My neighbor texted me last spring. Her two-year-old Lab, Biscuit, had started eating the baseboards. Not chewing. Eating. She’d tried a spray bottle. She’d tried more walks. She’d yelled. Biscuit did not care.
She found Brain Training for Dogs online, sent me the link, and asked what I thought. I told her I’d used parts of it with my own dog and to try it. Three weeks later she texted back: “He’s still annoying but the baseboards are safe.”
That’s about as honest a review as you’ll get.
This brain training for dogs review is going to skip the usual cheerleading. You can find a hundred pages telling you it’s a “life-changing program.” I want to tell you what it actually does, what it doesn’t do, and whether $47 is a reasonable ask.
What Brain Training for Dogs Actually Is
It’s an online program made by Adrienne Farricelli, a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA). That certification is real — it means she passed a competency exam and has documented training hours. She’s not just someone who trained their own dog and started a website.
The program is built around one core idea: a lot of bad dog behavior comes from boredom. When dogs don’t have anything mentally engaging to do, they make their own entertainment. That entertainment is usually your furniture, your shoes, or your neighbor’s sanity.
The fix isn’t more punishment. It’s games. Structured mental exercises that make your dog actually think — and tire out their brain in the process.
There are seven modules, named after school levels. Preschool through Graduation. Each one introduces exercises that get progressively harder, and the whole thing takes 10 to 15 minutes a day. You work at your own pace.
You get written lessons, short demonstration videos, and access to a members-only area where you can ask questions.
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This program works well for a specific type of problem. It works less well — sometimes not at all — for a different set of problems. And almost no review online tells you the difference.
Where it genuinely helps:
- Dogs that bark obsessively out of boredom or frustration
- Dogs that chew things they shouldn’t (again, usually boredom)
- Dogs that pull on the leash because they have zero impulse control
- Dogs that jump on everyone because they have a lot of energy and no outlet
- Young dogs who need basic obedience built from scratch
- Dogs that “know” commands but ignore them — the program addresses focus and attention, which is often the real issue
Where it struggles:
- Severe fear-based anxiety. A dog that trembles during storms or has separation anxiety rooted in trauma needs more than brain games. This isn’t the program’s failure — it’s just outside what mental stimulation can solve.
- Aggression with a known trigger. Dog-reactive dogs, resource guarders, dogs with bite history — these need a vet behaviorist or an in-person certified trainer. The program even refers you out for this, which is honest of it.
- Purely medical behavior changes. If your dog suddenly starts acting out after years of being calm, go to the vet first. Pain, thyroid issues, and other health problems can cause behavioral shifts that no training course will fix.
The reason this distinction matters: plenty of people buy this hoping it’ll fix deep anxiety or aggression. It won’t. And then they leave one-star reviews saying it doesn’t work, when the real issue is they needed a different solution to a different problem.
What’s Inside the Program
Seven modules, each named after a school level. Here’s a quick read on each:
Preschool — The foundation. Basic attention work, teaching your dog to actually look at you. Sounds simple. It’s harder than it sounds and more important than people realize.
Elementary — Impulse control. This is where the pulling and the jumping start to improve. You’re teaching your dog to pause before reacting.
High School — More complex sequences. Your dog starts to chain behaviors together and think in small problem-solving steps.
College — This is where it gets genuinely fun. The exercises start to feel like little puzzles your dog has to figure out.
University — Advanced focus work and distraction training. Getting your dog to listen when there’s something more interesting going on.
Graduation — Pulling it all together. Consistency and reliability.
There’s also a bonus section: 7 Trick Training videos, an Obedience 101 guide, something called Adrienne’s Archives which covers case studies, and a Behavior Training guide for specific problem behaviors.
The text is clear and readable. The videos are short and filmed simply — no production budget here, but they get the point across. Some reviewers complain it looks dated. I don’t think that matters much if the instructions are good, and they are.
Does Brain Training for Dogs Work? The Honest Answer
It depends on what you mean by “work.”
If you do the exercises consistently for a few weeks, you will see change. That’s not hype. The science behind positive reinforcement and mental stimulation in dogs is real, and the program is built on it. A mentally engaged dog is calmer. A dog that’s practiced impulse control is less reactive. These are predictable outcomes.
But “work” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
You have to actually do it. Every day. This isn’t a product you buy and feel good about. It requires 10 to 15 minutes of real, focused engagement with your dog. Some people buy it and don’t do it. Their dogs don’t improve. That’s not the program failing — that’s life.
You also have to match it to the right problem. I said this above but it bears repeating. If your dog’s barking because they’re bored and under-stimulated, this will likely help. If your dog’s barking because they’re terrified of strangers, this won’t get to the root of it.
One thing I genuinely appreciate: the program doesn’t oversell itself within the content. The actual lessons are measured and clear. The marketing around it is a different story — aggressive affiliate promotion has made this one of the most spam-reviewed products in the dog training world, which r/Dogtraining has called out explicitly. The content is better than the marketing deserves.
Brain Training for Dogs Review 2026: Has Anything Changed?
The core program is the same as it’s been. The price is currently $47, which is where it’s been sitting for a while. The 60-day money-back guarantee through ClickBank is intact — multiple sources confirm refunds are honored, though a handful of older posts mention slow processing. If you need a refund, contact ClickBank directly rather than going through the program’s site.
The members area has stayed active. Adrienne still answers questions through the platform, which is worth something for the price point.
One thing that hasn’t changed: the interface can feel a little cluttered when you first log in. A few categories seem to overlap. It’s not confusing once you get oriented, but the first login is a bit “wait, where do I start.” Start with Preschool. Go in order. Don’t overthink it.
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Is $47 Worth It?
My honest opinion: yes, for most people with a bored, under-stimulated dog who’s acting out.
A single in-person training session with a certified trainer runs $75 to $150. Group classes cost more over time. YouTube is free but unstructured — you can spend hours watching videos and never have a coherent plan. At $47 with a 60-day guarantee, the financial risk is about as low as it gets.
The people I know who used it and stayed consistent got results. The people who bought it and didn’t open it got nothing. That’s not a knock on the program.
If your dog has a serious behavioral issue — real aggression, clinical anxiety, history of biting — spend that $47 on a session with a real trainer who can watch your specific dog. This program isn’t for that.
But if Biscuit is eating your baseboards? It’s probably worth a try.
FAQ
Is Brain Training for Dogs a scam? No. It’s a real program made by a real certified trainer. The content is legitimate. The heavy affiliate marketing makes it look sketchy from the outside, but the actual course material is built on sound behavioral science.
How long before I see results? Most people report noticing changes within two to four weeks of consistent daily sessions. Some see improvement in under a week with basic impulse control. Don’t expect overnight transformation — behavior change is gradual for dogs the same way it is for people.
Can this work for older dogs? Yes. Adult dogs can absolutely learn new behaviors. The “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” thing is a myth. Older dogs may take a little longer to respond, but the mental stimulation is actually especially good for senior dogs.
What if my dog has severe aggression — will this help? Probably not on its own. The program is honest about this and will tell you to seek a vet behaviorist for serious aggression. If you try to use brain games to fix aggression, you’re addressing the wrong thing.
Does it work for all breeds? The exercises are designed to work across breeds, and in my experience they largely do. High-drive working breeds (border collies, shepherds, huskies) tend to fly through the early levels and need the harder exercises quickly. Calmer breeds may need more repetition. Either way, the program accounts for different paces.
