Doggy Dan Review: Is The Online Dog Trainer Worth It?
By Jenna Hayes, CPDT-KAUPDATED 06/26A calm, force-free video membership with a huge library. The easiest place to start if you want a structured system.
What Doggy Dan's The Online Dog Trainer Actually Is
The Online Dog Trainer is a membership site, not a one-time course. You log in and work through hundreds of short videos that show Dan Abdelnoor (Doggy Dan), a trainer based in New Zealand, working with real dogs in real situations. The teaching is rooted in positive reinforcement and what he calls a calm, confident energy. You reward the behavior you want, stay consistent, and avoid the frustration that makes both ends of the leash tense.
The library is organized by topic, so you can jump straight to the problem you are facing. There are dedicated sections for puppies, for everyday obedience like sit, stay, recall, and loose-leash walking, and for the issues that drive owners to search online in the first place: pulling, barking, jumping up, and not coming when called. It is the kind of resource you keep open on your phone in the backyard, not something you read once and shelve.
One thing to set straight: older marketing leaned heavily on a calm "energy" and pack-leader language. The actual day-to-day methods you will use are kind and reward-based. There are no shock collars, no prong collars, and no intimidation here, which is exactly why we are comfortable recommending it. If you want to see how we judge programs like this, our how we review page lays out the standards.
Who It Suits Best
Doggy Dan is at its best for a specific kind of owner. If you just brought home a puppy or a newly adopted dog and you feel a little overwhelmed, a structured system that tells you what to do this week, and then next week, takes the guesswork out of it. You are not piecing together random YouTube clips and hoping they fit together. You are following one calm voice with one consistent philosophy.
It is a strong match if you:
- Want a clear, step-by-step path rather than scattered tips
- Learn better by watching a trainer demonstrate than by reading instructions
- Have a puppy and want the dedicated puppy program (the day-by-day approach is genuinely useful)
- Are dealing with everyday manners problems: pulling, jumping, barking, recall
- Prefer to train at your own pace, at home, on your schedule
It is probably not the right tool if your dog has serious aggression, severe separation anxiety, or true reactivity that puts people or other dogs at risk. Those cases deserve a qualified trainer or a veterinary behaviorist in person. A video membership is support, not a substitute for hands-on help with behavior that has a safety component. For the wider picture, our guide on online vs in-person training helps you decide which lane you are in.
Strengths and Limits
No program is perfect, and the honest way to review one is to put the good and the not-so-good side by side. Here is how Doggy Dan lands after working through the platform.
| Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|
| Genuinely huge, well-organized video library you can search by problem | The pack-leader framing can feel dated, even though the methods are gentle |
| Consistent positive-reinforcement, force-free approach throughout | It is a monthly subscription, so cost adds up if you linger for months |
| Strong dedicated puppy program with a clear early structure | Not built for serious aggression or clinical anxiety cases |
| Calm, encouraging teaching style that is easy to follow for beginners | Video-only, so there is no live one-to-one coaching of your specific dog |
| Low monthly price and a real free trial to test the fit | Self-paced means you still need to bring the consistency yourself |
The biggest strength is breadth combined with a single, calm philosophy. The biggest honest caveat is that a membership only works if you show up. The videos will not train your dog while you watch. You will. If you know yourself well enough to follow through a few minutes a day, the structure pays off. If you tend to start and stall, the subscription model means you may keep paying for content you are not using.
Price and Free Trial
Doggy Dan keeps pricing simple and low for what you get. The Online Dog Trainer runs on a monthly subscription, and the monthly fee is modest, less than a single session with a private trainer in most US cities. There is usually a low-cost trial period that gives you full access for a few days so you can browse the entire library, watch the puppy program, and decide whether the teaching style clicks with you before you pay for a full month.
That free trial is the part we like most about the offer. You are not gambling on a big upfront course price. You can log in, find the exact problem you are wrestling with, watch how Dan handles it, and judge for yourself. If it is not for you, you cancel inside the trial and move on. If it is, the monthly cost is easy to justify while you are actively training, and easy to cancel once your dog has the basics down.
A practical tip: treat the subscription as a tool you use intensively for a season, not a forever bill. Many owners get the most out of it in the first two or three months of puppyhood or right after adoption, then cancel once the foundation is solid. You can always rejoin later if a new problem comes up.
If you decide to try it through our link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our recommendations.
Start the Doggy Dan free trial here and look around before you commit.
Doggy Dan vs Free Options
Here is the honest part most reviews skip. You do not strictly need to pay anyone to train a friendly, healthy dog. The free resources out there are very good. The American Kennel Club publishes solid, reward-based guides. Trainers like Kikopup on YouTube teach force-free methods clearly and for free. Your own veterinarian is a reliable first stop for behavior questions tied to health. We point owners to these freely, and we have built our own free guides for potty training, puppy biting, and leash training precisely because the fundamentals should not be locked behind a paywall.
So what does paying for Doggy Dan actually buy you? Three things: structure, curriculum, and a single trusted voice. Free content is scattered. You have to find it, vet it (a lot of YouTube advice is not force-free), and figure out the right order yourself. A membership hands you a sequenced path with one consistent philosophy, which removes decision fatigue when you are tired and your puppy just chewed a shoe. For owners who want a system rather than a scavenger hunt, that convenience is worth a few dollars a month.
Our honest rule of thumb: if you are organized, patient, and enjoy researching, you can absolutely train your dog for free using the resources above and our at-home obedience guide. If you want someone to lay out the plan so you can just follow it, a low-cost membership like Doggy Dan earns its keep. Neither path is a quick fix. Consistency beats any program, free or paid.
How Doggy Dan Compares to Other Programs
Doggy Dan is not the only force-free online program worth knowing. Where it stands out is the calm, beginner-friendly video membership format and the strong puppy track. Other popular programs take different angles, and the right one depends on what you want.
If you are drawn to mental enrichment and games-based learning rather than a broad obedience library, take a look at our Brain Training for Dogs review, and our head-to-head Doggy Dan vs Brain Training for Dogs comparison breaks down which suits which owner. If you want trainer-led video courses with a more academic feel, our SpiritDog review and K9 Training Institute review cover those options. And if you would rather train in short daily bursts from your phone, our roundup of the best dog training apps is a better starting point than any membership.
For the full landscape, our hub of the best online dog training programs ranks Doggy Dan alongside everything else we have tested, so you can see exactly where it fits before you spend anything.
The Honest Verdict
Doggy Dan's The Online Dog Trainer is a genuinely good, force-free video membership that we are happy to recommend for the right owner. It does the unglamorous thing well: it gives new and overwhelmed owners a calm, structured, kind path to a well-mannered dog, with a standout puppy program and a price that is hard to argue with. The free trial means there is almost no risk in finding out whether it works for you.
Just go in with clear eyes. It is not magic, it is not for serious behavior cases, and a motivated owner can learn the same fundamentals for free with a bit more effort. What you are really paying for is structure and a single trusted voice, and for plenty of owners that is exactly what gets them to actually follow through. If you want a step-by-step system you can start tonight, it is an easy yes.
We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you join through our link, and it never changes our recommendations.
Try The Online Dog Trainer free trial and judge it for yourself, then come back to our best online dog training guide if you want to compare.
Want a full step-by-step system instead of piecing it together? Doggy Dan is our top force-free pick and has a low-cost trial.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our recommendations (see how we review). Free resources work for most single issues.
Frequently asked questions
Is Doggy Dan's training force-free and positive?
Yes. Despite the older pack-leader marketing language, the day-to-day methods are reward-based and gentle. There are no shock collars, prong collars, or punishment-based tools, which is why we are comfortable recommending it for owners committed to positive reinforcement.
How much does The Online Dog Trainer cost?
It is a low monthly subscription, typically less than a single in-person session with a private trainer. There is usually a low-cost free trial that gives you full access for a few days so you can test the library before paying for a full month.
Is Doggy Dan good for puppies?
Yes, the dedicated puppy program is one of the strongest parts of the membership. It gives you a clear early structure for the basics, which is exactly what most new puppy owners need. Pair it with our free puppy training schedule for the first weeks at home.
Can Doggy Dan fix aggression or separation anxiety?
Not reliably, and we would not lean on a video membership for those. Serious aggression, true reactivity, and clinical separation anxiety have a safety component and deserve a qualified trainer or veterinary behaviorist in person. Doggy Dan is built for everyday manners, not behavior emergencies.
Do I really need to pay when free training exists?
No, you do not strictly need to. Free resources like AKC guides, reputable trainers on YouTube, your vet, and our own free how-to guides can teach the fundamentals. A paid membership mainly buys structure, a clear curriculum, and a single trusted voice, which is worth it if you want a system rather than scattered tips.
How long should I keep the subscription?
Treat it as a seasonal tool, not a forever bill. Many owners get the most value in the first two or three months of puppyhood or right after adoption, then cancel once the foundation is solid. You can always rejoin later if a new problem comes up.
Positive, force-free trainer. She works through every program with real dogs before recommending it, and always points you to the free resources that are good enough. How we review →