Top 5 Dog Trainers in Reading Town Centre

I reached out to Holistic Hounds in a panic over my dog Wilbur's changing behaviour. I chose to book with Nathan as a free assessment and was immediately confident in his skills. He went into training mode straight away and and quickly spotted both mine and Wilbur's issues. He gave expert knowledge and instructions in a brilliant way, making sure I was on board and completely understood. He did this consistently in every session. In 6 sessions, both at home and elsewhere his professionalism was something to be applauded. Wilbur is a much more confident and happy dog and the families relationship has been repaired. We all jave the confidence to deal with his quirks without panic. I cannot recommend Holistic Hounds enough and have given their information to many people asking for a trainer. Every trainer I met was just lovely. If you are nervous about dog training, or intimidated by the idea pleas go for it with Holistic Hounds. You will not be disappointed.

We have just finished our 6 sessions with Jess, and cannot recommend both Jess and the entire HH team enough. Our dog has grown in confidence; but more importantly so have we! I have learnt so much but I have also massively enjoyed learning and building our relationship together. We will definitely be continuing our training with Jess and the team. My only regret is not working with them earlier!

We've had phenomenal support from the wonderful Jess at Holistic Hounds - she's a great teacher who is positive and encouraging, and our anxious rescue dog's progress has been unbelievable. Holistic Hounds love dogs but you also feel they're rooting for you as an owner which doesn't happen with every trainer out there. They have such an innovative range of support and activities, 1:1, small and large groups - they think of everything and you feel welcomed. It can be tough having a dog who needs training support, and you get a lot of judgement, but all the staff are really empowering and working with them has truly transformed our lives - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

My dog Winnie and I had a wonderful experience training with Holistic Hounds. I fostered (and then adopted) my first dog, Winnie, in 2024. I decided to reach out to Nathan for an assessment. And during this, he quickly understood that Winnie’s reactivity was partially due to a general lack of training, and recommended ways I could work with him. This was very impressive to me - he was so knowledgeable and experienced. And when it would have been easy to label Winnie as a reactive dog and address that alone, he looked into the root causes, with the resulting programme much more tailored, and effective. This led to me learning how to use a much wider range of tools, based on the situation and behaviour. In the six sessions I had with Nathan, there were several things that stood out. From the start, he made it clear that a major focus was going to be on the relationship, not Winnie alone, which helped me to understand exactly what I needed to do to help her through the problem. Like many people with a reactive dog, I wasn’t aware of some of the things I was doing to make Winnie’s behaviour worse - even when I thought I was being helpful. Nathan was able to show me this in a clear way; helping me to learn not only about techniques and behaviours, but the principles of canine and human psychology underneath them. This really set me up to make progress with Winnie, not only during our sessions, but for the long-term, too. And as a first time dog owner, has been invaluable for caring for Winnie, and understanding dogs, generally. Throughout, it was clear that Nathan was always attentive to Winnie’s behaviour, and my responses; so he was able to use his knowledge to recommend custom approaches - a wide toolkit of options. Though always polite and respectful, he was direct and honest, which I appreciated as it meant I could use the time we had most effectively. His service was genuinely Holistic - understanding Winnie, her history, her relationship with me, and setting realistic expectations, without dampening down what I hoped to achieve. Nathan’s communication was excellent - he always explained (sometimes complicated) ideas and practices clearly, used really effective metaphors and analogies, and ensured I understood and had applied everything before we moved onto the next stage. Nathan’s own dogs were absolutely invaluable to Winnie’s training as well. The opportunity to spend time up close with them, and to expose her to different dogs and behaviours, really helped her to become used to dogs and see them as nonthreatening. Nathan very helpfully balanced consistency with exposure here - bringing some dogs consistently, and others occasionally, to make sure that Winnie’s progress was not simply a case of her becoming familiar with a single dog. As a result of this, Winnie has gone from reliably screaming, and lunging, at other dogs, to ignoring them, and in some cases even walking closely beside them (with no issues). This has improved our walks exponentially - she’s less stressed, I’m less anxious, knowing she’s adapted to other dogs. And if she’s ever reactive again, I know how to handle it. I can’t thank Nathan and the Holistic Hounds team enough for this, and I’m so grateful for their support, and how they empowered me to continue with Winnie’s progress after the sessions ended. I’d also like to mention just how easy and convenient it is to arrange appointments, and to work with them generally. Sally replied to emails very rapidly, politely, and proactively, and the whole thing was seamless. I will definitely be continuing with Holistic Hounds - through their group walks and other training options - and would recommend anyone who needs support or training with their dog to work with them. Henri and Winnie

When we first called Nathan we were in despair - completely out of our depth. Our (rescue) dogs had just about every issue you can think of, along with some that only a trainer would spot. Slowly but surely Nathan and his team have been chipping away at their problems over the last couple of years, and there has been immeasurable improvement. Our dogs are still by no means perfect but they are now pretty much normal dogs. The off-lead group walks are our favourite. We thought we'd never get to the point where we would be able to do these, but now we're not only doing them, we're smashing it! Thank you Holistic Hounds - amazing job.

We had our first session with Rob last night after being at our wits end with our Border collie who after being attacked by another dog is dog and people aggressive. We have had two previous trainers who had not addressed any of the issues. we have many issues to sort out with our dog, but even just after our first session, we feel very hopefully and have faith in Rob. He put us at ease and explained every step of why he was doing what he was doing and the plan ahead. Can’t wait to see the results so we can enjoy our collie again.

Rob was amazing. Over the years we'd bounced between other trainers looking for support for our Labrador. Within just a few sessions Rob and the team had given us the techniques to really make a life changing difference. Rob's no-nonsense style cut through all the counterproductive advice we'd been given before and helped us give clearer, consistent leadership to our dog - which has given her more confidence. Rob was able to expose our dog to a range of other dogs in a controlled environment which was a game changer for our confidence.

If you’re looking for a dog trainer, stop your search here - you’ve found the right one. Rob’s knowledge and instinct when it comes to dogs is honestly next level. Before working with Rob, we’d spent months with two other trainers and saw very little progress. Then we met Rob, and within five minutes of our first session, we saw real change. Our dog went from constantly pulling on the lead and reacting to other dogs or people, to calmly walking at heel all times during that initial assessment. After just seven weeks of working with Rob, we don’t even need a lead anymore. It’s hard to overstate how much of a transformation we’ve seen. We had only initially intended on seeing him for the lead pulling and dog reactivity but we now have no issues whatsoever with anything you could think of, we now say we have the best trained dog we know!(other than robs of course😅) Another great thing about working with Rob is he actually uses his own dogs as required for training things like reactivity, socialising etc which is so beneficial! Rather than relying on finding unpredictable dogs at parks like we did with our previous dog trainers, we felt so much more confident as we knew he had full control of his dogs at all times. The sessions might seem a bit pricey at first, but it ends up being worth every penny when you see how quickly and completely your dog improves. Rob also has a deep understanding of dog nutrition, and the facility stocks high-quality food and treats, which makes things super convenient. He and his team have made the whole experience of having a dog so much more rewarding. We really can’t thank them enough. Luke, Chloe & Simba

Rob & Tim are wizards with doggies!

Contacted Kim as our dog had become a bit unsettled since moving to a new area. We started seeing the benefits from Kim's advice right away.

I spoke to Kim to get some advice to help with my Jack Russel barking. She gave me some amazing advice and already after his first walk it has made a difference. Would recommend Kim to anyone

Kim was 10/10. Even from the first phone call, we got fantastic support. Kim was straight forward and clear about what the issues were at home with our cockapoo, Lexi. Kim came to our house and shared so much insight into how to manage Lexi’s anxiety and to set boundaries. Her strategies were a game changer for us. Kim is always around for advice too. Thank you, Kim!

This lady sure knows her stuff about dogs ...Great help to us ..Highly recommend.

Kim did an amazing job via a phone consultation helping us transform our dogs who had turned on each other - so grateful for her restoring the peace!

I cannot praise Emma and all her team highly enough. Agnes absolutely loves going to Bluejay and socialising with all her pals. Everyone takes such good care of her and are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that if needed arrangements for her daycare can be amended even at short notice. They all do a fantastic job and clearly love dogs which at the end of the day is what it should all be about. Well done 'Team Emma' and keep doing what you do as Agnes for sure would be lost without you. ❤️

We absolutely love using Bluejay dog wellness for our springador Fergus! We get told about his day and get photos sent to us. We’ve needed Bluejay in emergencies and they always managed to squeeze Fergus in or when we have booked in last minute. We use it for mainly dog walking and every time our dog comes home and is very sleepy and we know he has had a good day. All the staff are friendly and professional. Would recommend this place to anyone. Thank you!!

My dog loves going to Bluejays! The other dogs are very friendly, and Emma was very careful to introduce my dog to the others, in a way that made her feel safe and confident. There are lots of activities to occupy the dogs and the also have field runs. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming. It's a great place for dogs.

Bella absolutely loves her days at Bluejay! She pegs it from the car to the front door in the mornings and is so excited to be let through the hatch to see her friends. Emma and all of the staff are super friendly and welcoming and we feel really confident that our pup is well looked after with them. So glad we found Bluejay!

Emma and the team at bluejay are brilliant! They go out there way to help, especially when we have busy schedules and changing plans. Our Staffy absolutely loves her weekly walk. The team take great care to find a good group for each dogs temperament - allowing them to enjoy a suitable play group that maximises the experience for them :)