Bokedex App Store
Menu
  1. Bokedex
  2. Train

Train · AKC levels

Dog and puppy training, one small step at a time

Bokedex lays training out as a trail map: your dog's village of skills in progress, then the four AKC levels from puppy class to city manners. Every one of the 22 skills climbs in small steps, each shown by a 3D dog, in rounds of a few minutes a day.

Download on theApp Store
Bokedex Train screen: today, Sit at step 5 of 11 (hold sit 3 seconds) with a Hold sit 3s stamp, Stay next, and the S.T.A.R. Puppy level on the map below.

How it works

Train, in three steps.

  1. Tell it about your dog

    Name, breed, birthday and what they already know, then up to three goals: everyday basics, calm at home, manners, walks, coming when called or puppy basics.

  2. Train today's round

    The skills in your dog's village are today's plan. A round is a handful of short reps; tap “Yes!” for each good one and the clicker sounds.

  3. Move up the map

    Good days move a skill to its next step. A hard round makes the next one easier. Each level's test items get a READY stamp as their skills come along.

The Train map

From puppy class to city streets.

22 skills on one trail. Your dog's plan gathers in its village at the start; each level is a camp with its own landmark and stamp card. Tap a skill's name for a guide on it.

Taught together

Luna's village

2/3 today
  • Name recognition Step 1 of 6
  • House training Daily check
  • Socialization Step 1 of 9

Level 1 · AKC

S.T.A.R. Puppy

14 test items

Socialization, training, activity and responsibility: the test at the end of a puppy class.

Level 2 · AKC

Canine Good Citizen

11 test items

Good manners in a ring: a friendly stranger, a crowd, another dog and three minutes with someone else.

Level 3 · AKC

Community Canine

10 test items

The same manners in real places: parks, trails, sidewalks and doorways, with no food on the day.

Level 4 · AKC

Urban CGC

10 test items

City manners: busy sidewalks, street crossings, public buildings, stairs and transport.

  • Stairs and elevators 9 steps

On no test

Also in Bokedex

Two routines for home, built on the ASPCA's and Humane World's advice.

Every skill

Four stages, small steps, a dog to show you.

Each skill is a path through the same four stages. Every step on it has a 3D clip of the Shiba doing the move, so you know what you're aiming for before your dog does. Here's Recall, step one.

  • Learn

    A lure, then a hand signal, then the word alone.

  • Duration

    Hold it longer: 3 seconds, then 6, then 10.

  • Distance

    Hold it while you step back and come in again.

  • Real life

    Toys nearby, new rooms, outside and on walks.

Tap to pause The dog is sniffing across the room. The handler says the word once and steps back. The dog trots over: yes, a party and a treat at the nose.

3D dog: “Animated Dog, Shiba Inu” by quander, CC BY 4.0

Stress signs

Know when to make it easier.

Each skill lists the signs to watch for, from mild to stop, and tells you what to do at each.

Mild

Slow down

Make the next try easier: more distance, a shorter try or a break. Go on once they relax.

  • Licking lips
  • Yawning
  • Turning away
Clear

Make it easier now

End this try. Add distance or give them a way out, then finish on something easy.

  • Ears pinned back
  • Tail tucked
  • Whites of the eyes
Stop

Stop and give space

Move away calmly and never punish a growl: it's the warning that keeps everyone safe. Then see your vet and a behavior professional.

  • Freezing
  • Hard stare
  • Growling

3D dog: “Animated Dog, Shiba Inu” by quander, CC BY 4.0.

Four levels, from puppy class to the city

The map follows the American Kennel Club's own order: S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine and Urban CGC. Each skill sits on the level where it is a main test item, and each level's stamp card lists that test's items, paraphrased from AKC's pages, with the skills that prepare for them.

When every stamp on a level reads READY, your dog is ready to try the test. An AKC Approved CGC Evaluator gives it, and the AKC awards the title.

Reward-based training: the basics

A Bokedex training rep: the hold ring for Sit, “Treat, then Free!”, four reps done, with Held it and Broke buttons.
During a round, a ring times each hold. You mark every rep as it happens.

How a round goes

Start today's round from the Today card. The coach panel shows the move, with Setup, Do and Reward a swipe away. Tap when your dog is in position and a ring times the hold; when it fills, treat, then say “Free!”. Your dog learns that the release word, not you walking away, ends the hold.

Missed one? Tap what happened and the tip for that miss comes up. Good days show as marks under each skill.

Puppy rules

Add a birthday and the plan follows your puppy's age. Puppies get 3-minute sessions and start with the habits that matter most early: their name, socialization, handling, following you and coming when called. Sit and Stay come in short sessions too. Stairs past the bottom step wait until three months, and the alone-time steps wait until four.

Puppy foundations

Training on walks

Some steps only happen outside: Sit on a walk, Loose leash on a short walk, Leave it on a real walk, and the passes in Calm around dogs. When one is next in your plan, the Today card says so, and the walk screen offers “Practise on this walk” to run the round right there.

How walks work

Calm tools for problem moments

Calm activities

Treat search, Find it, an explore corner, Settle with me and a parallel walk. Each one counts toward your week.

Quiet minute

Rewards quiet instead of barking. The phone listens and buzzes “Treat now” after a quiet stretch. Premium.

Problem moments

Log lunging, chewing, stealing food, accidents and more: what happened just before and just after. You get tips for that behavior, the skill to teach instead with one tap to add it, and this week against last. Premium.

The camera coach

For timed holds like sit, down and stay, prop your phone up and let the camera count. It uses on-device pose detection to see when your dog is in position, times the hold, and pauses if your dog walks out of frame. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Or train from your wrist

Your hands are full of treats and a leash, so Bokedex for Apple Watch runs today's rounds from your wrist. Mark each rep with a tap, feel the hold timer instead of watching it, and your iPhone keeps the record.

Bokedex for Apple Watch

Reward-based, always

Every step uses rewards your dog actually wants, short rounds and easy resets. No corrections and no leash pops. Skills that touch fear or guarding open with a short safety note, and the app points you to your vet or a behavior professional when it's more than a training question.

Good to know. For growling, snapping, guarding or panic when left alone, work with your vet or a qualified behavior professional alongside training. The app says so on those skills too.

Questions

Train: common questions

Does Bokedex help my dog get ready for the Canine Good Citizen test?

Yes. The map follows AKC's S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine and Urban CGC tests, and every test item has a skill that trains it. When a level's stamps all read READY, your dog is ready to try the test with an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator, who gives the test; the AKC awards the title.

Is it good for puppies?

Yes. Choose Puppy basics as a goal and the plan starts with name, house training, sit and socialization. With a birthday set, puppies get 3-minute sessions and steps that suit their age.

How long is a training session?

A few minutes. Short rounds keep your dog keen, and two or three a day beat one long one.

What if my dog isn't getting it?

Mark the reps honestly and tap what happened on a miss. A round that goes badly makes the next one easier, and Go back takes a step down without losing the good days you earned.

Do I need treats?

Small, soft treats work best for most dogs. A favorite toy works too, as long as your dog really wants it.

What's included for free?

One dog and one skill in training at a time, with the camera coach three times a week, the calm activities and stress signs. Any single skill can be yours for $1.99 ($2.99 for a routine like house training), kept for good. Premium, $9.99 a year, trains every skill and routine together and adds Quiet minute and Problem moments.

Can I train with my Apple Watch?

Yes. The watch app runs today's rounds, with a hold timer you feel on your wrist and the daily checks. The iPhone builds the plan and keeps the record.

Guides

Read next

  1. 01

    Reward-Based Dog Training: The Basics

    How reward-based training works, why vets and behaviorists recommend it, and how to run a short session your dog enjoys.

     11 min
  2. 02

    Puppy Foundations

    Puppies need safe exposure, name games, handling comfort, rest, and very short reward-based lessons.

     11 min
  3. 03

    How to Practice Stay

    Make stay clear by teaching a release, rewarding in position, and building one variable at a time.

     9 min
  4. 04

    How to Practice Recall

    Protect the recall cue by practicing easy, happy returns before using it in hard settings.

     10 min
  5. 05

    Loose Leash Walking Basics

    Teach the dog that slack leash, check-ins, and calm resets are what keep the walk moving.

     10 min
  6. 06

    Place / Mat Training

    Build value for the mat first, then add settling, release, duration, and real-life context.

     9 min

Also in Bokedex

The rest of the dex

Start your dog's village.

Bokedex is free to download for iPhone and iPad. No account needed.

Download on theApp Store