Original Article: https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/dogo-app-review

As much as we wish our dogs could come to us with all the knowledge of good behavior, this is not the case! Training is a lifelong commitment, and training itself is the difference between a dog built for success and a dog set up for failure. As pet parents, we want our dogs to succeed in life and get as much fulfillment out of it as possible!

Finding the right trainer, regiment, and time for classes can be a real hassle (and is often why dog parents are deterred from involving themselves with training). A slew of hack trainers in the market use aggressive and negative tactics to scare dogs into submission. An actual positive reinforcement trainer isn’t simple to find because this is not a quick-fix solution, but we owe it to our dogs to treat them right.

The Dogo App is revolutionizing the way we think of dog training and putting the trainers in the palm of our hands. An hour lunch break can now become a training session, helping curb bad behaviors and encouraging better ones. Focused on positive reinforcement, the Dogo App trains you just as much as it trains your dog! It is an entire philosophy that builds bonds and trust while getting Fido to stop chewing your shoes. Win/win, right?

About Dogo

The Dogo App is a personalized dog training app that lives conveniently on your cell phone so you can train anywhere anytime! Unlike dog training books or preset online courses, the Dogo App offers a questionnaire to get to know your pup better – and tailor the training to your dog’s needs. The app is supposed to be a complimentary addition to dog ownership, including other valuable features such as weight tracking, vaccination reminders, feeding schedules, and more. The idea is that it is quick and easy to open up a training plan and follow it!

Unlike many corporate services that wedge into the pet industry, the Dogo App was inspired by one special dog: Udra. When Dogo App founders Rasa and Tadas adopted Udra, they enrolled in puppy schools, watched YouTube videos, read up on training, and the like. The two saw an opportunity to streamline this process and make it fun rather than tedious, so the Dogo App was born! Rasa, a veterinary doctor, and Tadas, a software developer, worked together to bring the concept to fruition.

To this day, Dogo App partners with veterinarians, dog trainers worldwide, and other professionals to bring about as much dog knowledge as possible. You can tell that dog owners built the Dogo App for dog owners, as every aspect of the program revolves around pet care.

Overview

Pricing

The Dogo App is a subscription service that can be paid quarterly, monthly, or weekly. The app costs $49.99 every three months, $29.99 monthly, or $9.99 weekly!

New users are often met with a 50% off code for the first week, first month, or first three months (billed at the standard rate beyond that).

Each pricing tier includes the same perks, such as unlimited trainer feedback and lesson plans, unlimited vaccine and weight tracking, up to five dogs registered, five family members registered, a dog clicker and whistle, and a digital certificate of completion.

Lesson Plans

Upon signing up for the Dogo App, you are given a questionnaire to help curate your lesson plan based on what you and your dog may need. This ranges from walking nicely on a leash, foundation commands (such as sit, stay, down, place, etc.), tricks, no biting, and so much more.

Once the questionnaire is complete, lesson plans will populate in your app under your account. You can flip through and select what lesson you want to work on that day.

Each lesson plan in the app includes an estimate of the duration of time for your dog to learn the command or lesson, an instructional video, a step-by-step guide, a timer for when you start the lesson, and a virtual clicker tool to help with your training. Once you mark the lesson as complete, some questions will appear – based on your answers, more options present themselves (such as trying a different lesson, re-doing the lesson, and more).

Ease of Use

The app is incredibly straightforward to grasp, with buttons for everything you need. The instructional videos assist in your daily lessons, and you also have contact with your assigned trainer. All in all, pretty fool-proof!

Communication With a Trainer

If selected to work with a trainer, you have access to a certified professional during your subscription to Dogo App. Every month includes a certain number of videos to upload for feedback from the trainer and a messaging option to talk with your trainer. You can send your assigned trainer videos and have them critique and encourage your progress.

Additional Features

Dogo App has several features outside dog training that make pet ownership easier. This includes:

 

In Summary

Key Features

The features you can find on the Dogo App set it apart in the training market; there isn’t anything quite like it.

Mobile Interface

The mobile interface means you have no excuse not to train – a dog trainer is in your pocket! The interface also has a clicker and whistle as tools.

Available in Multiple Languages

The Dogo App is available in 12 languages, so many can enjoy its benefits.

Entire Household Can Integrate

Each account allows up to five family members to join, so training can remain consistent for your dog. A big part of training success is ensuring everyone is on the same page; otherwise, your pup will get mixed signals.

Positive Reinforcement Training

All of the lessons are positive-focused, rather than negative. Multiple scientific studies on animal behavior and training retention have shown that positive reinforcement training works significantly better than negative reinforcement training.

Positive reinforcement training is when your dog is rewarded for good behavior (with treats, praise, and toys) and ignored when they demonstrate bad behavior. Dogs are more likely to repeat good behavior because of the positive reward than to continue with bad behavior.

Lessons are Customized to Your Needs

Because of the questionnaire that is required to sign up, the entire lesson plan is customized to your needs. After each lesson, the app considers your feedback to add or remove lesson plans.

Feedback From Professional Dog Trainers

If selected (which is highly recommended!) you get paired up with a professional dog trainer. As the dog owner, you can submit videos of training sessions for feedback and have an open chat with your assigned trainer.

Built-In Pet Care Reminders

Alongside training, the Dogo App also serves as a pet-care aid, offering a platform to schedule vaccination and grooming reminders, keep track of care appointments, and more.

Clicker and Whistle In-App

If you don’t have a physical clicker or can’t whistle, the app has both sounds available.

Educational Articles on Website and App

As an additional resource, the Dogo App has many articles to read about dog behavior, care, nutrition, and so much more. These articles are available on the website’s Blog page or within the app itself.

Is the Dogo App a Good Value?

The average cost of group training classes is around $150 – $300 per six classes/six weeks. In these classes, you have to divide your time with other dogs. Private training sessions can easily reach into the $1,000 range.

The Dogo App is $49.99 every three months, $29.99 monthly, or $9.99 weekly and offers the same kind of curriculum you’d find in most dog training classes, except that you get to skip over what your dog already knows and do what your dog needs to learn next.

Whether or not the Dogo App is a good value is quite obvious here! You will not only save a lot of money, but you get to take a “class” every day, still have access to a dog trainer, and have each lesson personalized to you and your dog.

FAQ

Is the Dogo App only for dogs?

Although the Dogo App is designed for dogs, other species have benefitted from the lessons according to the company website – including cats! Because it is positive-reinforcement based, many species are well susceptible to the lessons.

Can you train an adult, old, or deaf dog using the Dogo App?

Dogo App works for all kinds of dogs; those that have surpassed the puppy stage, to those in their elderly years, and even dogs that cannot hear. Each lesson can be adapted to your dog’s needs, and many of the certified trainers have tips to help dogs of various types succeed.

What is the subscription cancellation and refund policy if I don’t like it?

Canceling and/or getting a refund is very easy. Go into your app settings and request what you’d like.

Our Experience With the Dogo App

My dog Lorelei is about 8 years old now (this is a best guess, as she came from the animal shelter) and there are still certain behaviors that we need to tighten up on. I don’t work a normal 9-to-5 schedule, it changes daily – so consistent training classes are a bit of a no-go for us because I can’t keep to the same time each day! The Dogo App sounded like a great solution for an unconventional schedule.

Upon registering, I was asked questions about my dog, such as her age. Equally, behavior questions about potty training, leash walking, biting, and of the sort started flowing as well. My answers began to narrow down the lesson plan! My dog is long potty trained and doesn’t bite, but isn’t perfect on a leash and some foundation work isn’t as solid as it used to be.

The last question asked if I wanted to have a dog trainer assigned to me, to which I selected “yes” and was assigned Jenny. I was given her photo and bio, so it felt a lot more personal!

As soon as the questionnaire ended, I was shown my lesson plan right off the bat along with an estimate of how long the program is (in my case, 21 days). The breakdown was thorough, even before I signed up for the subscription! Once the subscription process was finished, I was emailed a direct link to download the app. My link was personal, so as soon as I downloaded the app through that email, I was logged in (super nifty).

Right away I dug into the lesson plans. Before the lesson even started was a kind of pop quiz question that tested my training knowledge, a bit of a fun game! Once the lessons opened, each one that I was given for my pup (as well as some bonus idea lessons that I didn’t select, but the algorithm figured I might be interested in. It was right!) opened to a video example, a lot of details (including information on what Lorelei will learn – and what I will learn), and a timespan to work under. When I started a lesson, a timer would appear for the preset duration of time it should take!

The lessons were positive-based with lots of rewards and easy to follow. They made logical sense, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly my dog took to them.

At the end of each lesson I was presented with questions that revolved around our success rate (or lack thereof) and options would adjust based on my responses. I liked the consistent inquiries because I could tell that, once more, the algorithm was tailored just for us. I could always upload a video to my assigned trainer or contact her for help.

The additional tools in the app (conveniently located in the tabs at the bottom of the screen) make Lorelei’s daily ownership easier as well – I could record and monitor her weight, put in any appointments as reminders, and so much more. The training streak is also a nice feature, makes you feel pretty accomplished by training every day! All in all, Lorelei responded very positively to this news activity we do daily, and I couldn’t be happier with that.

It’s very convenient to be told what to do rather than trying to figure it out alone. Although it has only been a short time so far, I can see how much my dog has already improved – and will only continue so!

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Dogo App fits perfectly into the modern lifestyle because of its convenient phone applications. Use it to train your dog whenever the day grants you some extra time! The lessons are easy to follow with video instruction and target the specific behaviors you need your furry best friend to know.

The app also removes the need to trial and error many dog trainers to find what works for you. With positive reinforcement training, your bond with Fido will grow even stronger than before. All in all, a brilliant service!

Source: Dogster