Awesome Critters

08/23/2026

📣 Our August newsletter is out!

Fall classes start THIS WEEK, including Puppy, Basic Obedience & CGC Skills, CGC Prep & Evaluation, Fitness & Tricks, and ongoing agility opportunities.

Contact John ASAP at [email protected] for classes starting as early as Thursday, Aug. 27.

Please share with anyone who may be interested! NADAC & TDAA Fall 2026/Spring 2027 trials are listed too. 💜🩵🐾

Fall classes are here, and we are excited to get back into the swing of Awesome Training, Awesome Fun! John’s classes begin as early as this Thursday, August 27th, and Tiffanie’s Intermediate/Advanced Agility drop-in classes are ongoing. Whether your dog is just getting started or ready to keep ...

08/18/2026

Congratulations to the winners of the Awesome Critters raffle items at the TDAA Petit Prix! We hope you are enjoying your prizes. 😃

Basket of doggie goodies - Sandy Neel

Class Certificate for a class at Awesome Critters - Sandy Neel

Trial Entry Certificate for a day of agility trial entries at Awesome Critters - Dee Bristol

Basket of Florida & beach themed human goodies - Debra McKnight-Schirck

08/18/2026

🐾🏆 Petit Prix Wags & Brags! 🏆🐾

We know there were lots of special moments from the TDAA 2026 Petit Prix weekend, and we do not want to miss celebrating a single one!

If you attended the Friday Pre-Trial on July 31 or the Petit Prix Tournament on August 1 and 2, please share your wins, brags, titles, awards, Qs, personal victories, favorite moments, and happy memories in the comments.

And pictures too, pretty please! 📸🐶

Whether it was a big award, a new title, a special accomplishment, a great run, a brave moment, a comeback, or simply a weekend of fun with your dog, we want to celebrate with you.

Drop those Wags & Brags in the comments and let’s cheer on all these Awesome teams! 💜🩵

08/18/2026

🐾🏆 Cheers to the teacup dogs! 🏆🐾

What a weekend at the TDAA 2026 Petit Prix!

A big thank you to TDAA for holding such a special event and for all the care that went into making it memorable, from the competitor gifts and goodie bags to the beautiful awards and celebrations throughout the weekend.

Thank you to everyone who came, competed, cheered, supported, volunteered, and helped make the event happen. Dog sports depend on volunteers, and every trial, tournament, and special event is better because of the people who step in, lend a hand, and keep things running.

We are especially grateful to Brevard County Dog Training Club and Indian River Dog Training Club for co-hosting with Awesome Critters and for all they contributed, including equipment, volunteers, support, and teamwork.

And of course, a special shout out to our local peeps, students, friends, and Awesome People who made it there. We loved seeing so many familiar faces and celebrating these little dogs doing big things!

To our community, be on the lookout for a separate post calling to share your individual wags & brags soon. We know there were titles, awards, wins, personal victories, and special moments to celebrate, and we want to make sure we do not miss a single one.

Congratulations to all the teams, and cheers to TDAA, Petit Prix, and the mighty teacup dogs! 💜🩵🐶

08/17/2026

🎒🐾 It’s back-to-school time for ALL family members, including the four-legged furry ones! 🐾🎒

Our Fall 2026 Puppy, Basic Obedience & CGC Skills, CGC Prep & Evaluation, and Fitness & Tricks classes with John McLemore, CPDT-KA, FFCP, are almost here, and we are building class rosters now!

We are offering two Fall class sessions. Each class has its own set of dates, so please check the session details carefully. Some classes begin as early as next Thursday, August 27, so please reach out soon if you are interested.

For questions, class placement, more information, or to get signed up, please email John at [email protected].

Please note: AKC STAR Puppy and Basic Obedience & CGC Skills classes meet without dogs for the first class so John can cover housekeeping, class procedures, expectations, and questions without the dogs getting bored or overwhelmed. Dogs will begin attending those classes the first week of September. Fitness & Tricks and CGC Prep & Evaluation start with dogs from the first class.

🐾 FALL SESSION I 🐾

AKC STAR Puppy
8-week class
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Dates: August 27, September 3, 10, 17, 24, October 1, 15, 22
Please note: No class October 8.
Most classes run approximately 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the number of students.

A wonderful class for puppies and their people to learn foundations for good manners, socialization, confidence, and teamwork.

Basic Obedience & CGC Skills
8-week class
Thursdays at 6:00 PM
Dates: August 27, September 3, 10, 17, 24, October 1, 15, 22
Please note: No class October 8.
Most classes run approximately 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the number of students.

A great place to build manners, focus, confidence, communication, and skills that can help prepare teams for future CGC goals.

CGC Prep & Evaluation
4-week class
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
Dates: September 1, 15, 22, 29

For teams working toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation, with focused practice on the skills needed for the CGC test.

Fitness & Tricks
6-week class
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM
Dates: September 1, 15, 22, 29, October 13, 20
Please note: No class October 6.

A fun class for building body awareness, confidence, coordination, fitness foundations, enrichment, and trick skills. Many of these skills can also support sports, agility, everyday manners, and title goals. If you are curious about which skills or levels may be the best fit for your dog, John will be happy to help guide you.

🐾 FALL SESSION II 🐾

AKC STAR Puppy
8-week class
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
Dates: October 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17, 24, December 1, 8
Most classes run approximately 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the number of students.

A wonderful class for puppies and their people to learn foundations for good manners, socialization, confidence, and teamwork.

Basic Obedience & CGC Skills
8-week class
Tuesdays at 7:30 PM
Dates: October 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17, 24, December 1, 8
Most classes run approximately 45 to 75 minutes, depending on the number of students.

A great place to build manners, focus, confidence, communication, and skills that can help prepare teams for future CGC goals.

Fitness & Tricks
6-week class
Thursdays at 6:00 PM
Dates: October 29, November 5, 12, 19, December 3, 10
Please note: No class November 26 for Thanksgiving.

A fun class for building body awareness, confidence, coordination, fitness foundations, enrichment, and trick skills. Many of these skills can also support sports, agility, everyday manners, and title goals. If you are curious about which skills or levels may be the best fit for your dog, John will be happy to help guide you.

CGC Prep & Evaluation
4-week class
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Dates: October 29, November 5, 12, 19

For teams working toward the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation, with focused practice on the skills needed for the CGC test.

We would love to help you and your dog learn, grow, and have some Awesome Training, Awesome Fun this fall! 💜🩵🐶

Email John at [email protected] to ask questions or get on the class roster.

08/17/2026

🐾 Let’s get back in the ring! 🐾

I know things have been a little quieter here on Facebook recently, and I feel like so many of my posts have been about canceling class for severe weather. I truly appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we get back into the swing of regular updates, class reminders, and all things Awesome Critters.

Petit Prix was also a huge focus for our whole crowd, and I hope everyone has had a chance to rest up after that big weekend. There is plenty to celebrate there!

We also know this summer weather has been a LOT. Between strong storms, wet conditions, lightning, and extreme heat, some classes have had to be canceled, and we completely understand that some teams have chosen to sit out when conditions do not feel right for themselves or their dogs. Safety always comes first.

But agility classes DO continue!

Our current Intermediate/Advanced Agility drop-in classes are:

🐾 Tuesdays at 8:00 AM
🐾 Thursdays at 8:00 AM
🐾 Thursdays at 7:00 PM

Class begins at the listed start time and typically runs 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on attendance, exercises planned, dog safety and stamina, and weather conditions.

We hope you’ll join us tomorrow morning, Tuesday, August 18, at 8:00 AM!

Please remember it is always helpful to send Tiffanie a message if you are planning to attend so she can be best prepared for each class session and can contact you directly if weather or other conditions require a cancellation.

Beginner Agility is not currently scheduled, but we would love to offer another class when we have enough interested teams! If you are interested in a future Beginner Agility class, or know someone who might be, please contact us right away so we can keep you on our list and work toward getting it on the calendar.

In the meantime, Tiffanie also offers private and semi-private agility lessons. For agility questions, class updates, placement, or lesson interest, please contact Tiffanie at [email protected].

Please continue to check our page and website calendar for updates. We have a lot more coming soon, including posts about John’s fall classes and upcoming agility trials as we catch up, get back on track, and keep building something awesome together.

Thank you, everyone, for your support! 💜🩵🐶

08/06/2026

Intermediate/Advanced Agility drop-in class canceled tonight (Thursday, August 6) for rain/weather.

08/04/2026

⚠️ No Intermediate/Advanced Agility drop-in class this morning, Tuesday, August 4. ☔️🌧️☔️🌧️ Stay dry and take care! 💜🩵

07/30/2026

🐾 Agility Class Reminder 🐾

There will be NO agility classes tomorrow, Thursday, July 30, either morning or evening, as we are preparing for the TDAA 2026 Petit Prix this weekend!

Petit Prix events begin Friday, and we are so excited for this special weekend of teacup agility. 💜🩵🐶

Please note: John’s obedience classes WILL still meet as scheduled tomorrow. If you have questions about obedience classes, please contact John directly.

Thank you for understanding, and we’ll see our agility students back in the ring soon!