Puppr offers you great tools to train your very good dog

Please enjoy this video. It represents exactly who my dog is in just 25 seconds. We ♥️ him with every fiber of our beings. pic.twitter.com/0idp3nOTtp

— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) March 22, 2019

Because I didn’t want Charlie’s training to end with just a few basic tricks, I decided to take Puppr for a spin. The hope was to freshen him up on some basics he’d learned but had either forgotten or was just choosing to ignore. And I also wanted to see if the app could help us add a few new tricks to his repertoire.

Layout and ease of use

Puppr has a clean layout that is easy to navigate, especially when searching for specific tricks. While many apps clutter the screen by cramming as much as possible into one space, Puppr keeps things simple. Fonts and buttons are big and easy to read without being ridiculously oversized. 

Trick categories, called “packs” within the app, are organized by type: “Basics” (sit, stay), “Silly” (roll over, play dead), “Useful” (fetch leash), and so on. It might take a little while to get familiar with Puppr’s organizational logic, but it’s fairly intuitive and it doesn’t take long to find what you’re looking for. It also helps that each pack only contains six or seven tricks, preventing an endless scroll. 

One important thing to note: Puppr uses the clicker training method. While you can certainly buy your own clicker, the app has a built-in clicker that recreates the sound for you. The button is located right in the middle of the toolbar and hard to miss. The other big, easily recognizable buttons in the toolbar make toggling through options a breeze, proving that even if training your dog might have some challenges, figuring out the app doesn’t.

The Lessons

The lessons themselves are easy to follow, too, with clear, concise instructions and helpful photos. While teaching your dog might not be exactly effortless, understanding the lessons is.

Each lesson page has a difficulty indicator — one to four bones, of course — and an option to mark where your dog is with each lesson: not in progress, in progress, and mastered. 

Puppr then walks you through each lesson step-by-step, with easy to understand guidance. Photos and videos show you exactly what each step should actually look like. And because they’re all on one screen, it’s easy to scroll through them and have access to the clicker tool.

Along with the directions and visuals, there are occasional tips dropped in to help you with any issues you and your pup may have with the training. 

Features

In addition to the lessons, there are additional resources to help out new dog owners or even experienced dog owners who need a refresher. Helpful tips on grooming, crate and potty training, and an extensive FAQ are all at your fingertips. 

There’s a shop option built in to the app as well, which offers a curated list of training treats and equipment picked by Carson that you can purchase via Amazon to aid your pup’s training. 

Then there’s your pooch’s profile page, which is accessed by clicking the dog in a graduation cap on the toolbar. (You can personalize this with a photo of your dog.) Here you can find all the badges your pup has earned through their training. But, more importantly, this page lists all tricks available within the app in alphabetical order, making it a great shortcut for going directly to a trick’s lesson page without having to search through the app. 

And, finally, there’s a chat feature for more help training your dog, but for that, you’ll need a premium subscription. 

Value

While Puppr is a standard “freemium” app with a combo of free and paid options, it does the tier pricing system right. Rather than allowing simply an all-or-nothing premium plan, there are a variety of options that let you pay for the level of features you want.

Of the 57 tricks offered in the app, only 14 are free and most of those are pretty basic — like sit, stay, and leave it. But there are a few fancy ones if you’re looking to teach your pooch how to jump through your hooped arms without having to shell out any extra cash. 

The “basics” pack is the only one that is completely free. While the rest of the packs offer one or two free tricks, you’ll still need to make a purchase to unlock the rest of each pack’s tricks. Fortunately, you can buy each pack individually for $2.99, meaning you don’t have to shell out for a more expensive, all-inclusive option if you don’t want to.

Even then, though, the complete lesson pack, which includes all “current and future packs,” is only $13.99 which is a bargain when you compare that to the cost of a full set of obedience classes. 

You can spend more, though, if you want to upgrade to Puppr Premium option, which comes in at $9.99 a month or $95.99 per year. That option gives you all of the training packs and adds the aforementioned chat access where subscribers can work with Carson for additional training advice.  

Your dog: The x-factor

Every dog is different and learns at a different pace or, if you’re my dog, doesn’t really have the patience for learning at all. Some dogs will master these skills quickly while others will need much more time and patience. Lots and lots of patience.

That said, it’s not impossible at all, and Puppr offers as good a model as any for even the most long-term projects. Is Charlie ever going to learn some of the fancier tricks Puppr offers, like doing a handstand or learning how to skateboard? You never know, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

But the app did do the trick in refreshing him on basic obedience acts, and he even picked up a few new tricks courtesy of Puppr, lots of patience, and a bottomless bag of treats.

Here is Charlie’s first attempt at shake after one round of training.

And here is Charlie after several rounds of training via Puppr over the course of a week.

Yes, I had to reissue the command for shake, but considering where he started, I’m happy enough with the result that we’ll soon be moving to more complicated commands. 

The verdict

Puppr is a terrific app that’s easy to use, simple to navigate, and offers bundles that let you pick and choose rather than pay a flat all-or-nothing price for a premium level. With that flexibility, not to mention the fact that basic lessons offered for free, it’s a low risk, high reward option for dog training. 

Of course your personal success rate will vary depending on the dog and your commitment to the training methods and patience. But the easy-to-follow instructions lay out varying paths to success — so chances are even the most distracted and goofy of dogs as long can get something out of Puppr as long as you’re willing to put in the time. 

Best of all, it gives you a chance to work with your dog, one on one, for as long as you need with great results, and that’s worth its weight in belly rubs.

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