 2009 in the "Amichien Bonding" method taught by Jan Fennell, and that he has worked with over 3,500 dogs. That certificate is in one named method. It is a different thing from an independent, exam-based credential such as the CPDT-KA from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), which describes itself as an independent certifying organization and offers a "Find a Dog Trainer" search.
The home page says more than 138,000 owners have used the programs, and it promises results without shock collars, food bribes or endless drills. Those are the company's own figures and claims, and we could not check them independently.
What the membership and courses include
The site sells one membership and a shop of single courses. This is what each page listed.
| Product | Listed price | What the page says you get |
|---|---|---|
| Canine Coaching Club (membership) | US$97 a month, or US$777 a year | Every course in the library, recorded in-home consults, twice-weekly live group coaching calls, a 90-day daily email and video series, a private member community, audiobooks and PDF cheat sheets. Cancel anytime; 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Puppy Coach | US$197 one time | The Perfect Puppy Program plus the Project Moses video diary of raising a puppy from 8 weeks to 8 months; lifetime access; 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Dog Calming Code | US$197 | The site's core program for calmer behavior. |
| Single problem courses | US$297 each | One topic each, such as leash pulling, jumping up, biting and chewing, recall, separation anxiety, potty training and new puppy problems. |
| Solve Reactivity & Aggression | US$297 | A course aimed at reactive and aggressive dogs. |
The pages describe the membership's contents in dollar "values" that add up to thousands of dollars. Those are the seller's own values, not prices anyone pays. To compare options, compare what you would actually pay each month or year.
Doggy Dan price: what it costs in a year
As listed on theonlinedogtrainer.com on October 27, 2026: the Canine Coaching Club is US$97 a month (US$1,164 over 12 months on the monthly plan) or US$777 for a year paid up front. Puppy Coach is US$197 one time. Single courses are US$297. Any tax your country applies is added at checkout.
Prices and offers change, and the site runs time-limited deals. Check the checkout page before you buy.
The refund promise matters with a monthly charge. The membership and Puppy Coach pages both offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. The returns page adds one catch: members who got a free harness with a 6-month or annual plan have its cost and shipping taken off a membership refund. If you try the program, set a reminder a few days before day 30 so you can decide calmly.
How its methods compare with veterinary behavior guidance
AVSAB is the professional body of veterinarians who work in animal behavior. Its 2021 position statement on humane dog training says reward-based training should be used to teach dogs, and that aversive methods such as shock and prong collars, leash jerks and physical force should not be used. Its guide on choosing a trainer turns that into a checklist of green and red flags to look for in a trainer's words and videos.
| Topic | What AVSAB says | What the program's pages say |
|---|---|---|
| Shock, prong, force | Red flags; aversive methods can cause physical and emotional harm. | "No shock or prong collars" and no force. Agrees. |
| Food and treats | Rewards such as treats, toys and praise are a green flag. | Calls treat-based training "bribing" and promises results without "food bribes". Differs. |
| Clickers | Clicker training is listed as a green flag. | Calls the clicker method annoying and says it doesn't work. Differs. |
| Pack leader and dominance wording | "Pack leader", "alpha" and "dominant/submissive" are red flags. A separate AVSAB statement says dominance theory is not a sound basis for changing dogs' behavior. | A home-page testimonial credits a dog responding to its owner "as Pack Leader", and the course list includes "Dominance & Aggression". Differs. |
To be fair, a program can avoid force and still use wording AVSAB would not. The step-by-step techniques are inside the paid videos, which we have not seen. If you join, judge each technique with AVSAB's test: does it rely on rewards and on changing what the dog experiences, rather than on startling, pressuring or "correcting" the dog? Keep the parts that pass.
A new puppy and a rescue at the same time
Many homes looking at programs have more than one problem in the house, for example a biting puppy and an adopted adult dog who pulls and jumps. Whatever you choose, a few rules make the training workable.
Train each dog on its own
Short, separate sessions are easier to win. The other dog rests in another room or a pen with something to chew.
One problem per dog this week
Pick the one that costs you the most sleep or stress. For a puppy that is often night crying or biting; for a rescue, often pulling or jumping on guests.
Match the help to the problem
Everyday manners: free plans or a course. Guarding, growling between the dogs, or a rescue who panics alone: your veterinarian and a behavior professional.
Picture a home with an 8-week-old puppy who bites hands and cries in the crate, plus an adult rescue who pulls on walks. The owners have already paid for a group class that didn't cover biting. Before spending US$97 a month, they try free plans first: puppy biting and crate crying at night for the puppy, and loose-leash walking for the rescue. If they still want a coach's eyes on their technique, they search for a local reward-based trainer, or try the membership with the 30-day guarantee in their calendar.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
It may suit you if
- You learn best by watching a trainer work with real dogs on video.
- Your dogs' problems are everyday manners (pulling, jumping, puppy biting, house training), not aggression or panic.
- You would use the live group calls, and the cost fits your budget.
- You are comfortable filtering advice through AVSAB's reward-based checklist.
Look elsewhere if
- A dog has bitten, guards with growling or snapping, or panics when left alone.
- You want a method that uses food rewards and clickers, as AVSAB lists as green flags.
- US$97 a month is a stretch. Free guides and a local class may go further.
- You want in-person feedback on your own dog's body language and your timing.
Free and lower-cost alternatives
| Option | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Good Dog Basics guides | Free | A clear, sourced plan for one problem at a time |
| Dogs Trust training library | Free | Short reward-based guides, including positive reinforcement and dominance myths |
| Local trainer with a CCPDT credential | Varies by trainer | In-person feedback on your dog |
| The Online Dog Trainer membership | US$97/month or US$777/year | Several problems at once, video learners, live group calls |
| Puppy Coach | US$197 one time | A video puppy program to keep |
For serious problems, AVSAB's guide advises contacting a veterinarian with behavior knowledge, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or a credentialed behavior consultant. The San Francisco SPCA, for example, runs a veterinary behavior service led by a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
If you decide the program is right for you, it is at The Online Dog Trainer (opens in a new tab). We have no affiliate relationship with The Online Dog Trainer today, and we earn nothing if you buy. If that changes, this sentence and the links will say so.
When to get professional help
Choose a professional over any video course if
- A dog has bitten someone, or growls, snaps or stiffens over food, toys or handling.
- A dog panics, injures itself or damages doors and windows when left alone.
- Behavior changed suddenly, which can be a sign of pain or illness.
- Your two dogs growl at, stiffen around or fight each other.
Who to call. Start with your veterinarian: pain, illness and medication side effects can all show up as behavior changes. For behavior problems, look for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (ACVB directory), a certified applied animal behaviorist, or a certified behavior consultant, for example through the IAABC or the CCPDT directories. Ask any trainer which methods they use; reward-based is what the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends.
Frequently asked questions
Is Doggy Dan legit?
The Online Dog Trainer is an established business with public prices, a 30-day money-back guarantee on its membership and puppy program, and a published returns process. Whether its approach suits you is a separate question: it avoids shock and prong collars, but it plays down food rewards and clickers and uses pack-leader wording that AVSAB lists as red flags.
How much does Doggy Dan cost?
On October 27, 2026, the site listed the Canine Coaching Club at US$97 a month or US$777 a year. Puppy Coach was US$197 one time and single problem courses were US$297 each. Prices change and tax may be added at checkout, so check the site before buying.
Does Doggy Dan use positive reinforcement?
Its pages promise no force and no shock or prong collars, and describe the goal as calm leadership. They also criticise treat-based and clicker training. AVSAB lists treats, toys, praise and clicker training as green flags, so the program's stance on rewards differs from AVSAB's.
Is there a free version of The Online Dog Trainer?
The home page offers a free web class and video to get started. For complete free plans, the Dogs Trust training library and the guides on this site cover the most common puppy and adult-dog problems with reward-based methods.
Sources
- The Online Dog Trainer by Doggy Dan (home page), The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- About Doggy Dan, The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Shop: dog training courses and products, The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Canine Coaching Club, The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Puppy Coach training program, The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Returns and refunds, The Online Dog Trainer (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021), American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (accessed October 27, 2026).
- How to Choose a Trainer, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, CCPDT (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Why you should look for a certified dog trainer, CCPDT (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Dog and puppy training, Dogs Trust (accessed October 27, 2026).
- Veterinary Behavior Service, San Francisco SPCA (accessed October 27, 2026).
Try a free plan first.
Pick your situation and follow one reward-based plan. If you still want video coaching afterwards, you'll know exactly what to ask a program or a trainer for.