Best Online Dog Training Courses for Dog Owners (2026): 7 Compared, Credentials Checked

Dunbar Academy is the online school of Dr. Ian Dunbar, a veterinarian (Royal Veterinary College, London) with a PhD in animal behavior from UC Berkeley, who founded the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and started the first off-leash puppy classes in 1982, according to his Wikipedia biography. The site says plainly: "We use rewards to reinforce good behavior."

Good fit: new puppies, first-time owners, anyone who wants to learn from one of the pioneers of reward-based puppy training (per the Wikipedia biography above). Skip if: you dislike subscriptions (it renews automatically) or you want a trainer watching your dog live.

Brain Training for Dogs is Adrienne Farricelli's course of mental games (cups, balls, ring stacking) plus obedience and a puppy section. She is listed as a CPDT-KA in the CCPDT directory, with a force-free approach. I gave it 3.8/5 in my full Brain Training for Dogs review.

Good fit: bored or high-energy dogs, owners who prefer paying once. Skip if: your dog shows aggression or severe anxiety. The sales page overpromises fast fixes, which my review corrects line by line.

SpiritDog sells single-topic courses (reactivity, calmness, puppy, obedience, potty training) plus an optional monthly academy. Its course list runs from $9 to $149 per course, and its homepage promises a "30-day money back guarantee on every course," mentions a "highly engaged community of trainers and course alumni," and offers a free 7-day course (all read Sep 28, 2026). Its FAQ says it teaches "with positive methods," and its About page calls the approach "Positive, game-based" (read Sep 29, 2026). I couldn't verify the lead trainer's credential in an independent directory. Its public course page also pushes $750 to $997 bundles, so start with a single course. I cover all of this in my full SpiritDog Training review.

Good fit: owners who want to fix one thing at a time without a subscription. Skip if: you need a verified credential before you buy.

Instinct is a US dog training company with in-person locations in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, Portland and San Diego. Its online school offers free and low-cost self-paced courses (leash reactivity, impulse control, dog and kid safety) and free live Zoom seminars several times a month. It describes its methods as positive reinforcement-based, and says its team includes certified behavior consultants and board-certified veterinary behaviorists, though the pages I read didn't name them.

Good fit: tight budgets, leash reactivity basics, families with kids. Skip if: you want one long, structured program. It pays me nothing, and it's where I'd start if money is tight.

Baxter & Bella sells a lifetime membership with step-by-step programs, games, printable charts and what it calls "live help from professional trainers," with "unlimited professional support." It also offers free resources, including a free intro puppy class on Zoom, a podcast and guides. Its About page introduces trainer Amy Jensen as a Certified Dog Trainer (CCDT) through CATCH, a Fear Free Certified Professional and an APDT and IAABC member, and describes its approach as "force-free, science-based training, centered on proven positive reinforcement principles." I couldn't check her credential in an independent directory or see the membership price, so it ties with Instinct instead of beating it.

Good fit: owners who want to ask a person questions over time. Skip if: you want to know the price before you commit.

Absolute Dogs teaches through games and offers free ebooks, individual courses and a membership club called Games Club. Its course titles promise fast results, like "10 Days to Stop Separation Anxiety." Those are the seller's titles, not measured outcomes, and separation anxiety usually needs your vet's input. Its homepage describes its training as "innovative, positive, real-life, results-driven" (read Sep 29, 2026). The founders weren't named on the homepage I read.

Good fit: owners who enjoy play-based training. Skip if: you're dealing with real separation anxiety; start with your vet.

K9 Training Institute's homepage promotes a free online workshop presented by "Dr. Alexa Diaz, Ph.D," described as having more than 20 years of experience training service dogs. The price of the paid program only appears after the workshop, and I couldn't verify the credential independently. K9TI also runs an affiliate program that pays other websites for referrals. I'm not in it, so keep that in mind when you see it ranked first elsewhere.

Good fit: curious owners who want to watch a free session first. Skip if: you don't want a sales pitch at the end of a free class.