Review: Virtual Training App GoodPup Offers Huge Wins for Busy Pet Parents

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• Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.

This article was produced in partnership with GoodPup, a Rover subsidiary, who provided free accounts to four Rover writers and editors in exchange for an honest review of their experiences.

Whether you have a new puppy just learning the ropes or an adult dog who could use a refresher, training a dog is hard work. It takes patience, persistence, and often expert help. Carving the time out to get that help—and having it around as often as you need it—can be difficult. That’s one reason we’re excited to see virtual and app-based dog training taking off.

It’s also why four Rover writers and editors jumped at the chance to test GoodPup, one of the virtual training companies leading the charge to bring expert dog trainers to pet parents’ own living rooms and screens—wherever and whenever you need them.

We report on what the app has to offer from the perspective of four testers:

• Puppy Betty, who’s learning the ropes for the first time
• Two-year-old Pepper, a clever pup who mastered the basics quickly but is having trouble progressing further
• Enzo, a seven-year-old Border Collie–Cattle Dog Mix who’s struggling with some problem behaviors
• Oscar, a 15-year-old Miniature Dachshund with separation anxiety

How GoodPup Works

GoodPup offers private, virtual dog training with credentialed trainers on a pet parent’s schedule for $34 per week. A subscription includes weekly half-hour appointments with a trainer, a library of training materials, and 24/7 live chat with trainers and veterinarians.

Here’s what you’ll encounter when you sign up.

1. Complete an assessment

You’ll start by filling out a survey about your dog, including questions about their age, health, behavior, and the skills they’ve mastered so far. You’ll also cover your own comfort level as a pet parent—like what kinds of pup health needs you’re comfortable tackling.

A few testers were a bit embarrassed to admit their pups’ problem spots, but they answered honestly and had no regrets. Trainers were kind and understanding of a pet’s—or a pet parent’s—knowledge gaps.

After your assessment, you’ll receive a recommendation. All our pups were sent to GoodPup 101—a starting point to review and master foundational training.

2. Start training

Once your level has been established, you’ll schedule a weekly half-hour appointment and be paired with a trainer.

GoodPup’s instructors are experienced trainers, veterinary technicians, and behavior specialists who’ve gone through GoodPup’s certification program. Their training uses positive, humane, and science-based techniques backed by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Though GoodPup 101’s schedule initially makes it look like the program will follow a pre-set training plan each week, based on your input, your trainer can customize lessons to focus on the areas where you indicate you and your pup need the most help.

You can reschedule your weekly appointments or change the training plan at any time.

3. Do the homework

In session, your trainer will walk you and your pup through a new set of cues or behaviors. After session, it’s up to you to practice.

The GoodPup app prompts you to log each day’s training and indicate how it went with a quick emoji. If you’re meeting with success, the app will offer you the chance to level up and try a slightly more complicated version of the cue.

For example, if your pup has learned to hold a stay for fifteen seconds, you might be invited to try the next level: backing up while your dog stays in position.

If it’s not going well, the app offers you the chance to go back to a simpler stage—and reach out to your trainer for help troubleshooting.

4. Get help via chat

GoodPup’s trainers are available 24/7 to answer questions that come up as you practice. It’s not always your own trainer you’ll hear from (since they have to sleep too)—but you’ll have access to GoodPup’s training and veterinary team via chat any time of the day. We found them all great resources.

Betty’s Review: Puppy Training With GoodPup

The problem. Betty is a new puppy with a lot to learn and herding-dog levels of enthusiasm. Nia is a busy dog mom with a hectic schedule.

The good. On starting GoodPup training, Betty took to some skills instantly, with especially big successes on “go to your spot”—a lifesaver to send her to her crate to settle.

More complicated behaviors, like jumping on people and getting up close and personal during meal and cooking times, were going to take longer than the planned six-week course. But that was okay, because courses can be extended, by one or two sessions or many.

Flexibility was king. In light of Nia’s work travel, a spay surgery for Betty, and a bout of illness for both human and pup, the pair didn’t get in as much practice as they’d hoped. But the training’s structure made it possible for Nia to reschedule and keep going—and realize that sometimes it’s just fine to give up “perfect” for “good enough.”

Betty passed training with flying colors, and she and Nia are planning to advance to the next course, GoodPup 201, where they’ll work on advanced skills and training games.

Worth watching. WiFi was occasionally an issue in rural areas. Nia was always able to get reconnected with her trainer, but if your internet isn’t reliable, that’s something to consider. She’s also excited for some harder skills, since Betty was almost always ready to jump to the trickier end of the spectrum.

Nia recommends GoodPup to anyone looking to cover training fundamentals for their puppy in the convenience of their own home.

Pepper’s Review: Breaking Barriers to Advanced Skills

The problem. Pepper, a two-year-old Cattle Dog Mix, had breezed through basic training and even some fun trick work. But dog mom Niki felt she had hit a wall with some cues—like a foolproof “leave it”—and wasn’t sure where to go to advance the rest.

Once your dog learns a skill, what else can you do?

The good. The answer, according to Niki’s trainer, is that there’s always more you can do. She included extensive notes on each of Pepper’s sessions with training details and tips that went beyond GoodPup’s homework programming for various cues.

She also helped Niki broaden Pepper’s knowledge base—with some new cues providing the missing link that made old ones finally stick.

For example, Pepper had always struggled with “lay down.” (Her energetic herding nature doesn’t go for relaxing postures.) But teaching “go to your spot,” which involved laying down and staying on her bed, helped her understand “lay down” as its own cue—and start learning to relax in place.

After repeated training (encouraged by the GoodPup app’s reminders and prompts), Niki began to notice a difference in the way Pepper focused on her more intently and more often.

She also got a lot of tips through the chat feature to help her troubleshoot and unstick a variety of tricky cues.

Worth watching. Niki’s biggest challenge was figuring out where and how to set up the phone in her space so that both she and Pepper would be visible when they worked through cues like “leave it” and “heel.”

Her trainer offered some good solutions, encouraging the pair to video some of their work during the week for review instead.

Niki recommends GoodPup, citing its easy-to-use app and excellent trainers. She was impressed that working with someone remotely seemed as effective as in-person. She and Pepper are looking forward to the next level.

Enzo’s Review: Problem Behaviors and a Training Program That Can Pivot

The problem. Enzo, a seven-year-old Border Collie–Cattle Dog Mix, is a model of good office-dog behavior. But he has strong responses to walk time, cats, and the dreaded vet, and Jaimee isn’t sure what to do about them.

The good. The intake survey and assignment to “GoodPup 101” had Jaimee worried that this was going to be a review of the basics instead of tailored help with specific behavior issues.

But it wasn’t like that at all. Enzo’s trainer asked detailed questions in their very first session, and they set the usual schedule aside right away to focus on Enzo’s “leash mania”—uncontrollable jumping when his humans pick up his leash.

They switched to “body handling” and consent when Enzo injured himself and Jaimee needed to clean a cut on his leg regularly—an ordeal that got easier with a trainer’s guidance.

Their sessions ranged flexibly to cover everything from Enzo’s intense dislike of cats to his fear of being touched at the vet. The trainer offered thorough explanations of the rationale behind her approach and a strong understanding of Enzo’s personality and breed-specific behaviors.

Worth watching. Jaimee found training sessions were about 75% talking about exercises and 25% actual practice with Enzo—which meant staying accountable and practicing regularly during the week. The GoodPup chat feature was very helpful in navigating solo practice time.

Jaimee recommends GoodPup and encourages pet parents not to be dissuaded by the template GoodPup 101 schedule—her trainer was always ready to pivot to focus on what Enzo needed most.

Oscar’s Review: Tackling Separation Anxiety Through Confidence Building

The problem. Oscar the Mini-Dachshund developed separation anxiety late in life. He howls and scratches when separated from his people. Allie, his main people, would like to be able to leave him home alone for a bit without a pup meltdown.

The good. Allie breezed through the GoodPup survey pretty quickly, since there wasn’t much to report. Senior adoptee Oscar didn’t know that many cues, and the ones he did know weren’t exactly foolproof.

That, it turned out, was part of the problem. As Allie realized over seven weeks of training, Oscar’s confidence was low. He didn’t only need help getting desensitized to house-leaving cues—he needed some grounding basics.

So Oscar and Allie learned “touch,” “sit,” “lay down,” “go to spot,” “heel,” “stay,” “come,” and “leave it.” Her trainer made the work fun and funny, saying dogs, like kids, learn better when you’re goofy.

She also had valuable tips for teaching a senior pup and endless compassion for Oscar’s occasionally contrary opinions during sessions.

Worth watching. Oscar’s separation anxiety, as expected, couldn’t be cured with a seven-week course. But the missing building blocks were a critical first step that Allie isn’t sure she would have known to take otherwise.

Allie recommends GoodPup to anyone looking to understand their dog better. She says the training part was great—but seeing her old pup through a new, clearer lens with her trainer’s help was priceless.

GoodPup Reviewed: What Our Testers Say

All our testers, human and pup alike, got a lot out of their GoodPup training.

We liked the virtual nature, which made professional training possible for many of us whose schedules wouldn’t have permitted in-person appointments. Many of us felt like it held an advantage over in-person training, since our trainers could see our dogs’ natural behavior in the home.

We were also big fans of the trainers themselves, who were kind, knowledgeable, and skilled at tailoring lessons to a pup’s particular struggles.

We found the subscription itself good value. The training walkthroughs, reminders, and homework features kept us on track, while the 24/7 chat made it possible to troubleshoot in the moment instead of waiting for the next lesson. Though we received our first GoodPup courses for free to test the product, every tester plans to pay to continue, either now or in the future.

Our testers recommend GoodPup for pet parents who:

• Have a young puppy in need of basic training
• Are looking to troubleshoot specific behavior issues
• Want to advance to trick training
• Want to work on their pup’s behavior in the home
• Could benefit from reminders and check-ins to stay on track with a training program
• Are looking for 24/7 support or want answers to questions in the moment
• Need a flexible program that lets them change schedules and topics on the fly

GoodPup isn’t a strong choice for pet parents who:

• Have an unreliable internet connection
• Aren’t up for daily homework right now (we estimate it took us about a half-hour per day, every day)
• Have their heart set on an in-person experience

Sign Up for GoodPup

Further Reading

• The 6 Best Dog Training Apps
• The New Puppy Checklist: Essentials for New Pet Parents
• Touch: The Simple Command That Makes Life With Your Dog a Lot Easier