Group Dog Training Classes
In-Person Classes at Our Premier Facility
We Offer a Huge Variety of Classes
We are here to support you every step of the way, whether you just got a new puppy or adopted your new rescue dog! Our training classes offer community and support for your dog’s entire lifespan. We have classes that will help you and your dog through the most common dog behavior issues, as well as sports and fun classes!
Puppy Classes & Play Sessions
Specialty Classes
Class Calendar
What People Are Saying
“Since 2011, I have taken my dogs to Dogs & Kat for training because Kat Martin is one of the best trainers I have ever worked with. Not only is class a lot of fun, the dogs tend to learn very quickly because of Kat’s ability to understand what each dog needs in order to be successful. Kat’s warm personality, professionalism, and clear communication style make it a very positive environment to train your dog. I highly recommend Dogs & Kat!”
-Debbie Huntley, Nashville TN
Puppy Classes & Play Sessions
Puppy Manners & Positive Play Class- $200
(includes 4 free attendances to our supervised puppy play sessions while enrolled!)
Have a new puppy? A safe, properly structured puppy class is one of the best investments you can make for your new addition!
It is extremely important to socialize young puppies. Studies have shown that puppies have a critical period until around 14 weeks of age in which they need to be safely exposed to as many new people and novel situations as possible. Beginning at a young age with positive training and happy experiences will benefit both you and your dog for his or her entire lifetime.
Foundation Skills – We will start teaching real world foundation behaviors like:
Focus/Name Recognition
Leash Manners
Sit
Down
Off/No Jumping
Go to Place/Mat (helps with jumping/counter-surfing behaviors)
Stay
Polite Greetings
Come When Called
Puppy Life Skills – We will also discuss and teach you and your puppy about:
House Training
Nipping/Biting
Chewing
Grooming/Handling
Socialization
Managed play with other puppies in most classes.
Free attendance to our bonus Supervised Puppy Play Sessions included in class fee.
We help your new addition learn how to play politely with other puppies in a structured environment.
Puppies who are not properly socialized can become fearful and sometimes aggressive as adults.
Also helps puppies learn to limit play biting and ensures a tired puppy after class!
Why wait? You can start in class as early as 8 weeks old! Because we use only force-free, positive methods, our training is completely safe for young pups.
Class size is limited to 7 puppies.
For puppies up to 5 months of age. Pups must be up-to-date on all vaccinations for their age and have had the second round administered by a veterinarian.
Families are welcome. If bringing more than one child under 8 years old, please bring another adult who can help supervise.
4 in person sessions meeting once per week for one hour.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Supervised Puppy Play Sessions
$20 (non-client), $10 (current or formerly enrolled pup)
4 FREE sessions (while enrolled in puppy class or in private puppy lessons package)
These sessions are for people who want tired puppies! Of course, there is the huge added benefit of socialization but most people will agree that the best thing about the play sessions is that their puppies are asleep and not getting into trouble for many blissful hours afterwards! The Puppy Manners and Positive Play Classes have more emphasis on training and socialization with humans; these sessions have more play and socialization with other puppies. This is a great alternative to the dog park, which is fun for many well-socialized adult dogs, but can cause a lot of trouble in young puppies and under-socialized dogs (both medically and behaviorally).
These sessions are carefully supervised so that every pup can have a successful session. This is NOT a free for all type of play. Puppies may be given their own space, share a space with one or two other calm, less gregarious pups, or be in a free play situation if they are ready for that. Your instructor will be the one to advise you as to what your puppy needs at each session. We want puppies that attend these to feel safe, have fun, enjoy the socialization, and be able to grow in their social skills and confidence!
For puppies of any size under 5 months, older puppies who have taken Puppy Manners & Positive Play, or per instructor's approval.
Humans stay with their puppies for these sessions.
Each play date lasts an hour and is limited to ten or fewer puppies.
The Puppy Play Sessions are held several times per week.
Please contact us for more information.
Vaccination records are required for admission to class.
Dog Manners Classes
Basic Family Dog Manners - $175
Prerequisites: None
For dogs 5 months of age or older.
Graduates of our Puppy Manners can begin prior to 5 months.
Dogs must be up to date on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
4 in person sessions meeting once per week for one hour.
In our Basic Manners class we will discuss theories behind positive training as well as work on:
Attention
Confidence Building
Loose Leash Walking
Sit
Down
Come When Called
Off
Stay
Target Training
Wait
“Leave It.”
Please contact us for more information.
Vaccination records are required for admission to class.
Better Family Dog Manners/Canine Good Citizen -
$275
Are you ready to take your training to the next level? Interested in pursuing Therapy Dog training? Simply want a well behaved dog you can take just about anywhere they are allowed? Our Better Family Dog Manners class is the right choice for learning advanced manners and preparing for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test.
Passing this test is the first step required by many therapy dog organizations in order to do that type of training. Human graduates of this class are proud, responsible dog owners who have excellent control of their canine companions.
This class prepares you and your dog for the 10 individual steps that make up the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen exam which include:
1. Accepting a friendly stranger
2. Sitting politely for petting
3. Appearance and grooming
4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
5. Walking through a crowd
6. Sit and Down on cue and Staying in place
7. Coming when called
8. Reaction to another dog
9. Reaction to distraction
10. Supervised separation
Dogs who pass the CGC test can earn a certificate and the official AKC CGC title. The CGC certification for resident dogs is beginning to be required by an increasing number of apartment and condo communities.
Prerequisites: Basic Family Dog Manners or equivalent per instructor’s approval.
For dogs 6 months or older. Graduates of our Basic Family Dog Manners can begin prior to 6 months of age.
Dogs must be up to date on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
8 in person sessions meeting once a week for one hour.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
No Jumping Class - $50 per dog
Is your dog a jumper? Is the "jumping up" really bad at your door? Well, you CAN keep a good dog down! This one hour, one session only class is limited to six dogs. Each dog will work intensively with the instructor(s) as well as another dog’s person while learning that keeping "four on the floor" is what makes the good stuff happen and jumping up makes the good stuff go away. Especially at the door! We've seen great results with this type of intensive class for dogs that jump!
Vaccination records are required for admission to your class.
Leash Manners - $125 per dog
Does your dog drag you down the street or pull to see others while on leash? Wouldn't it be nice to have your dog walk with you on a loose leash instead? Join us for this “mini” class to help you and your dog learn that walking on a loose leash is not only achievable - but way more fun!
Two sessions meeting once a week for one hour.
For dogs 5 months or older.
Dogs taking this class need to be non-reactive. If your dog is reactive on leash, please see our Relaxed Rovers class.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your class.
Focus & Recall (Come When Called) Class - $150 / 3 weeks
Have you ever wished your dog would actually come when you called her? Does your pup have “selective” attention? Maybe your dog has a hard time giving you his attention when you say his name in a distracting environment or situation?
Focus and Recall are critically important behaviors your dog needs to understand AND to respond to quickly. A reliable recall can be lifesaving! In this class we will give you the tools you need to build fabulous focus and achieve a rapid recall from your canine companion.
Meets one hour/week for 3 weeks.
For dogs 5 months or older. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
Dogs taking this class need to have a working knowledge of basic manners like sit and down and be non-reactive. If your dog is reactive on leash, please see our Relaxed Rovers class.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Specialty Classes
Relaxed Rovers - $300
Does your dog bark at other dogs, people, or both while on walks? What about when people or dogs pass by your home? If so, this is the class for you!
We have been offering this class since 2005 – the first and longest running class for reactive dogs in Nashville!
In this class we work on helping dogs learn to be calm and focused on their people when presented with their triggers. Our experienced trainers will give you a new set of tools to manage your dog in these situations while teaching your dog alternative, calmer behaviors that focus on you instead.
This class is for dogs who have a hard time being calm around other dogs or people or have leash reactivity on walks - whether due to over-excitement, fear, or anxiety.
Enjoy stress-free walks again!
This class is also very beneficial for dogs who compete in sports like agility as it increases focus and attention on the handler.
Meets one hour/week for 5 weeks.
Please contact us for more information.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Canine Cognition Class - $200 / 4 weeks
Ever wondered if your dog is smarter than a 5th grader? In this class we will explore our dogs’ amazing cognitive abilities through games, problem solving, mimicry, and more.
Have fun teaching your pup colors, numbers, shapes, yes/no, and other useful things that will enrich your dog’s life as well as greatly improve communication between you.
Meets one hour/week for 4 weeks.
For dogs 5 months or older. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Cooperative Canine Care $200
Does your dog struggle with being brushed? Are nail trims a nightmare for both you and your pup? Or would you simply like for your canine companion to be able to be comfortable and as relaxed as possible when visiting the veterinarian or groomer for routine and/or emergency visits? Why have the vet be a scary place where your dog loses all control over what is happening to him when we can proactively teach our dogs that it can be a super fun and rewarding experience?
In our Cooperative Canine Care (CCC) class, we teach you how to safely and positively teach your dog to accept multiple types of regular and necessary grooming and handling. When we allow our pups to be a part of the conversation with these procedures, we become more worthy of their trust during these specific scenarios. As Dr. Susan Friedman of BehaviorWorks so eloquently puts it, “The single most important thing I have learned over 40 years studying learning and behavior is the benefit of giving animals control over their own significant life events. Although it may seem counterintuitive given our cultural fog, research demonstrates that control over consequences is a primary reinforcer, meaning it’s essential to survival like food, water, and shelter.”
In this class we will work on some of the following:
Nail trims
Administering eye/ear drops
Brushing
Using electric clippers
Voluntary mouth opening for visual exam
Meets one hour/week for 4 weeks.
For dogs 3 months or older. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Fun & Games Classes
Beginning Agility / Confidence Building - $275 / 8 weeks
Ever wanted to try “that obstacle course thing” you’ve seen people do with their dogs?
Then give this class a go!
This class is geared toward having fun with your pooch as well as building better focus and attention from him in the process. Our experienced agility trainers will help you and your pup learn some of the basic agility obstacles as well as helping to strengthen already learned behaviors like stay, come when called, name recognition, and targeting.
A great class for shy dogs, dogs with lots of energy, and every dog in-between!
WARNING: Agility can be very addictive as it is super fun!
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Meets one hour/week for 8 weeks.
Agility - Beyond the Basics - $40 - Drop In
Meets 1 hour/week on a Drop-In basis.
Prerequisites: Completion of Beginning Agility (or per instructor's approval). Dogs must also be able to work off lead and have basic manners skills (sit, down, stay, focus on handler, etc).
This class takes your dog's new-found agility skills to the next level! In this class, dogs will begin working on full-height equipment and weave poles will be introduced. Additionally, they will learn to negotiate obstacles independently with speed and confidence using targeting techniques. You will also begin to learn new handling skills (such as crosses, lead outs, and sends) and begin distance work with your dogs in the agility ring.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Intro to Nosework - $200
Experience the growing sport of Nosework! Your dog will tap into their "inner canine" by learning to use their nose as it was intended. In this class, your dog does most of the work, which means a mentally and physically tired dog (which is great after class!). All you need is a flat buckle collar or body harness, six foot leather/nylon leash, and a BUNCH of stinky treats. This class is also a wonderful confidence builder for reactive dogs! Open to all ages, sizes and types of dogs - all they need is a nose!
Meets 1 hour/week for 4 weeks.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Rally - $225
The focus of Rally is loose-leash walking and heeling. However, this is a fun and relaxed way to not only work on building good leash walking skills in your dog, but also strengthening their responses to sit, down, stay, and come when called with distractions. Rally has been described as a really enjoyable combination of agility and competition obedience. As always, positive reinforcement methods will be used in this class.
Prerequisites: Basic Family Dog Manners or instructor's approval.
For dogs 5 months or older. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
Meets one hour/week for 5 weeks.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
Making Manners Fun/Tricks Class - $225
Come with a trick in mind that you want to teach your dog (not too complicated!) and we’ll work toward learning that by the end of the five weeks. Also, learn other fun stuff such as High Fives, Shakes, “Bang”, Nose Touches, Bows, and Spins. In addition, we will play some training games that are not only fun for dogs and people alike but that also help to reinforce good manners.
Prerequisites: Basic Family Dog Manners or equivalent per instructor’s approval.
For dogs 5 months or older. Dogs must be current on all vaccinations (titers accepted).
Meets one hour/week for 5 weeks.
Vaccination records are required for admission to your first class.
ATTENTION! Interactive Play for Fantastic Focus $200
Have you ever wanted to build a relationship with your dog based on having fun together? Were you worried that too much play would make your dog less focused? Well, thankfully, the opposite is true! The more fun you are, the more likely your dog is to pay attention to you - especially when you really need it!
In this class we teach you how to play interactively with your dog - no matter your dog’s play style - in order to create more focus, more enjoyment, and a stronger relationship with your dog.
Play and training is tailored individually to you and your dog.
Meets on hour/week for 4 weeks.
Coming soon. Contact us to let us know if you’re interested.
