Short answer: For the first weeks at home, our First 14 Days Kit with the Potty Planner is #1. It runs the potty schedule, the shared log and the night shift for everyone in the house. For trick and obedience lessons, Zigzag is the strongest app, and Pocket Puppy School is the best free one.
Most homes do best with both: one plan for the whole house, plus a lesson app if you want tricks.
Quick picks
- Best for the whole house: First 14 Days Kit with the Potty Planner
- Best puppy lesson app: Zigzag
- Best free app: Pocket Puppy School
- Best free course: Pupford
- Best for tricks: Puppr
- Best for clicker training: Dogo
Full disclosure: We make #1 on this list, and we sell it. We don’t earn anything from the other five apps. Their prices come straight from their own store listings, checked October 16, 2026.
It’s late. The puppy finally stopped crying, and you’re scrolling the app store half asleep. The listings blur together. All five sell a paid upgrade, and two start with a free trial.
One Reddit owner noticed that most “best dog training app” lists “recommend completely different products.” Another wrote, “I have not been able to teach a basic trick like sit.”
Our founder, Michael, once paid for a puppy app for months after he stopped opening it. Now he asks one question before buying anything for a new puppy. Will this still be helping me in week three, or charging me in month three?
That question built this list. We compared six options on what puppy owners say they need. You’ll also see what’s free, how to cancel a trial, and the red flags to skip.
✓ Built on guidance from AAHA’s Trends magazine, AVSAB, the AKC and the official listings of each app.
The best puppy training apps, compared
Pick by the job you need done. A plan for the house, lessons for the puppy, or both.
| # | Option | Price | Main job | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First 14 Days Kit + Potty Planner | $24 once for the kit. Planner free for life for our first 500 buyers. After that, $4.99 a month or $179 lifetime | Potty schedule by age, shared log, night shift, alerts on every phone | Homes where more than one person cares for the puppy |
| 2 | Zigzag | Free lessons and a 7-day Premium trial; $8.99 to $9.99 a month or $24.99 to $49.99 a year | Puppy-only lesson plan by age and breed, coach chat | First-time owners who want daily lessons |
| 3 | Pocket Puppy School | All topics free with ads; PRO lifetime $49.99 | Day-by-day topics, clicker, calendar | Tight budgets |
| 4 | Pupford | Free 30-day course; Academy $9.99 a month or $199.99 lifetime | Zak George’s 30-day video course | One free, structured month |
| 5 | Puppr | $13.99 a month or $99.99 a year | 100+ trick and obedience lessons, trainer chat | Owners who love teaching tricks |
| 6 | Dogo | 7-day trial; lifetime $299.99 | 100+ tricks, clicker, video feedback from a trainer | Clicker fans who want video feedback |
On October 16, 2026, the five apps all sat between 4.8 and 5.0 stars on the US App Store. That’s too close for ratings to decide. Pocket Puppy School’s 5.0 comes from only 98 ratings.
1. First 14 Days Kit with the Potty Planner: best for the whole house
Lesson apps teach whoever holds the phone. This one tells the whole house who takes her out, when, and who did.
Your partner swears they took her out at midnight. Nobody wrote it down. So you take her out again, and she pees by the fridge ten minutes later.
Three people are running three different schedules in three different heads, and she’s trying to follow all of them.
The First 14 Days Kit puts the house on one plan. It’s a printable kit with schedules for 8, 10, 12 and 16 weeks. It adds one shared potty log and one name on night duty. The Potty Planner puts that same plan on every phone in the house.
Setup takes about five minutes. Four questions pick the one schedule your house uses. Tonight, the plan goes on the fridge.
A few things inside that most houses miss
- The “week 3 change” most houses miss, and how the log tells you when to make it
- Why a fun 2 a.m. trip backfires, and the six-step trip that’s boring on purpose
- How to open a crying crate without teaching your puppy that crying works
What the Potty Planner does on your phone
- One private link for every phone. No app store and no account.
- A countdown to her next trip that learns her real stretch from her own log, and says why.
- “I’m taking her out.” One tap, and every phone sees it. No doubles, no “I thought you went.”
- Alerts before each trip on phones that turn them on, even with the planner closed.
- Pee, poop or accident in one tap, with the name of whoever logged it.
- Tonight’s night shift by name, with alarms set by her age.
- A pattern finder and a printable vet report, so the accident hour shows up on its own.
- A helper link for the walker or grandma. They log trips but can’t change your settings.
Price: $24 once for the kit. The Potty Planner comes free, for life, with the kit for our first 500 buyers. After that, it will cost $4.99 a month or $179 for lifetime access.
Good for: homes with two or more people, night shifts, and one plan on the fridge and every phone.
Watch out for: It isn’t a trick or obedience course. There are no lesson videos. Pair it with a free lesson app from this list.
What about free potty log apps?
Free puppy tracker apps are good, and Reddit owners recommend them. Doggy Time, a potty log and dog tracker app, is a popular one. Its listing says it logs potty breaks, meals, sleep and walks, and shares with your whole family. Premium plans on its listing run $2.99 to $5.99 a month.
A log records what happened, and you set the reminders. The kit starts one step earlier. It picks her schedule for her age and puts one name on night duty.
Who made it: Dr. Michael Northcutt, PhD, a Certified Companion Animal Rehabilitation Therapist with 14 years in pet therapy. The kit follows published guidance from the AKC, the ASPCA and Preventive Vet.
2. Zigzag: best puppy-only lesson app
Zigzag calls itself the only app dedicated to puppyhood. Its listing promises over 250 lessons and a plan tailored by age and breed. It covers potty training, biting, socialization and recall. AAHA’s Trends magazine notes it was founded by a UK credentialed dog trainer.
Price: Free lessons and a 7-day free Premium trial. Then $8.99 to $9.99 a month or $24.99 to $49.99 a year.
Good for: first-time owners who want 3 short lessons a day. Premium adds 24/7 access to training coaches.
Watch out for: Business Insider’s tester found it can’t be used for more than one dog. Some early lessons are text-heavy. It teaches lessons, but it won’t split the night shift.
3. Pocket Puppy School: best free puppy training app
The whole course is free, and the app earns mostly through ads, its own pricing page says. It lays topics out day by day, with a built-in clicker and a calendar.
Price: Free with ads. PRO lifetime is $49.99 once. Trainer chat costs $9.99 a week.
Good for: tight budgets. You can pay once for PRO instead of a subscription.
Watch out for: Ads in the free version, and trainer help is billed weekly. Its perfect rating comes from only 98 ratings.
4. Pupford: best free 30-day course
Pupford’s Google Play listing calls its 30-day video course “free forever.” Zak George built it on positive reinforcement. Paid Academy courses go deeper on barking, potty training and leash walking.
Price: The 30-day course is free. Academy is $9.99 a month, $39.99 per 6 months or $199.99 lifetime.
Good for: one free, structured month with a well-known trainer.
Watch out for: Single courses, Potty Training among them, cost $19.99 each on its listing. Videos teach one person at a time, so the rest of the house still needs a plan.
5. Puppr: best for tricks
Puppr has over 100 lessons taught by trick trainer Sara Carson and her Super Collies. Premium unlocks every lesson, masterclasses and 24/7 trainer chat. A weekly puppy guide includes a daily schedule for training, potty and sleep times.
Price: $13.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Good for: owners who love tricks. It holds a 4.8 rating from about 27,000 ratings.
Watch out for: It’s the priciest monthly plan here. Its listing says unused time isn’t refunded, so cancel before the renewal date if it isn’t helping.
6. Dogo: best for clicker training and video feedback
Dogo has 100+ tricks with videos, a built-in clicker and whistle, and 12 programs, potty training among them. You can send a video exam to a Dogo trainer for feedback.
Price: A 7-day free trial, then a plan. Lifetime is $299.99. Its listing shows subscriptions from $3.99 to $99.99 without labeling the terms.
Good for: clicker fans who want a trainer to watch their video.
Watch out for: Check which plan you’re buying before the trial ends. Also, the r/puppy101 moderators’ trainer list marks Dogo as disapproved, citing its handling methods. Read their reasons before you pay.
Why isn’t Woofz on this list?
Woofz sells weekly plans of $7.99 to $11.99 on its listing. One r/puppy101 owner said they tried to cancel it several times. They said they kept being billed $39.99 a month. If you try it, set your cancel reminder on day one.
What each option costs
App prices from US App Store listings, checked October 16, 2026. Bars show the highest monthly price listed.
How to choose a puppy training app, and the red flags
To pick the best dog training app, match it to the job. Then check who wrote it and how it trains.
- Need a house training plan for the whole house? Start with a shared plan, like #1 or a free log.
- Want daily lessons for a puppy under 6 months? Pick a puppy-only plan, like Zigzag.
- Mostly want tricks? Try Puppr or Dogo.
- Money’s tight? Start with Pocket Puppy School or Pupford’s free course.
- Two dogs? Ask support before you pay. Some apps are built around one dog.
- Fear, aggression or a sudden change? Skip the app. Call a trainer or your vet.
Dog trainer Ali Smith lists red flags in puppy apps. These are the ones worth walking away from:
- “Alpha,” “dominance” or “pack leader” talk
- Punishment as the default for biting, barking or accidents
- Promises of fast or guaranteed results
- No clear information on who created the training
- Lots of gamification, with very little explanation
Do you need a puppy training app at all?
No. Free videos and a good class work for plenty of owners. An app helps if it keeps you practicing daily.
One Reddit owner wrote: “You don’t really need a subscription.” They suggested free YouTube trainers instead. That works, as long as the trainer uses rewards.
Whatever you use for housebreaking and manners, start with the right first lesson. In an AKC article by Mary Kearl, certified trainer Kate Naito starts with your puppy’s emotional health. Next comes socialization, in a window that ends by 16 weeks. The first formal lesson is usually sit.
Training can start the day she comes home, as early as eight weeks, if you use positive reinforcement.
Do dog training apps actually work?
Early research on one app, Zigzag, looks encouraging, but it’s young. Keep sessions short, whichever you pick.
A 2025 study surveyed 367 owners of dogs aged three to 24 months. Of those, 173 used only the Zigzag app. Nineteen of 21 common puppy behaviors trended toward less severe with more app use. House soiling and chewing dropped significantly.
The data were self-reported, and the authors called for controlled trials. Zigzag’s founder, Lorna Winter, was involved in the study.
“what is available online is very, very variable.”
Daniel Mills, BVSc, PhD, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln, speaking to AAHA’s Trends magazine
Keep each session short. The AKC’s Stephanie Gibeault, a certified trainer, says five minutes per session is more than enough. Longer, and your dog may get bored or frustrated.
Check the method too. AVSAB recommends only reward-based training for all dogs. All five apps here describe positive or reward-based training, on their listings or in AAHA’s article.
Is there a good free dog training app?
Yes. Pocket Puppy School and Pupford’s 30-day course cost nothing. Zigzag also has free lessons.
Before you tap “Start free trial”
- Set a reminder for two days before the trial ends. Dogo’s listing says auto-renew must be off at least 24 hours before the term ends.
- Deleting the app doesn’t cancel it. Google Play says so plainly.
- To cancel on iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Pick the app and tap Cancel Subscription. Apple’s steps
- On Android, open your Google Play subscriptions page, pick the app and tap Cancel subscription.
- Signed up on a website instead? Cancel on that website.
- Read the “App Privacy” section on the listing. It shows what the developer says the app collects.
A story from Michael Northcutt, our founder: I kept paying for a puppy app for months after I stopped opening it.
Night two. The puppy was crying, and I was lying in the dark scrolling my phone with one thumb. An ad popped up. Free trial. Lessons. Reminders. Tap here.
I tapped. I was so tired that anything that looked like help felt like a life raft.
Some of it was nice. The reminders were handy for a few days. But the house switched to a paper chart taped to the fridge. Everyone could see it without unlocking a phone. The app ended up in a folder next to the flashlight app.
Months later, I saw a charge on my card statement I didn’t recognize. Then the same one the month before. My face got hot. The money wasn’t huge. I’d paid for something I forgot I had, during the exact weeks I could barely keep track of anything.
Now I ask one question before I buy anything for a new puppy. Will this still be helping me in week three, or charging me in month three?
That’s why our kit starts on paper, taped to the fridge. The Potty Planner just puts the same plan on every phone.
When should you call a trainer or vet instead of an app?
When the behavior is severe, sudden or might be pain. An app can’t examine your puppy.
AAHA’s article says aggression, separation anxiety and compulsive behaviors still need direct professional evaluation. Zigzag’s Lorna Winter told AAHA that probably 20 to 25% of her coaches’ conversations are really medical problems. If crate nights are the struggle, our crate training guide covers the first steps. For timing by age, see our puppy potty training schedule.
Puppy training app FAQ
Is the Potty Planner an app I download?
No download needed. It opens from a private link in any phone browser, on iPhone and Android. You can add it to your home screen so it works like an app.
Can the whole family use one app?
With the Potty Planner, yes. Every phone opens the same private link, and a helper link covers walkers. Doggy Time’s listing also shares with the whole family, and Woofz sells family plans.
Is there a good puppy potty training app?
For potty timing and a shared log, the Potty Planner in our kit is built for that job. Doggy Time is a popular free log. Dogo and Puppr also let you set potty reminders.
Can I use one puppy app for two dogs?
Check before you pay. Business Insider’s tester found Zigzag can’t be used for more than one dog. Ask each app’s support before you buy.
How do I cancel a dog training app subscription?
On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. On Android, use your Google Play subscriptions page. Deleting the app doesn’t cancel it.
Can an app replace puppy class?
Not fully, by AAHA’s account. Emma Judson coaches on the Zigzag app. She told AAHA an app supports a good class, keeping people on track daily.
Are dog training apps safe for my data?
Each App Store listing has an “App Privacy” section. It shows what the developer says the app collects. Read it before you create an account.
Do I need a dog clicker app?
Not a separate one. Dogo, Puppr and Pocket Puppy School each list a built-in clicker. It marks the exact moment she gets it right, and a reward follows.
How we put this list together: We ranked each option on what new puppy owners say they need most. That’s a schedule by age, a way to share it, and a fair price. #1 is our own product, and we’ve said so up top. We haven’t trained a puppy with each app. A Business Insider reporter tested six apps over five weeks, and we link that test. On October 15, 2026, we read each app’s US App Store listing. We rechecked every App Store price on October 16, 2026. We checked expert claims on the AAHA, AVSAB and AKC pages. We read owner comments through Reddit search excerpts.
Sources
- AAHA Trends magazine: How dog training apps can lead to better behavioral and medical outcomes
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB): Position Statements, including Humane Dog Training
- American Kennel Club (AKC): How to Fit Dog Training Into Your Busy Life, by Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT
- American Kennel Club (AKC): Puppy Training Timeline, by Mary Kearl
- Business Insider: The best dog training apps, tested and reviewed
- Rebarkable: Best Puppy Training App? What a Dog Trainer Looks For, by Ali Smith
- Apple App Store (US) listings, read October 15 and rechecked October 16, 2026: Zigzag, Pocket Puppy School, Puppr, Dogo, Pupford, Woofz, Doggy Time
- Developer pages, read October 15, 2026: Pocket Puppy School pricing and Pupford on Google Play
- Canceling subscriptions: Apple Support and Google Play Help
- r/puppy101 wiki: Approved and Disapproved Dog Trainers