How We Review Dog Training Programs

Here is the short version. Every program we recommend is enrolled in, paid for, and worked through with real dogs by Jenna Hayes, a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA). We rate each one on six things: force-free methods, curriculum quality, instructor credentials, support, value, and refund policy. We only recommend positive-reinforcement programs, never anything that uses shock collars, prong collars, or other aversives. Commissions never change our ratings, and when a free resource does the job just as well, we tell you to use it instead.

Who reviews these programs

Every review on Paw Schooled is done by Jenna Hayes, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). That certification means passing an exam built on humane, science-based training standards and logging hundreds of hours of hands-on work with dogs. It also means a commitment to least-intrusive, minimally aversive methods, which is the same standard we hold every program to.

Jenna does the testing herself. She is not summarizing a sales page or rewriting someone else's review. She enrolls, watches the lessons, and runs the exercises with real dogs of different ages and temperaments, from a wiggly eight-week-old puppy to an adult dog who already has a few stubborn habits. If you want the full picture of who is behind these reviews and why it matters, that is what this page is for. You can also read about the specific programs we have tested on our best online dog training roundup.

We enroll and actually use the program

A review is only worth your time if the reviewer used the thing. So we buy the program at full price, log in, and work through the curriculum the way you would at home. No free press access, no shortcuts.

That means watching the lessons in order, following the training plan for a real behavior like loose-leash walking or settling on a mat, and tracking what happens over days and weeks, not minutes. Dogs do not learn on a sales-page timeline, and neither do we. We pay attention to whether the instructions are clear enough to follow without a trainer in the room, whether the dog actually makes progress, and where an owner is likely to get stuck. The frustrating parts of a program usually show up around week two, not in the intro video, so that is exactly when we are still paying close attention.

Force-free and science-based, every time

This is the first filter, and it is not negotiable. If a program relies on aversive tools or techniques, it does not get recommended here, full stop, regardless of how slick the marketing is.

We look for training built on positive reinforcement: rewarding the behavior you want so the dog chooses to repeat it. We check the methods against current behavior science and the recommendations of organizations like the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. A program passes this filter only when it avoids:

• Shock collars, e-collars, and remote stimulation devices
• Prong, pinch, or choke collars
• Alpha rolls, dominance theory, and other forced-submission techniques
• Leash corrections, yelling, or intimidation as a teaching tool

Positive methods are not just kinder, they hold up better in the long run because the dog is learning what to do rather than being scared out of what not to do. If you want to see this approach in action, our guide to clicker training for dogs walks through the core mechanics, and our reactive dog training guide shows how force-free work applies to harder cases.

The six things we score

Once a program clears the force-free filter, we rate it on six factors. Each one gets scored from 1 to 5, and the overall rating is a weighted blend, with methods and support carrying the most weight because they matter most to whether you actually succeed.

What we score	What we are looking for
Methods	Force-free, reward-based, and consistent with current behavior science. This is a pass-or-fail gate before anything else is scored.
Curriculum	A clear, logical path from basics to advanced. Lessons build on each other, the video and writing are easy to follow, and nothing important is missing.
Instructor credentials	Who is teaching, what they are certified in, and whether their experience matches what they are selling.
Support	Can you ask questions and get a real answer? We test the forum, the coaching, or the messaging to see how responsive and helpful it actually is.
Value	Is the price fair for what you get, especially compared to free resources and to a few in-person classes?
Refund policy	A genuine money-back guarantee with reasonable terms, so you are not locked in if the program is not a fit.

You can see how these scores translate into a final verdict on any of our individual reviews, like our Doggy Dan review or our Brain Training for Dogs review.

Editorial independence and affiliate links

Let's be upfront about how the site makes money. Some of the programs we review are affiliate partners, which means if you sign up through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our recommendations.

Here is what that looks like in practice. We buy and test programs whether or not they have an affiliate program. A commission does not buy a higher score, a softer review, or a spot on a recommended list. If a paid program is mediocre, we say so, and if a partner program uses methods we cannot stand behind, it gets left off entirely. The ratings come from the testing, period. We would rather lose a commission than send you toward something that will not help your dog or, worse, will harm your relationship with them.

When we tell you to skip the paid course

This is the part most review sites leave out. A lot of dog training does not require paying for anything. Free resources are genuinely good, and we will point you to them whenever they are enough.

The American Kennel Club has solid free guides. Reputable YouTube trainers like Kikopup teach force-free methods clearly and for free. And your own veterinarian is an underrated resource for behavior questions tied to health. For many common goals, a free plan plus consistency will get you there. We say that plainly in our how-to guides, like potty training a puppy and stopping puppy biting, which cost you nothing to follow.

So when should you pay? A good paid program mainly buys you three things: structure, a clear curriculum that removes the guesswork, and access to support when you get stuck. If you are the kind of owner who wants a step-by-step system and someone to ask when things go sideways, a course can be well worth it. If you are comfortable piecing together free material and staying consistent on your own, you may not need one at all. Either way, no program is a quick fix. Consistency over weeks matters far more than which logo is on the lessons. For a side-by-side look at the paid options, see our best online dog training guide and our roundup of the best dog training apps.