K9 Training Academy provides reward-based training for adult pet and working dogs, with training tailored to the individual dog, handler and their goals. Our approach combines practical training with the guidance and handling skills you need to continue making progress.
Format
One-to-one or group
Sessions
Day or evening
Venue
Indoors & Outdoors
Adult dog training
Build greater control, confidence and responsiveness
Adult dog training isn’t simply about teaching a dog to sit or walk to heel. It’s about developing a dog that remains responsive to you in everyday situations, including when there are other dogs, people and distractions around.
We welcome owners of adult pet and working dogs from Didcot, Abingdon, Wantage, Oxford, Wallingford and the surrounding areas, whether your dog needs to establish the basics, improve existing training or progress towards more advanced skills.
Through practical exercises designed for real-life situations, we help build greater control, confidence and communication between you and your dog.
Our approach
Training that progresses with you and your dog
Every dog comes to us with a different level of training, and not every owner wants the same thing from their dog. You don’t need to start at a particular standard or have plans to compete.
We work from the skills your dog already has, shaping training around your priorities and your dog’s abilities rather than expecting every dog and handler to follow the same route. Using reward-based methods, we develop increasingly dependable responses that you can continue reinforcing between sessions and at home.
Build reliable responses
Develop obedience that remains dependable as the level of distraction and difficulty increases.
Improve handler communication
Learn how your timing, cues, rewards and handling influence your dog’s response.
Progress at the right level
Exercises are adapted to the ability of dog and handler, allowing training to become more challenging as you progress.
What your dog can learn
Practical skills from everyday obedience to advanced training
Adult obedience training covers considerably more than basic commands. The skills you work on will depend on your dog’s current level and the course you are attending, with Juvenile & Novice training establishing the foundations and Adult & Advanced training developing greater control, accuracy and reliability.
Across the different levels, training can include:
Recall & whistle training
Developing a dependable recall, including responses around other dogs and distractions.
Heelwork
Developing controlled, responsive heelwork and maintaining your dog’s attention while moving together.
Wait & stay
Developing patience, self-control and the ability to wait when asked in everyday situations.
Loose-lead & off-lead walking
Helping your dog walk calmly and remain responsive to you both on and off the lead.
Impulse control & steadiness
Teaching your dog to remain controlled rather than immediately responding to excitement or distractions.
Stop & directional control
Developing control at a distance, including stopping and responding to directional cues.
Retrieve
Building from straightforward retrieves to retrieving specific items and more demanding retrieve work.
Send-away & redirection
Teaching your dog to work away from you while continuing to respond to your instructions.
Training levels
Build on the skills your dog already has
Our obedience training provides different levels for dogs and handlers, allowing you to start with strong foundations and build towards more demanding exercises and greater control.
Juvenile & Novice
Develop strong foundations in responsiveness, control and everyday obedience, with exercises including recall and whistle training, off-lead walking, retrieve, send-away and redirection. Training at this level can also lay the foundations for other activities, including agility, scent detection and gun dog training, giving you and your dog the opportunity to progress into more specialised training later.
Adult & Advanced
Build greater accuracy, control and reliability through more demanding exercises, including reliable stops, recall around distractions, advanced heelwork, directional control and retrieving specific items. Training challenges both dog and handler while developing the communication and handling needed for more advanced work.
One-to-one & group training
Choose the training format that suits you both
Adult dog training is available one-to-one or in small groups, with flexible daytime and evening sessions to make training easier to fit around you.
The right format depends on your dog, your experience and what you want to work on. Some owners prefer individual tuition, while others enjoy developing their dog’s skills alongside other dogs and handlers.
Whichever route you take, you’ll learn practical techniques you can continue using between sessions and in everyday situations.
Our facilities
Train in an environment built for real-world behaviour
Our secure indoor and outdoor training areas give us room to develop exercises beyond what is practical in a conventional village hall.
The fully enclosed outdoor areas allow dogs to practise skills such as off-lead walking and recall safely, while the indoor soft-surface training area means training can continue throughout the year.
The facilities are also available for individuals and groups to hire for focused practice, safe off-lead walking and play.
Good Citizen training
Royal Kennel Club Bronze, Silver & Gold
Our obedience training incorporates the skills needed for the Royal Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme, and we provide training towards Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.
Open to all dogs, whether Royal Kennel Club registered or not, the scheme provides recognised standards of achievement in practical dog training, progressing from basic control at Bronze through to increasingly advanced skills at Silver and Gold.
You can work towards the awards as part of your training, but there is no pressure to do so if qualifications aren’t what you want from your dog. Training is about developing skills that are useful and enjoyable for you and your dog.
Further Training
Take your training in a different direction
If you and your dog enjoy training together, there are plenty of opportunities to explore other activities. K9 Training Academy also offers dedicated training in scent detection, man tracking and trailing, and agility, with specialist courses for dogs and handlers who want to take their training in a different direction.
Scent detection & Man tracking & trailing
Develop your dog’s natural scenting ability through specialist training, from searching for and identifying specific scents to following the trail of a particular person.
Agility
Develop fitness, focus and teamwork while learning to negotiate jumps, tunnels, weave poles and other agility equipment.
Next Step
Ready to progress your dog’s training?
Contact Martin or Belinda to tell us a little about your dog, any training you’ve already done and what you would like to achieve. We’ll answer your questions and help you choose the right training for you and your dog.