South Shields dog trainer’s delight as they are recognised with a national award
A South Shields dog trainer has picked up a national award.
Nathan Leighton, the owner of South Shields-based The Dog Trainer, has been named as the UK Ethical Dog Trainer and Behaviourist of the Year Award at the Pet Products & Services Awards 2026.
Having been a dog trainer since 2017 and worked with canines for the last 13 years, it is the ninth award that Nathan has picked up - including two regional training and behaviourist awards.
Nathan has given an insight into how winning the award came about and thanked the company’s clients for trusting them to help train their dogs.
He said: “I’ve won the North East Ethical Dog Trainer and Behaviourist of the Year Award a couple of times and this is the ninth time that I’ve won something.
“In order to win the award, I had to tell the judges what I do, who I help and what impact I have on my clients and then they decide a winner from there.
“It feels really good to be recognised in this way and it is nice to see that you are making a difference to people’s lives.
“Since we announced that we’ve won, there has been a lot of congratulations and support from clients - it has been really good to see all the messages.
“I can’t thank my clients enough for all their support and for trusting us to put in all the hard work with their dogs.”
You can find out more about The Dog Trainer by visiting: https://www.southshieldsdogtrainer.co.uk/.
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