The top 5 apps to welcome a puppy!
Potty training, education, socialization... here is our carefully curated ranking! Discover our best recommendations of the apps that helped us when our puppy arrived at home.
1. Mafy: track your puppy's progress
Mafy is a simple app that offers complete tracking to help you welcome your puppy at home. Potty training can be a tricky phase for dog parents. With the potty feature, you can track your puppy's progress day by day. We can promise it feels good to realize the finish line is closer than you think.
Mafy also provides health tracking, showing upcoming key milestones like vaccines, tick/flea treatments, or even the groomer. You can also track your puppy's weight gain and adjust their daily kibble portions accordingly.
The Mafy bonus: you can share the app with family members to follow your puppy's progress together. Coming soon: guidance for puppy training.
Download Mafy on iOS or on Android
App Store rating: 4.9 out of 5.
Also available on Google Play.
2. Cani'Company: for a well-socialized puppy
We all know socialization is crucial for puppies. While your puppy is not yet fully protected by their complete vaccination schedule, there are two schools of thought:
- Those who say to avoid meeting other dogs, to reduce the risk of encountering unvaccinated dogs that could transmit disease.
- And those who advise starting socialization as early as possible.
We lean toward the second approach: teaching the puppy socialization cues as early as possible so they don't become fearful or aggressive. To start socializing this way, it is still important to frame the first meetings so they go smoothly and build your puppy's confidence.
For that, the Cani'Company app is a little gem! It helps you identify dogs around you to organize meetups and strengthen your puppy's socialization. You can filter meetups and choose dogs that are gentle and patient with puppies.
The Cani'Company bonus: the app also lets you notify nearby dog parents if your puppy is lost or has run away.
App Store rating: 4.8 out of 5.
3. PlayDogs: travel without constraints
Unfortunately, your puppy won't be welcome everywhere! With PlayDogs, you can find dog-friendly places that welcome your puppy with open arms. Bars, restaurants, hotels, parks, beaches... enjoy community recommendations to share moments with your puppy without stress.
Whether places are indoors or outdoors, please make sure your puppy stays clean and always pick up after them out of respect for other dog families.
The PlayDogs bonus: community ratings provide real-time info about places. For example, during processionary caterpillar season, which is dangerous for puppies and adult dogs, it is ideal to get warned in advance rather than discovering them on site.
App Store rating: 4.5 out of 5.
4. My Pet Corner: second-hand items for our pups
If you love Vinted or Leboncoin like we do, My Pet Corner is the same idea but for second-hand accessories and items for puppies and dogs!
For puppies, we often buy items that are only useful for a few months. Just like with babies. On My Pet Corner, you will find pre-owned and second-hand items at attractive prices, and sometimes even freebies.
We found a cooling mat for summer on My Pet Corner. A must-have during heat waves (note: if your puppy is a bit of a destroyer, the liquid inside these mats can be toxic).
In short, an app that is good for your wallet and the planet. What more could you ask for?
App Store rating: 4.2 out of 5.
5. Esprit Dog: positive training for your puppy
Esprit Dog is not a mobile app, but we wanted to include it in this ranking dedicated to welcoming puppies at home.
When we welcomed our puppy Gotham, an English Cocker Spaniel, we followed the Esprit Dog method, focused on positive puppy training. By positive training, we mean no submission practices, no physical corrections, and no fear-based training.
Positive education allows learning that values the puppy, builds confidence, and sets clear boundaries.
Thanks to this 100% online method, we now have a dog that is happy and well-balanced, well-trained, and perfectly socialized. A dog that can handle anything!
That is it for the ranking. We hope it helps! We will update it over time and enrich the content in the coming months. Above all, enjoy the first moments with your puppy at home - they are unique and you will quickly become nostalgic. (Even potty training will become a fond memory, really!)
