Pre-registration is required for all classes.
Payment and shot records must be received in order to confirm your spot.
Classes fill early!
Group classes give you the skills and information you need to train your dog. They also provide an excellent environment for socialization and working through distractions. We operate on the premise that dogs learn quicker and retain longer when they are rewarded for desired behaviors immediately and consistently.
Pricing:
- 6-week classes are $190.
- 3-week classes (Pre-Agility, Really Reliable Recall, & Intro to Nosework) are $95.
- Hooked on training? Your seventh class and beyond are only $72. Take at least one one class per year to maintain this deeply discounted rate.
Payment
- Pay online
- Drop a check in the mail to: Play Dog Excellent, 4113 Dayton Blvd, Chattanooga TN 37415
- Pay in person with cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
Notes on orientation:
Orientation is held the week before classes start, usually on Thursday, but check the table below since it does occasionally change. We live stream orientations so that you can watch online. You are welcome to come in person, but without your dog, please. The doors open at 6:15pm in case you need to take care of shot records and/or payment. The presentation begins right at 6:45pm and lasts about an hour. We cover housekeeping, safety, motivation, equipment, and more, and some of our advanced dogs will do demonstrations showing off their skills to give you some ideas about which direction you may want to take your own training program. Orientation is the same each session, so if you’ve already attended, there is no need to come again.
| Orientation | Starts (week of) | Ends (week of) |
| 4/9/2026 | 4/13/2026 | 5/18/2026 |
| 5/28/2026 | 6/1/2026 | 7/6/2026 |
| 7/16/2026 | 7/20/2026 | 8/24/2026 |
| 9/3/2026 | 9/7/2026 | 10/16/2026 |
Head Start: for puppies 2-5 months old. This is where puppies learn to learn. We cover puppy basics including crate training, house breaking, grooming, teething, nutrition, exercise, equipment, and lots of socialization to build a great foundation for a confident, reliable dog. We also begin obedience work with sit, down, come, and walking on leash without pulling. Remember: what we learn first, we learn best, so it’s critical that puppies learn good manners right from the start.
Puppy Plus!: for puppies 5-10 months old. This class focuses on the behaviors most requested by puppy owners: proper greeting behaviors with both people and dogs, walking politely on leash, and coming when called. Lots more too!
S.T.A.R. Puppy: for puppies 5-10 months old. The S.T.A.R. Puppy class and certification was developed by AKC to get dog owners and puppies off to a good start. Highly recommended for dogs looking to do therapy work or attain the Canine Good Citizen certifications.
Manners Matter: designed especially for adolescent dogs 10-24 months old. Real-world application of cutting edge techniques. We use fun and games to improve your young dog’s self-control and understanding of how to make good choices. You will learn to teach your dog to sit, down, come, and stay, and troubleshoot common issues like pulling on leash, barking and jumping on people, charging through doors, nipping, and inappropriate chewing.
Basic Obedience: Basic skills presented in this 6-week session are Come, Sit, Down, Wait, Stay, Leave It, Loose Leash Walking, and more. Learn to understand and communicate with your dog. Working as a team, be confident to go out and about. This class will deepen the relationship with your furred companion. It will teach you to recognize triggers and how to avert challenging situations. Success comes with a commitment to practice, consistency in practice, and clear communication.
Really Reliable Recall: 3-week focus course! Easy-to-follow steps to train your dog to come when it really counts, in an emergency. Learn how to build trust and ensure safety. Once trained, the recall works immediately in any situation, no matter what your dog is doing. For dogs of all ages.
Canine Good Citizen and Canine Good Citizen Advanced: These are intermediate-level classes that prepares both ends of the leash to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen certification exams.
Do More With Your Dog: This class gives you and your dog a chance to try several different sports, including nosework, agility, and rally obedience. Foundation work and exposure to different surfaces and equipment are keys to building confidence, and revisiting foundational skills including position changes and self control are useful for family pets as well as performance dogs. It’s a whirlwind tour through dog sports for dogs of all ages.
Intro to Nosework (formerly Nosework 1): 3 week class that runs on the first 3 Fridays of each session. Open to all. Goals are to introduce dogs to hunting for rewards, getting comfortable with crating, building enthusiasm and drive for the hunt, and working independently and away from their handler.
Nosework – Pairing (formerly Nosework 2): 6 week class held on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. Dogs must be 8 months or older (to get past fear periods) plus Intro skills. Goals are to introduce birch scent by pairing with food in boxes and other containers, adding different types of hides (chairs and tables), and continuing crate skills. Dogs may advance when they can confidently indicate birch in known hides 3 times, work at a distance of at least 10 feet, and remain quietly in their own crate for at least 10 minutes. Handlers should expect to repeat this class before advancing. Nosework Pairing Class Intro
Nosework – Advanced: 6 week class held on Thursdays at 7:30pm. Prerequisites are at least 8 months of age plus Pairing class skills. Goals are to introduce cypress, add challenges (height, barriers, distractions), understand the mechanics of trialing. Teams may advance when they can confidently find birch and cypress in blind hides three times each and remain quietly in their own crate for at least 15 minutes. Handlers should expect to repeat this class before advancing. Nosework Advanced Class Info
Nosework – Competition (formerly Nosework 3): 6 week class held on Wednesdays at 6:15 and 7:30pm. Prerequisites are at least 8 months of age plus Advanced class skills. Goals include working with all scents used in C-WAGS and AKC trials (birch, cypress, anise, clove), advanced challenges (aging, airflow, weather, multiple hides, etc.), handling skills, improving indication, problem solving, and assessing trial readiness. This is a repeatable class for teams looking to improve their skills.
Nosework – Challenges: 6 week class held on Tuesdays at 7:30pm. Dogs must be fluent on birch in order to attend. Hides include corners, suspended, inaccessible, close, high, and low. Lots of distractions are presented in order to build confidence on both sides of the leash. This class may be taken in addition to or in lieu of the Nosework Advanced and Competition classes.
Rally Obedience Classes (Intermediate & Competition): Rally Obedience is a competitive dog sport that features more than 50 individual exercises laid out on a course. It is a perfect way to have fun with your dog while improving skills, working as a team, and perhaps building toward formal obedience competition.
Pre-Agility (3-week session): This class provides an important introduction to essential skills necessary for success in future agility classes. Some skills addressed include start line stay, down stay, recall, crate training, and release word. Dogs also become comfortable with different surfaces, practice impulse control, and begin working on body awareness and conditioning. Handlers learn the nuances of rewarding and how to warm up their dog. Teams will grow the dog’s love of tugging, an important activity that can promote impulse control, build confidence, and strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners. Pre-Agility Progression Checklist
Agility Foundations: The class focuses on protecting and building your dog’s confidence while you both have fun with each exercise. Exercises build understanding of many agility skills including shaping a behavior, shadow handling, startline stays, wrapping a cone, jump grids, introduction to weaves and the tunnel, and the beginning of contact end behaviors. The exercises build essential obstacle commitment and independent performance. Agility Foundations Progression Checklist
Agility Skills: Dogs will build obstacle independence with a variety of jump drills and increased tunnel challenges. Weave entries are shaped and proofed. Two-on-two-off end behavior is now transferred to the end of low-height contacts. Handling on the flat includes front cross, blind cross, and rear cross. Dogs learn to focus forward and distance handling is introduced with the Go On cue. The table and the teeter are introduced. Handlers learn the importance of proper timing and placement of rewards. Agility Skills Progression Checklist
Agility Obstacles: Dogs will become comfortable with all agility equipment. Dogs will learn to weave six in-line poles, understand tunnel discrimination and blind entrances, and will be performing all contacts on low-height equipment, building up to full-height. All special jumps will be trained including the tire, broad, panel/wall, ascending double, and triple jumps. Dogs will work up to their full jump height. The table will be proofed with distance and speed. Dogs will continue to improve their obstacle commitment and distance work (Go On and Out cues) with increased challenges. Agility Obstacles Progression Checklist
Agility Handling: Teams will learn to successfully handle common agility challenges with techniques including front cross, blind cross, rear cross, tandem turn, lap turn, 270, and 180. Collection and wrap skills are taught. The backside send cue is introduced. Dogs will work up to full jump height. Dogs learn to work at a distance and to follow the handling with the Out, Bypass, and Go On cues. Handler focus vs. obstacle focus will be addressed. An understanding of the dog’s line and the handler’s line will be emphasized. Agility Handling Progression Checklist
Agility Novice/Open Competition: Handlers will gain an understanding of the dog’s line and how to influence this line. Contact end behaviors will be proofed and at full height, including dog walk, a-frame, table, and teeter. Tunnel skills, including sends, discriminations, and threadles, will be practiced with increasing challenges. Dogs will progress to weaving 12 in-line poles and proofing will continue. Handling skills continue to be honed and will now include pinwheels, backside sends, and serpentines. Jump skills will include distance handling (Out and Go On), acceleration, deceleration, and wraps. Special topics will be covered including mental management, trial preparation, and course analysis. Full novice and/or open level courses will be run. Agility Novice/Open Competition Progression Checklist
Agility Master and Beyond Competition: Teams will focus on advanced handling techniques including threadle handling (false turn, Japanese turn, forced front cross), turn away handling (flick, tandem turn, lap turn), backside handling (backside send, German turn, back lap turn), serpentine handling, collection/wrap handling (reverse spin, front cross, reverse wrap, post turn, Jaako turn), blind cross, rear cross, whiskey cross, and more. Distance handling, layering, and difficult openings will be addressed. Weaves and contacts will be proofed. Tunnel threadle and tunnel brake skills will be practiced. Special topics will be covered including mental management and advanced course analysis. Full master / premier / international level courses will be run.
Agility Power Handling: This class breaks agility handling techniques into small, learnable steps so teams can build real confidence. Once the skill is solid, handlers learn how and where to use it effectively in a full sequence. Open to students at the Nov/Open and Master & Beyond levels.
Agility Coursework: This advanced class is designed for teams already competing and proficient on all obstacles, including 12 weave poles. We will analyze and practice sections of courses from recent major events, including Nationals, Invitationals, and Championships from AKC, USDAA, UKI, ISC, and CPE.