VIRAL! Broadway's Ashley Brown & Her Frenchie Eddie Are the Ultimate Power Duo—You'll Swoon!

A rising star and her faithful Frenchie

Whether your dog shows bad behaviour or simply won’t listen, these six best online dog training courses can give you the know-how to reinforce positive behaviour.

Info current as of December 20, 2023

Picture nabbing your dream gig right out of college—then rocketing to Broadway fame just two years later. Sounds unreal, magical… maybe even supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Not for Ashley Brown, who walked off the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music campus straight into a touring show, On the Record, and from there into the lead role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. These days she headlines Disney's hit revival of Mary Poppins.

Behind this Broadway leading lady is the love of her life, Eddie Brown, a feisty 18-month-old French Bulldog whose theatre love touches everyone he meets. We sat down with the wildly talented, crazy-busy Brown to learn what her beloved Eddie makes of her stage wins.

MD: How's Eddie taking your Broadway success? AB: He's obsessed with it, are you kidding! He adores everybody. My fans even ask about Eddie Brown. MD: The cast and crew must be wild about him. AB: At his birthday bash, they baked him treats. Normally on anyone's birthday we sing and eat cake. More folks showed for Eddie Brown's party than anybody else's. He got swamped with gifts. Forty people crammed the hallway singing Happy Birthday to a dog. MD: Does Eddie ever hand you acting notes? AB: (laughs) He sings with me. Wish you could hear it. As a puppy, I was in my dressing room warming up like always and he joined in. I told my dresser, can you hear that? Ever since, he sings through my whole warm-up. MD: Besides singing, any other traits you two share? AB: (laughs) Not that I know. MD: What's playing Mary Poppins like? AB: It's unreal. I watched that film a million times as a kid. To fill Julie Andrews' shoes, opening a Broadway show—I'd dreamed of this forever. It's not something that happens every day. I fly, I sing, I dance, and it's just magic. MD: Think Eddie dreams of the stage or screen? AB: (laughs) I really do think so, and yeah, I call him my kid—every mom thinks theirs is cutest. This dog is so photogenic it's absurd. He's forever eyeing the camera. I've trained him well—sits, stays, the works. But for real movies he'd need serious training. Still, I bet he could. He was sitting and staying at six months. Modeling, though, would be his first move. MD: What's Eddie taught you? AB: Unconditional love. Folks thought I was nuts getting him right after Mary Poppins opened. He cracks me up. He doesn't care who I am. That's the best part. Being Mary Poppins, early on especially, you're buried in press, pressure, other actors—all great—but coming home to him was the reset. We just have a blast. He's got this huge personality and does the silliest stuff. I think he's lit up the whole theatre. Everyone says when we go, they don't know what they'll do. He turned the theatre into a home for everybody. MD: If you two co-starred, what'd it be? AB: (laughs) Someone's gotta write us a show. He's quite the catch. I'll just ride his coattails since he's clearly the star. Maybe he'll let me tag along.

Pro Tip! Of every online program we tested, the K9 Training Institute is by far the best overall. They’re currently offering a FREE Online Training Workshop to anyone who signs up here.

Should You Enroll in an Online Dog Training Course? Here's Why

There are plenty of reasons to choose online dog training over an in-person trainer, including the following:

Online Courses Offer Unmatched Convenience

If you’re a busy dog owner, an online course may be the move. You learn to train your dog from the comfort of home, at your own pace—obedience, puppy training, or whatever you need—with no personal trainer to schedule.

Online Training Is More Affordable Than You Think

Dog trainers can charge $50 to $200 an hour, adding up to thousands depending on session count.

Plus, having a trainer work your dog isn’t much fun. Why not learn alongside your pet and build a stronger bond for a fraction of the cost?!

Get a Custom Training Plan Tailored to Your Dog

Most solid online courses offer modules for the wide range of troubles owners face, some bundled into one package.

Rather than a generic course, online programs let you zero in on where your best friend needs help.

Flexible Scheduling Makes Online Courses Ideal

Online courses beat personal trainers on flexibility. Revisit old lessons, skip ones you don’t need, learn at your own pace.

Access Decades of Professional Training Expertise

For puppy or obedience training, you want someone experienced to guide you through each life stage.

Online courses pack modules built by seasoned trainers with years of know-how.

Top 6 Online Dog Training Courses to Teach Your Pup New Skills

With so many options, picking the right one for you and your dog is tough. We’ve done the research and review the top six online dog training courses worth a look.

#1 K9 Training Institute (Best Online Dog Training)

Launched by Dr. Alexa Diaz, an Animal Behaviour expert with over two decades training dogs, the K9 Training Institute leans on ‘non-verbal’ communication to strengthen owners’ bonds with their dogs and prevent problems like barking, leash pulling, jumping, and door-darting.

Besides Dr. Diaz, Eric Presnall is second in command—you may know him from the show “Who Let the Dogs Out?” At K9, Presnall leads and presents the courses, and his years of experience keep them easy and fun to follow.

Unsure if K9 is right for your pet? No worries—they offer a free workshop that shows how their trainers help owners without paying upfront. The free workshop covers only a few tips, though; to go deeper you sign up for their 10-week ‘Total Transformation Masterclass.’

The Total Transformation Masterclass builds on the free workshop and shares techniques grounded in Harvard and Stanford research. Once enrolled in the 10-week course, you get account details to a digital portal with all the content—like a private trainer in your living room.

Each week brings a new portal lesson plus that week’s online class. After seven days, fresh materials arrive; if you want to review, the portal keeps the old ones.

What sets K9 apart is the 6-step process service-dog trainers use. That 6-step method, inside the 10-week masterclass, helps with the following:

What we like about K9 Training Institute includes:

Like any program, K9 has drawbacks. The price bugged us. Cheaper than a personal trainer, yes, but steep next to other online courses.

Another letdown: you don’t get every lesson at once—members wait a week for the next batch. It’s spread over ten weeks, so if patience isn’t your virtue, you may miss the payoff.

Remember, the course is built to equip you with the knowledge and techniques to train your dog—not to train the dog for you.

The 10-week program costs $497, with a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy. Pricey, sure, but they teach you secret techniques—especially ‘watch’ and ‘touch’—you can use to head off behaviour issues. Worked great for both our pups!

Check out the official site for more details.

#2 SpiritDog Training (Taught by Professional Dog Trainer)

SpiritDog believes you are your dog’s best trainer, and they help you win through courses led by highly experienced, qualified trainers.

Steffi Trott leads SpiritDog, having learned the craft from world-class European and US trainers. Since 2013 she’s helped thousands of clients get superior results.

SpiritDog has equipped more than 78,750 owners with the skills to train their dogs, with a 100% satisfaction rate.

Many courses are available, some of the most popular being:

Beyond those, plenty of other courses target different owner needs.

If you’re unsure which fits, SpiritDog gives a week of trial access to 700+ lessons for $2, plus a 60-day money-back guarantee if results disappoint.

SpiritDog offers an inexpensive path via a library of courses built by experts and easy to follow. They even sell a monthly Dog Training Academy membership for access to everything.

Perfect for owners wanting access and affordability. SpiritDog doesn’t lean on Harvard/Stanford research like K9, but draws on real experience and is excellent value.

Visit the Official SpiritDog Training Site

#3 Dunbar Academy (Focuses on positive reinforcement)

Courses from Ian, Kelly, and Jamie Dunbar teach you to train your dog while having fun. The Academy makes training easy, effective, and enjoyable, and has appeared in Forbes, The New York Times, NPR, Mashable, and more. They offer 100+ hours of recorded programs and 30+ courses, each video a 5-to-10-minute step-by-step clip.

Beyond 30+ courses—science-based training, a reactivity workshop—they also sell bundles that compile programs into one package.

The program is divided into two bundle options:

– Puppy training essentials course

– Reliability and games workshop

– Dog aggression treatment and prevention

– Behavioral challenges compendium

Each Dunbar course runs $100–$200, but a $20 monthly membership unlocks them all—an affordable route for any owner.

What we liked: Dunbar offers either a one-time course cost or a monthly membership. The catch is the one-time fee is steep, up to $200 per course.

On the flip side, the monthly membership is the cheapest option and great value given the content, materials, and Q&A sessions. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee if quality disappoints.

One thing to improve: video quality. Some clips are over a decade old and look dated. Also, subscribers can’t download content—you must use their portal for everything.

The courses suit owners who can commit time to learn and practise with their dog. But if your dog is seriously aggressive and you risk injury, get in-person pro help first before any online academy.

Learn more and sign up on the official website.

#4 Dog Training Depot (Dog Training Online by Professional Trainers)

Three people are core to Dog Training Depot: Judy Lowery, Kim Downing, and Scott Cook.

Judy is an English Cream Golden Retriever hobby breeder who keeps producing top-quality pedigree pups. Decades with Goldens gave her deep knowledge and a track record helping owners fix problems and bond better with their pets—which is what led her to launch the Depot.

Kim Downing is among the top certified trainers in the US, holding her CPDT-KA. She belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, and is a lead trainer and Communication Corps member at the Depot.

Scott Cook has deep K9 training and learned from greats like Dr. Ian Dunbar, Ed Frawley, and Michael Ellis. A member of the International Association of Canine Professionals with his own training business, Scott carves out time to build courses and content for Depot members.

The Depot’s courses are carefully crafted to cover everything you need to train your dog through every life stage.

Join their program via the Canine Coach at $97: a 12-week video course, 24 high-quality training videos, 35 problem-solving presentations, and a 4-week bi-monthly webinar subscription.

After the 4-week sub, webinars continue at $7.95/month. The Depot offers a 30-day guarantee and a 14-day free trial with three free videos to sample the course.

Free preview training videos are available to give you a taste of the course content.

The Depot makes online training simpler. No course lists or bundles to chase—it’s a one-time buy that tackles the big problems owners face.

That said, it may be less extensive than other programs, and there are no live Q&A sessions for your specific issues.

Check out the official site for more details.

#5 Good Dog Everyday (Great For Basic Training)

Good Dog Everyday is another strong online program from Success Dogs. Complete it and you’ll know how to train obedience behaviours and verbal commands.

In their courses, the first module unpacks the science behind issues like selective hearing before showing owners how to resolve them.

The extensive course dives deep into dog psychology, helping you see what motivates your best friend and how to use that to your advantage.

Module 2 teaches the core training methods for essential obedience, broken into four simple steps for new tricks—sit, stand, down, or come—all through positive reinforcement.

After the essentials, module 3 builds helpful obedience skills. Finish it and you’ll know the ‘get in,’ ‘look at me,’ ‘playtime,’ and ‘give’ commands.

Members get lifetime access (like Fenzi Dog Sports Academy), 25 step-by-step video lessons, and personal interaction with the trainers.

You even get a free $20 eBook, a $10 house-training 101 eBook, and 5 dog-trick videos ($20 value).

The whole program is $94, but at writing they’re running a 50% discount—$47. One-time payment, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

It’s among the best budget options here: cheap, one-time, loaded with free bonuses. You can even comment under every video to talk with trainers about your specific issues—a fantastic pick for any owner.

Visit The Good Dog Everyday’s Official site

Most programs fail to engage dogs mentally, skip the root cause, and are run by uncertified fakes. Not Brain Training for Dogs!

Headed by CPDT-KA Adrienne Farricelli, the program has certified vet advisors and training consultants to explain the science behind behaviour and teach simple techniques for positive reinforcement. Farricelli has years of experience, especially therapy-dog work with military veterans.

The training covers it all—potty training, lunging, chewing, jumping, barking, hyperactivity, ignoring—easy to follow, backed by experience and research. Owners get a massive archive addressing causes and fixes for different problems.

Another plus: a private forum where owners swap tips and support each other.

There are seven modules, each for a different life stage, including:

Buy it and you get seven trick videos—howl, roll over, play dead, and more—plus Obedience 101, polishing-up, and Adrienne’s Archive. The full school is $67, a steal next to in-person trainers.

Brain Training for Dogs packs years of know-how into clear tutorials, guides, eBooks, and videos—the best at-home course for the price. Farricelli is passionate, and offers a no-questions 60-day guarantee.

Visit The Brain Training For Dogs’ Official Site

Which Online Dog Training Program Fits Your Needs Best?

The best fit depends on your dog’s problems and your budget. K9 Training Institute is the top program—techniques backed by leading research—but it costs more.

Cheaper options exist too. Before buying, try a free trial to see which course suits you and your dog.

Whether you need basic commands or a pro certification, these are the best of the best per our testing and research.