Kangal Dog Trainer UK

03/07/2025

Can we all just STOP yanking our dogs around their necks whenever they bark at another dog?
And can you especially stop with the yanking if you are walking your dog in a Slip-Lead / a Head Collar / Choke Chain ..... But mostly, just stop doing it altogether no matter what collar your dog is wearing!

Your dog isn't being naughty when he barks at other dogs.
He doesn't need you to 'tell him off'
And he most definitely does not need you to give him a yank around his throat ....

Don't you absolutely love this little dog of yours to pieces?? Isn't he your best mate? So, why are you hurting him when he tries to tell you something?
He barks at other dogs because he is worried or scared or anxious or fearful or over excited or for a dozen other reasons but he most definitely is not ... 100% .... Barking because he is naughty so please just stop telling him off, shouting at him to 'shut up, that's enough!' and for the love of Dog, STOP with the yanking!!

www.KangalDogTrainerUK.co.uk

29/06/2025

SIT .... DOWN .... STAY .... LOOK AT ME ....

Are just a few of the things that I *DO NOT* teach.

I do not teach Obedience Training.

Of all the things that a dog needs help with when they come to me it is not Obedience Training.

I don't do much "training" at all really.

A decent Dog Trainer will be able to teach your dog how to do a brand new behaviour, one that he doesn't yet already know ... Like a SIT or a DOWN ....

A decent Behaviourist will be able to teach your dog how to stop doing a pre existing behaviour which is already there .... Like aggression or reactivity.

That's what I do.

Mostly reactivity & aggression but any behaviour which is already there which the owners usually consider to be undesirable and so they need help.

I do not suppress behaviour.
I do not teach you how to stop the behaviour once your dog is already doing it but, instead, I change the emotional response in your dog so that he doesn't feel the need to do the behaviour in the first place.
I do not use punishment or force.
I do not use intimidation or fear.
Just kind, positive, ethical, Behaviour Modification.

By the time a client books a lesson with me they often have a long list of things they need help with and nowhere within that List is "Oh, I wish he did a better SIT & STAY!"

Your reacive or aggressive dog does not need more Obedience Training - that won't help!

And while I'm on the Subject - I don't give "commands" either.
What a horrible word!
The notion of "commanding" my dog to "abide" me is not something I'm interested in.

No commands. No obedience.

Just actual Behaviour Modification.

www.KangalDogTrainerUK.co.uk

22/06/2025

MEET YOUR TRAINER

My name is Tracy and I rescued my very first Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Kara, in 2010. She was 4 years old when I adopted her and she was absolutely adorable. So full of love, she adored everyone she ever met and would stand for ages whilst total strangers fussed her & told her how beautiful she is. It all changed whenever she saw another dog in the street, though. She really didn’t like other dogs and would bark, lunge, do somersaults at the end of the lead. I wasn’t a Professional Dog Trainer back then and I needed help so, I signed her up for Dog Training Classes and sought advice from a One-2-One Dog Trainer.
I was horrified! Unfortunately, I didn’t know any better back then and so I listened to these so called “professionals” after all, they must know what they’re talking about …..
I was asked to fill an empty bottle with water and to spray Kara in the face every time she barked at another dog. I was told to put a Choke Chain around her neck and to walk her on the choker because “these large, powerful breeds need to learn who is in charge” That didn’t sound right to me. Kara was an absolute Love-Bug, she was the sweetest soul and I really wasn’t happy to treat her that way. “You need to raise your voice more, you’re too soft with her” I was told.
I’m disgusted with myself that I bought a can of Pet Corrector Spray and sprayed it at her when she growled at dogs …. My precious, beautiful girl being silenced every time she tried communicating. I should be listening to her worries NOT punishing her.
I decided to do my own research and found that there were other Dog Trainers out there who do not treat dogs like this in order to train them. I joined Forums, watched videos, signed up for Courses, attended Seminars and I never squirted Kara with water ever again. Before long, she was able to walk off-lead over the park and she learnt to just ignore other dogs & walk on by rather than snap & growl at them all.
Six years later, I decided to put all of my learning to the test and I became an Accredited Behaviour Consultant with the IMDTB who have the most amazing ethics with regards to dog training and met my ethos perfectly. Now, I have over 50 Certificates for various Courses I have completed & Seminars I have attended.

In amongst all of that, a short while after I’d adopted Kara and having seen the plight of so many Turkish Kangals & Anatolian Shepherd Dogs who were being abandoned in the UK I set up KARAS Rescue, which wasn’t named after Kara, it was just that, coincidentally, the letters KARAS stand for Kangal & Anatolian Rescue And Support. We are a small, independent Rescue which relies solely on public donations to operate and we have now, accidently (as in, not intentionally!) become the breed-specific Rescue which helps the “difficult” dogs - the ones that no one else would take. The ones who need help. The biters - a lot of our dogs have a bite-history and we are incredibly proud of our Rehabilitation Programme to help these dogs and go on to find them their Forever Homes.
The most severe, aggressive cases have remained with me and I have adopted some very stroppy Turkish Kangals & Anatolian Shepherds over the years - some with horrendous bite histories but one thing has always remained the same throughout - not one of them has ever been a “horrible dog” or “so naughty” but all of them have been misunderstood. All of them have been the most amazing & beautiful dogs that just needed someone to help them instead of punish them.

And that is what I do.

I help dogs - Mostly Livestock Guardian Dogs who are struggling with living in pet homes and I help their owners.

No squirting your dog with water or spraying with a can of Pet Corrector.
No shouting or trying to "be firm".
No choke collars, no slip leads, no prong collars.

Just actual training. ACTUAL Behaviour Modification to help your Livestock Guardian Dog to actually feel better about things because if he FEELS differently then he'll BEHAVE differently

https://www.kangaldogtraineruk.co.uk/booking

18/06/2025

It's a bit like getting a Ferrari and then standing there, scratching your head in disbelief, saying, "Oh, so it's quite fast then, isn't it?"
What did you expect when you bought the Ferrari??? Of course it is going to go fast .... It's a Ferrari!!

The same thing applies to your dog breeds.

A Labrador Retriever has a *NEED* to proudly parade around, carrying things in it's mouth and bringing them to their owner. The clue is in the title .... a Retriever is gonna "retrieve" so don't be shocked when they grab your slippers because that was the nearest thing available to them at the time.

Your Collie has a *NEED* to herd up the sheep. To keep everyone together. Your Collie is naturally motivated by movement and NEEDS to round things up so don't be surprised that he chases the children (sheep!!) when they run around or when cars (more sheep!) go past. That Collie brain instinctively kicks in and needs to keep all of the sheep together... And he may get incredibly frustrated when his needs are not being met. Or worse still, he is being punished & told off just for trying to be a good Collie.

Own a Terrier?? Well don't be surprised if they dig up your garden trying to find things to chase & catch ..... You do know what a Terrier was originally bred for, right??

And what about the mixed breeds? You need to consider TWO sets of behaviours.... The "Cocker" part (Cocker Spaniel) & the "Poo" part (Poodle) What were both of these breeds originally bred for and are you able to meet those needs? Because neither breed was originally bred to "look like a cute Teddy Bear" yet that is the reason people give as to why they want one ....

I choose to share my life with Livestock Guardian Breeds. These dogs have a NEED to observe. To sit. To watch. To scan the horizon. "Who goes there?" To process their environment. "Friend or enemy in the distance??" To download this information.
Livestock Guardians are not the same as Guard Dogs. It's a completely different *NEED* being met when an LGD is "working"

A Kangal has little desire to carry your slippers around or to chase cars and they have no interest in looking like a teddy bear however, a Kangal will likely get a lot of pleasure from just being a Kangal & doing normal Kangal behaviours.

Look at his little nose working away here. Taking in all of those scents from up ahead. Processing his environment. Ears alert. Eyes watching.
He most definitely is not "being stubborn" because he refuses to walk but instead he is "being a damn good Kangal & doing what he needs to do"

Don't get yourself a Kangal if you're not prepared for or willing to work with this behaviour should it show itself.
And if your Kangal has behaviour issues (anxious, fearful, barking & lunging at people or dogs etc) then it's possible (not always but a possibility) that he's not being given enough opportunity to "Kangal" and he is living with so much frustration that his behaviour is affected in other ways.

KANGALING creates calm, happy, relaxed, feel-good feelings.

Allow it 💕

Book your free 15 minutes phone call here:
https://www.kangaldogtraineruk.co.uk/booking

16/06/2025

08/06/2025

Reactive Dogs - A poem from your Kangal

My human grabs my treats, my harness, & my lead.
We're off for a walk - so many pee-mails to read!

I'm a little excited and I start to pull ahead.
Stretching my legs before heading back to bed.

Leaving the house should be so much fun.
But I'm always so suspicious of every one.

The people we see will have dogs of their own.
And I just know that my human will moan.

I want to be good - I wish I wasn't scared.
I wish my human helped me & showed me she cared.

I see a dog ahead of me and my bark starts to explode.
Boiling & bubbling from right across the road.

I'm not being naughty. I can't help feeling this way.
But my human will shout at me, "Be quiet & STAY!!"

I can't do a "stay" when I'm so engulfed with fear.
I must bark loudly and make sure he can hear!

The dog is getting closer and I can't move away.
I know what is coming if I dare to disobey ....

A yank on my lead & a tug on my neck.
A scream in my face - I'm a nervous wreck!

If only my human could understand why.
I'm not the kind of dog that wants to say, "HI"

I don't HAVE to be friends with all the dogs we meet.
And if I'm perfectly honest, I'd rather not greet!

Just move me away and give me some space.
I don't want these dogs running into my face.

And if you don't listen, you'll leave me no choice,
but to lunge & bark & use my voice.

Move me away and I'll start to feel better.
Give me some training - I'll follow it to the letter.

You see, once I'm already in that terrible state.
Its almost impossible to learn or to concentrate.

But if we start wide my brain will relax.
And my emotions will no longer be pushed to the max.

Please help me, human. I want to enjoy,
going for walks & be your best boy.

I can't do it without you and I need your help.
Train me with kindness - don't make me yelp.

Maybe tomorrow we could have a day at home?
No stress for you - and I'll just nibble my bone!

I know you can help me - we're a team, you & me.
Now, pick up my p**p and lets go home for tea!

Signed,
Your reactive Kangal xx

08/06/2025

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT:

When you're 5 years old and you're just starting to learn new things there's a couple of things that humans do to help set you up to succeed.

1) Your teachers don't take you to a Theme Park to learn your spellings or your times-tables for the first time. That environment would be totally wrong. It would be far too overwhelming and you would struggle to concentrate. It's unlikely that any learning would take place in that kind of environment. Maybe, when you're older & have practiced your spellings a TON of times you may be able to succeed & achieve the task even if you were being thrown upside down whilst being soaked with water but during those crucial, early learning experiences the environment HAS to be right ….

2) When you start spelling the word ‘CAT’ for the very first time you really need (& appreciate) a LOT of reinforcement …. You need the teacher to give you a star or to write "well done" when you've done a good job. Its all positive reinforcement & nice feedback to get from the Teacher as it tells you, you are doing things right.

When you're older and at University you really don't need your teacher to give you a star for spelling the word CAT. You're able to achieve more difficult tasks now and you can spell much longer words. You can even string a sentence of words together / explain their meaning / and all sorts of other things - you're more advanced now!

Moral of the story:

Do not be surprised if your Kangal stops listening to you if you stop the payments. A verbal "good dog" is rarely an appropriate payment. Give plenty of positive reinforcement. Be a fabulous Teacher. Make a real effort to let your dog know when they are doing a good job - they will be more likely to repeat that behaviour again in the future if there is a history of a good reward. Plus, he'll be more likely to succeed on to an advanced level if the learning is rewarding.

Positive Reinforcement works

NOTE - The best reinforcement for the majority of LGDs is to be allowed to sit / to watch / to observe / to catch the scents blowing in / to download & process the information …… Far better than any piece of hot dog!

https://www.kangaldogtraineruk.co.uk/blog/positive-reinforcement-works-even-for-livestock-guardian-dogs