Every dog owner knows the sound. One little squeak and suddenly your dog is locked on, head tilted, ears up, ready for anything. With PupPlan 2.4, that magic is now built right into the app: say hello to the Squeak Toy, the newest addition to PupPlan's training toolkit.
Why Squeaky Sounds Work So Well
Squeaky toys tap into something deep in your dog's instincts. The high-pitched squeak is novel, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore — which makes it one of the most reliable ways to get a dog's attention without raising your voice or reaching for treats. Trainers and dog photographers have used squeakers for years for exactly this reason.
The catch? You don't always have a squeaky toy in your pocket. Now you don't need one.
One Tap, Endless Squeaks
Open the new Squeak Toy from PupPlan's Training hub and tap. That's it. Each press plays a realistic squeak, and the app cycles through several distinct squeak sounds — latex, rubber, and chew-toy textures — so consecutive taps never sound identical and your dog doesn't tune it out.
Here's where it shines:
- Focus work — re-engage a distracted dog mid-session, then reward the attention.
- Recall — squeak as your dog turns back to you to make coming when called the most exciting option around.
- Ears-up photos — one squeak earns you that head tilt and perked ears for the perfect shot.
- Play and luring — kick off a game of tug or fetch, or lure movement for tricks like spins.
If you already use PupPlan's clicker, think of the two as partners with different jobs: the clicker marks a behaviour at the exact moment it happens, while the squeak toy grabs attention and sparks engagement. The in-app guide walks you through when to reach for each.
Squeaker-Obsessed Dog? There's Help for That Too
Some dogs don't just love squeaky toys — they completely lose their minds over them. If your dog over-arouses at squeaks, the same sounds now appear in PupPlan's desensitization sound library alongside fireworks, thunder, vacuum cleaners, and traffic.
Using the guided desensitization tools, you can start the squeak at a barely-audible volume, reward calm behaviour, and gradually raise the intensity over multiple sessions as your dog learns to stay relaxed. It's the same gentle, force-free exposure protocol PupPlan uses for noise phobias — applied to one of the most common over-excitement triggers there is.
Polished in Every Language
Like everything in PupPlan, the Squeak Toy ships fully translated in all 15 supported languages — from Spanish and German to Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic — with complete VoiceOver support and accessibility labels from day one. Version 2.4 also includes accessibility improvements and general polish throughout the app.
Get the Update
- Update or download PupPlan from the App Store or Google Play
- Open Training and tap the new Squeak Toy card
- Tap the toy and watch those ears go up
New to PupPlan? Start with the free 3-day trial, then it's just €9.99 per year for everything in the app — training courses, GPS walk tracking, wellness scoring, nutrition tools, and the full training toolkit. No ads, no tracking, and it works offline.
Want to go deeper? Read our guides on why dogs love squeaky toys (and what to do when they love them too much) and sound desensitization for noise fears.
We'd love to see what your dog makes of the new squeaker — send us your best ears-up photos through the contact page!
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