The National Dog Training Academy

The National Dog Training Academy Multi-Award winning dog & puppy training service putting the fun into training your dog or puppy. Lots of fun activities, agility, gun dog, and much more.

National Dog Training Academy - Multi-Award Winning Dog Training Academy of Excellence - Over 10,000 dogs trained. Full range of puppy and dog training services, 1:1 and classes.

Why do our dogs sometimes seem to be "naughty"?Sometimes it's because we've been a bit inconsistent with our training or...
30/07/2026

Why do our dogs sometimes seem to be "naughty"?

Sometimes it's because we've been a bit inconsistent with our training or boundaries. We've all been there!

But sometimes it can simply be that weโ€™re not meeting one of our dog's natural needs.

Dogs have been bred over generations to use their noses, retrieve, hunt, herd, search, think, solve problems and work alongside people.

When we give them safe, positive opportunities to do what they were bred to do, something changes. Many of those unwanted behaviours start to fade because we're working with our dog instead of constantly battling against their instincts.

That's why, at The National Dog Training Academy, we don't believe dog training should be all about "sit" and "stay." Not saying thatโ€™s not important but ..there's more to it.

Every week we offer a range of fun, skill-based activities, giving dogs and their owners the chance to learn together, build confidence and enjoy training that feels natural.

Because every dog deserves the opportunity to be a dog.

Have questions about what we have available? DM me โ€˜what you gotโ€™

28/07/2026

Another great week at The NDTA. ๐Ÿพ

Successful dog training is all about consistency, patience, celebrating the little wins... and having plenty of fun along the way. ๐Ÿ˜€

Here's a little glimpse of what we've been up to over the last week.

Great classes with regular customers, light-hearted competitions, new puppies and grading achievements.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. โค๏ธ

24/07/2026

๐Ÿพ There's so much to learn when you bring a new puppy home...
..and one of the biggest lessons is understanding what socialisation really means.

Many people think socialisation is about letting their puppy meet as many dogs and people as possible.
In reality, it's much more about helping your puppy feel calm, confident and safe in the world around them.

Sometimes the best socialisation is sitting on a bench together and quietly watching the world go by.

Watching children play.
Listening to traffic.
Seeing cyclists, runners and pushchairs pass by.
Learning that not every dog needs to be greeted.
Not every person needs to say hello.

A puppy also needs to learn to observe the world calmly to grow into a more confident, relaxed adult dog.

It's not just about how many experiences your puppy has...
It's about how they feel during those experiences.

๐Ÿพ If you're unsure whether you're giving your puppy the best possible start, send us a message. We'd be happy to help.

20/07/2026

Last week at The NDTA... ๐Ÿพ

Some people think dog training is all about teaching dogs to sit.

It really isn't.

It's about building confidence.

Watching puppies discover the paddling pool for the first time...

Seeing dogs learning to retrieve in water, despite wildlife and other distractions...

Celebrating grading successes with owners who have put in the work...

That's what our weeks really look like.

Every dog is different.

Every owner is different.

But seeing both grow in confidence never gets old.

Here's a little look behind the scenes from another week at The NDTA.

โค๏ธ

15/07/2026

Wednesday Evening - half way through your week.

If you're counting down the days until you get to the weekend, this little video is for you.
I never planned to become a dog trainer.
Funny how life works out.

But now, I work outdoors, I laugh every day, and I wouldn't swap it for the world.

If you've ever wondered whether there might be another way to earn a living, I've started writing a newsletter for people who love dogs and are curious about changing their lives.

No endless sales emails.

Just honest stories about what it's really like.

Come and join us. Just DM โ€˜newsletterโ€™

๐Ÿพ It's easy to teach a dog what to do...It's much harder to help someone understand why.Over the last 16 years, one thin...
14/07/2026

๐Ÿพ It's easy to teach a dog what to do...

It's much harder to help someone understand why.

Over the last 16 years, one thing has become very clear to us.

The most successful owners aren't always the ones with the easiest dogs.

They're the ones who understand them.

That's why, at The NDTA, you'll often see puppies following sausage trails, dogs hunting for truffles, owners laughing through pet gundog exercises or tackling low impact agility.

To some people it just looks like fun.

To us...

Every game or activity has a purpose.

Every activity is carefully chosen to build confidence, encourage natural behaviour, strengthen the partnership between dog and owner and make learning something both ends of the lead enjoy.

Because when people understand why their dog behaves the way they do...

Life becomes easier.

Training becomes more enjoyable.

And the relationship becomes stronger.

That's what we've always believed.

It's simply how we do things at The National Dog Training Academy. ๐Ÿพ

๐Ÿพ Another week, another reminder of why we love what we do.Working around another heatwave wasn't easy.Keeping dogs cool...
13/07/2026

๐Ÿพ Another week, another reminder of why we love what we do.
Working around another heatwave wasn't easy.
Keeping dogs cool and comfortable meant changing plans, moving class times and constantly keeping an eye on the weather.
A huge thank you to all our wonderful customers for being so understanding and flexible, and to our amazing team for adapting at the drop of a hat. It really was appreciated. And for some, despite watching the England match on Saturday, rocking up at the crack of dawn for Sunday classes.
Despite the soaring temperatures, we still managed to pack plenty into the week with very early starts.
๐ŸŽ’ Our younger puppies proudly collected their Puppy Training Bags, to be sure their โ€˜tool kitโ€™ is all in one place when they head to the park.
๐Ÿ† Three dogs and their owners celebrated well-deserved awards for all the hard work they've put in over recent weeks.
๐ŸŽ“ Another lovely group of puppies completed their 8-week Puppy Programme. Watching unsure owners become confident dog owners is always one of the highlights of our job.
๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸŽ“ We also welcomed a work experience student, giving them a real insight into what life as a dog trainer is all about. We hope we've inspired another future dog trainer!
There was a lot of paddling pools included in most classes ..
There were smiles...
Wagging tails...
And plenty of reasons to be proud.
Here's hoping for slightly cooler weather next weekend... but just as much fun! ๐Ÿพโค๏ธ

๐Ÿ† UK Business Excellence Award 2026When we received the news that The National Dog Training Academy had been recognised ...
11/07/2026

๐Ÿ† UK Business Excellence Award 2026

When we received the news that The National Dog Training Academy had been recognised with a UK Business Excellence Award 2026, one word in the award highlights really stood out to us as a team.

Innovation.

For some people, innovation means technology.

For us...

It means never standing still.

Never assuming there's only one way to teach a dog.

Never believing that training has to be repetitive or boring.

Over the last 16 years we've constantly asked ourselves one simple question...

"How can we make learning better for dogs and their owners?"

That also means listening to our customers.

What do you need from us?

How can we make what we do work even better for you?

Whatever we're doing, the aim is always the same...

Helping people understand their dogs and enjoy spending quality time together.

We're incredibly proud to have received this award, but we also know it wouldn't have happened without our customers.

A huge thank you to our wonderful customers, our amazing team and, of course, the dogs, past and present, who inspire us every single day.

We'll keep listening.

We'll keep learning.

We'll keep doing our best to improve ๐Ÿพ

๐Ÿพ Can I let you into a little secret?Even after 16 years of training dogs, there are still days when we question ourselv...
09/07/2026

๐Ÿพ Can I let you into a little secret?

Even after 16 years of training dogs, there are still days when we question ourselves.

Yes... really!

Our puppies aren't perfect either.

Sometimes they ignore us.
Sometimes they decide the slippers are far more interesting than the toy we just gave them.
Sometimes they suddenly seem to have forgotten everything they knew yesterday.

And every now and then, we look at each other and say...
"What on earth are we going to do with you?" ๐Ÿ˜‚

The difference isn't that dog trainers have perfect dogs.
It's that we've learnt not to panic.

We understand that puppies (and dogs) don't learn in a straight line. They'll have brilliant days, followed by days where you wonder if they've forgotten everything overnight.

That's completely normal.

Puppy ownership isn't about getting everything right.

It's about learning together, celebrating the little wins and understanding that tomorrow is another chance to have another go.

So if you're currently feeling that you're the only one struggling...
Please don't.

Every puppy owner has those moments.
Even us.
โค๏ธ๐Ÿพ

09/07/2026

A few videos from the amazing water retrieve session last Sunday. Hope everyone who came had as much fun as we did. Looking forward to the next one on 19th.

Do please share any photos or videos if you took any. I'll upload more later. x

Address

Upper Northam Drive, Hedge End
Southampton
SO314BG

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4pm
Friday 8:30am - 4pm
Saturday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+447714769260

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