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.

04/09/2026

Well… that was a great day! 🐾😂

Yesterday we ran one of our Be a Dog Trainer Experience Days at The NDTA.

Three people came along.

They spent the day getting a taste of what it's actually like to train dogs and people. The day was spent learning, having a go, asking questions, and most importantly having a lot of fun.

And by the end of the day?

All three had decided they wanted to become dog trainers and are looking forward to completing the Full Dog Trainer Certificate Programme.🎉🐾

Changing career is a big decision. And becoming a dog trainer can sound wonderful — working with dogs, being outdoors, doing something you genuinely enjoy — but it's difficult to know whether the reality will actually suit you until you get a chance to experience some of it.

That's exactly why we run these days.

The NDTA Dog Trainer Experience Days are all about finding out what being a dog trainer is really like. Get a feel for what's involved, try it yourself. Do it just for the experience or because you wonder if being a dog trainer is for you.

So, if you are sitting wondering if you could become a dog trainer, why not check out or Dog Trainer Experience Days.

If that's you — or perhaps someone you know — DM me “Experience” and I'll send you the details of our next Be a Dog Trainer Experience Day.

01/09/2026

Last Week at The NDTA 🐾

Dog training isn't all about Sit. Stay. Walk to Heel.

Alongside our regular classes, Puppy Training, Pet Gundog, Nosework and Low Impact Agility, we've been doing some of the other things that are part of everyday training at The NDTA.

🐾 Practising that potentially life-saving STOP command, which we start teaching in puppy class.

🐾 Teaching simple activities such as spins, twists and backwards walking — fun things to teach, but they also get our dogs thinking, concentrating and paying attention to us.

🐾 Presenting our regular awards and celebrating what dogs and handlers have achieved.

☕ And sometimes... having a coffee together!

All of these activities (except the coffee of course) 😂 help to build focus.
Great mental stimulation while you and your dog enjoy working together.

Giving dogs interesting things to do. And helping them learn to respond to their owners even when there are other things going on around them.

Good dog training isn't just about teaching a list of commands to your dog - although that of course is vital to every day life. But that's not the be all and end all.

It's about you being interesting enough for your dog to want to take notice, despite everything else going on around

Dogs. People. Progress. 🐾

Want to find out more about training at The NDTA? DM me “Info”.

01/09/2026

A look at some of the things from last week.

Congratulations to our Combi Intensive Attenders - thank you.
Well done to all Grading achievers and those who got stickers last week.
Amazing work to the dog and handler of the month nominees.

So much goes on every week in classes. We do our best to capture snippets of various things and we love the videos and pictures you send us from your 'homework' so do please send us anything you have to share.

You can post on here, send them by whatsapp or both.

Thank you for being part of our community. 😊

Does your dog only get to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? 🎹🐾Imagine you — or someone you know — is an amazingly talen...
30/08/2026

Does your dog only get to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? 🎹🐾

Imagine you — or someone you know — is an amazingly talented pianist.

But every single day, the only thing you're allowed to play is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Imagine how frustrating and boring that would become.

Your dog's nose is an extraordinary tool. Yet for many dogs, the only opportunity they really get to use it is sniffing around the same places on their daily walk.

But your dog's nose is capable of so much more.

Using their nose with purpose isn't simply a fun activity. It can play an important part in a dog's behaviour and wellbeing too.

For a dog that's worried or nervous, nosework can give them something they understand and can concentrate on. It can provide comfort, help build confidence and give them a way of engaging with the world without asking too much of them.

For other dogs, it gives that incredibly powerful nose a job to do.

And that's the bit we sometimes forget.

We spend a lot of time teaching dogs what we want them to do.

Sometimes we need to give them opportunities to do the things they were designed to do.

You don't need specialist equipment or acres of land either. There are loads of simple ways you can put that nose to work at home and out on your walks.

Want to find out more about how your dog's nose really works — and get some fun nosework ideas to try with your own dog?

DM me 'Noses' and I'll send you the details. 🐾

25/08/2026

Last Week 🐾

One of the things we love about training at The NDTA is that every week is different.

Last week we ran an intensive evening and incorporated our own NDTA Rally O course as a fun way of helping dogs and handlers build focus. It worked so well that we continued using some of the exercises in classes throughout the week.

And we've had so many people doing their 'Round the Marker' homework! 👏 We love seeing videos of dogs and handlers practising out on their walks and taking what they've learned in class into everyday life.

There have been Gradings, Puppy Classes, Pet Gundog Classes and plenty of Dog & Handler of the Month awards too.

We give certificates for all sorts of things at The NDTA — completing courses and gradings, certainly, but also recognising progress, effort and partnerships that deserve a bit of a celebration.

New skills. New challenges. New things to try. And plenty of reasons to celebrate what you and your dog achieve together.

Dogs. People. Progress. 🐾

Want to find out more? DM me 'Info'

Do you sometimes wonder if you could be a dog trainer? 🐾If you've ever wondered what it's actually like to be a dog trai...
23/08/2026

Do you sometimes wonder if you could be a dog trainer? 🐾

If you've ever wondered what it's actually like to be a dog trainer — and whether it might be for you — we've created a new free Online Dog Trainer Career Check.

It takes just a few minutes and puts you into some of the situations you might actually face as a dog trainer — from working with puppies and their owners to deciding what you'd do when things don't quite go to plan.

It's simply here for anyone who's ever thought, “I wonder if I could be a dog trainer?”

Give it a go. Have a bit of fun with it and see what your result says.

🐾 Could You Be a Dog Trainer?

Try the free Career Check here:
https://bit.ly/DTcareer-check

23/08/2026

Puppy classes are fun! 🐶

Plenty of learning, plenty of laughter — but always with serious intent.

Our puppy classes are about helping you and your puppy build the skills you'll actually need out in the real world.

We train outdoors, work with real-life distractions and help you learn how to get the best from your puppy.

Ready to get started?

👉 Find out more and book your puppy training classes here:
thenationaldogtrainingacademy.co.uk/puppy-training-classes/

18/08/2026

Another busy week — and plenty to celebrate!

Some of our puppies reached Week 4, which means they received their own personalised Puppy Tool Kits. Each bag has the puppy's name on it and is designed to carry all the training kit they'll need as they continue learning. 🐶

At the other end of the course, we had puppy graduations! Our graduates went home with their rosette and certificate — and, of course, a party bag to celebrate. 🎓🏵️

There was another Pet Gundog award, and two dogs and their handlers completed their Boot Camp course and collected their certificates. 🏆

We also received a lovely video of one of our dogs doing their homework in the garden at home.

Classes aren't just about what you and your dog do while you're with us. They're about helping you work together as a partnership all week long.

Dogs. People. Progress. 🐾

16/08/2026

🐾 Professor Fido's Puppy Bulletin

This week's topic: Toilet Training! 💩

Bringing home a new puppy is exciting. Discovering another little puddle on the floor at 6am... perhaps slightly less so. 😂

Toilet training takes time, consistency and, most importantly, helping your puppy understand what you actually want them to do.

Consistency is key. Taking puppy out regularly - every 1 - 2 hours.

No free wandering in the home wtihout supervision.

Professor Fido has a few thoughts on the subject. 🎓🐶

For more help with toilet training — and all those other questions that come with raising a puppy — visit The NDTA Puppy Training Hub:

https://www.thenationaldogtrainingacademy.co.uk/puppy-training/

Dogs. People. Progress.

A lovely fun evening with some of our Pet Gundogs and Two visiting dogs from Dorking. 🦆This week saw our annual Pet Gund...
16/08/2026

A lovely fun evening with some of our Pet Gundogs and Two visiting dogs from Dorking. 🦆

This week saw our annual Pet Gundog fun scurry— with retrieve challenges and our highly sophisticated NDTA duck pond, and of course cake.

Yes. Those are rubber ducks in a paddling pool. And they all survived, unscathed.😂

These evenings are all about putting those Pet Gundog skills to use, trying something a little different and, most importantly, having a good time with your dog.

A brilliant evening with a lovely group of dogs and handlers — and congratulations to our three medal winners! 🏅🐾 Thank you to everyone who came along.

Building stronger bonds — and occasionally retrieving rubber ducks. 🦆

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

Website

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