From First Sit to Off-Leash Mastery
Group Class Levels
- 8 progressive levels for every skill stage
- Open enrollment — start any week
- 45-minute classes, small group sizes
How Our Levels Work
A Cumulative Curriculum Built for Real Results
Are you tired of apologizing for your dog's behavior? Are you looking for the perfect place to watch your dog while you're out of town? Are you looking for a place to drain your dog's energy while improving its socialization? With 100+ years of combined dog training experience, and 55,000+ dogs trained, we have seen it all. Whatever your needs, let Partners Dog School join you on the journey to a delightful relationship with your dog.
The Foundation Levels
Where every journey begins — building the basics that everything else is built on.
Puppy & Me (Under 5 Months)
Focus: Socialization, confidence building, and early foundations.
Designed for puppies under 5 months old and their owners. Your puppy learns to be comfortable around other dogs, people, sights, and sounds in a safe, controlled environment. We introduce basic cues like sit, name recognition, and leash walking while building the social skills that prevent behavioral problems later in life. This is the single most impactful class you can take with a young puppy.
Level 1 — Foundations
Focus: Sit, down, stay, heel introduction, leash manners.
The starting point for dogs 5 months and older. Level 1 builds a reliable foundation of core obedience commands in a group setting with real-world distractions. Your dog learns to focus on you, respond to basic cues, and develop the impulse control needed for more advanced work. Owners learn proper timing, reward delivery, and communication techniques.
Building Reliability
Where good dogs become great dogs — adding distance, duration, and distractions.
Level 2 — Intermediate
Focus: Reliable recall, working through distractions, extended stays.
Level 2 takes the foundation skills from Level 1 and makes them dependable in the real world. Your dog learns to hold a stay with distance and duration, come when called even with distractions, walk politely past other dogs, and respond to cues the first time. This is where training starts to feel automatic rather than effortful.
Level 3 — Advanced
Focus: Off-leash preparation, public manners, advanced heel work.
Level 3 is for dogs who have mastered the basics and are ready for polished, real-world reliability. You will work on off-leash skills in controlled environments, practice commands at distance, and prepare your dog for outings in public spaces with calm, confident behavior. This level is the prerequisite for specialty classes.
Specialty & Enrichment Classes
Once your dog has solid obedience, these classes add fun, fitness, and real-world polish.
Agility
Focus: Fun, fitness, obstacle courses, and handler-dog teamwork.
Agility classes are a blast for both dogs and owners. Your dog navigates tunnels, jumps, weave poles, A-frames, and more while you learn to guide them through courses with body language and verbal cues. Agility builds confidence, burns energy, and strengthens the bond between you and your dog. Open to dogs of all sizes who have completed Level 2 or higher.
Rally Obedience
Focus: Competition preparation, precision heel work, course navigation.
Rally obedience combines the precision of traditional obedience with a fun, fast-paced course format. You and your dog navigate a series of stations with specific exercises at each one. This class prepares teams for AKC Rally competitions or simply sharpens your skills for everyday life. Recommended for dogs who have completed Level 3.
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Focus: AKC CGC test preparation and certification.
The Canine Good Citizen program is the gold standard for well-mannered dogs. This class prepares your dog for the 10-step AKC CGC test, covering skills like accepting a friendly stranger, walking through a crowd, sitting politely for petting, and reacting calmly to distractions. We are an official AKC CGC testing site — pass the test and earn your dog's CGC title.
Graduate Classes
Focus: Alumni maintenance, continued socialization, skill refinement.
Graduate classes are exclusively for dogs who have completed a Partners camp program (Training Camp, Behavior Camp, or Transform Camp). These weekly sessions maintain and reinforce everything your dog learned during camp, provide ongoing socialization, and give you a structured environment to keep progressing. Just $10 per class for camp graduates.
Simple, Flexible Options
Group Class Pricing
Are you tired of apologizing for your dog's behavior? Are you looking for the perfect place to watch your dog while you're out of town? Are you looking for a place to drain your dog's energy while improving its socialization? With 100+ years of combined dog training experience, and 55,000+ dogs trained, we have seen it all. Whatever your needs, let Partners Dog School join you on the journey to a delightful relationship with your dog.
Not Sure Which Level You Need?
Start with Puppy & Me if...
Your dog is under 5 months old. Even if they already know a few basics, the socialization window is critical at this age and this class provides safe, structured exposure to new experiences that will shape your puppy's temperament for life.
Start with Level 1 if...
Your dog is 5+ months old and either has no formal training or knows some basics but is unreliable. If your dog pulls on the leash, doesn't come when called, or struggles to focus around other dogs, Level 1 is the right place to build a solid foundation.
Start with Level 2 if...
Your dog reliably sits, downs, and stays in low-distraction environments but falls apart around other dogs, squirrels, or busy environments. Level 2 dogs know the commands — they just need to learn to follow them when it matters.
Start with Level 3 if...
Your dog is solid on all basic and intermediate commands and you want to work toward off-leash reliability, polished public manners, or preparation for specialty classes like Agility, Rally, or CGC.
Ready to Start? Open Enrollment Means You Can Join This Week.
View our class schedule for both locations, or call us and we'll help you find the right level and time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Every dog must complete a PD360 Assessment ($199) before joining group classes. This is a full 4+ hour assessment day (drop-off around 9-10am, pickup around 3-4pm — flexible) so our trainers can evaluate your dog's temperament, skill level, and training history to place you in the correct level. Discounts are often available, especially for families ready to sign up for a program.
Level placement is determined by your PD360 Assessment. If your dog demonstrates proficiency in foundational skills, our trainers may place you in a higher level. However, every dog must be assessed — we've found that even experienced dogs benefit from having their skills evaluated in our specific environment.
Most group classes have between 5 and 8 dogs with one instructor and one assistant. This ensures personalized attention while still providing the social learning environment that makes group classes so effective.
No problem. Our modular curriculum and open enrollment format mean you can pick up right where you left off. Each session covers specific skills, so missing a week doesn't set you back — just jump into the next available class.
Absolutely. Your enrollment is valid at both our Scottsdale (Shea and the 101) and Cave Creek locations. Attend whichever class time and location works best for your schedule each week.