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 $165
- 3-week classes (Really Reliable Recall & Intro to Nosework) $85
- Hooked on training? Your seventh class and beyond are only $66!
Payment
- Pay online
- Drop a check in the mail to: Play Dog Excellent, 4113 Dayton Blvd, Chattanooga TN 37415
- Call us at 423-870-7740 – we can take a Visa or Mastercard over the phone.
- Pay in person with cash, check, Visa, or MasterCard.
Notes on orientation:
Orientation is held the Tuesday before classes start. 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 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) |
| 05/28/2024 | 06/03 | 07/08 |
| 07/16/2024 | 07/22 | 08/26 |
| 09/03/2024 | 09/09 | 10/14 |
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: A well-mannered dog is a joy forever! This entry-level class is geared toward dogs over two years old. The goal is to develop your skills as a trainer while teaching your dog obedience fundamentals. We cover important and useful behaviors including sit, down, come, stay, heel, wait, leave it, proper greetings, and more.
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. Check in before registering as we alternate CGC and Advanced CGC classes.
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 – 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 – 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.
Agility 1: This class is for dogs that are at least 9 months old, have a confident recall, and are able to be around other dogs in a high-energy situation without being reactive. We will introduce ending contact behaviors, start line stays, jumping technique, flat work, table, tunnels, and weaves. Instructor: Nancy Cambron
Agility 2: The goal of this class is to teach the desired trial behavior for each agility obstacle used in AKC agility, including jumps, tunnels, contacts, and 6 weaves. Correct behaviors are learned and reinforced by back-chaining from the ending behavior.
Agility 3: This class is designed to prepare dog/handler teams for AKC agility trials. Teams will learn how to perform sequences and basic handling skills, including leading out, crosses, pivots, and working up to full competition contact and jump height. Prerequisite is completion of Agility 1 and 2, and recommendation by a PDX instructor.
Agility 4: This class is offered for teams currently competing in AKC Novice or Open classes, with an emphasis on handling skills necessary to successfully execute Novice and Open courses in a competitive agility trial. You will also learn about course analysis, scoring, and how to avoid common mistakes. Prerequisite is competency on all obstacles and common jump sequences plus 12 straight weaves and recommendation by a PDX instructor.
Agility 5: This class is designed for teams who are currently competing at the Open, Excellent, or Master agility level. Advanced exercises are used to refine skills, build drive, increase distance, and strengthen teamwork. Students must be highly fluent on all obstacles, and be reliable off leash with a variety of distractions.
Rally Obedience Classes (Foundations, Intermediate, Competition): Rally Obedience is a competitive dog sport that features more than 50 individual exercises laid out on a course. It is a low-pressure way to have fun with your dog while improving skills, working as a team, and perhaps building toward formal obedience competition.