Kangal Dog Trainer UK

09/03/2025

Why is it not OK?

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

04/03/2025

Just stoppit!!
😁

02/03/2025

We specialise in aggression cases & reactivity but we can help with any training & behaviour issues you are facing.
Our Telephone Consultations or online Video Calls are just as in depth as the in-person sessions.
I don't need to see your dog barking to know how to help him - I've already seen hundreds of dogs barking & I already know what that looks like.
My in-depth Behaviour Assessment Form which you'll complete ahead of our session will give me all the information I need in order to be able to help.

So, grab a coffee. Leave your dog sleeping his bed. And we can chat through your issues. Stress free.

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

26/02/2025

Hunter had been "Kangaling" and I had wanted to do another post about it so, I started filming him but then Hunter spotted a guy & his dog so we just went with it and carried on filming ....

Here's the thing:

Hunter didn't like to be fussed in the early days. He'd approach people but would then often bark right at them, lunging, and very clearly telling you to back off.

It had been my goal to help him to feel relaxed around people but mostly, it was my goal to show him that he had a choice and that *HE* could make his own decisions.

So, over the months, we took it upon ourselves to just linger whenever he wanted to. We'd stop, mid walk whenever he felt the need to. We'd turn around if he wanted to. He was ALWAYS given the opportunity to weigh up his environment.... To suss it out .... To take in the scent blowing in the wind ...To watch from afar .... To approach a little, if he wanted to or to turn around and avoid if he'd chose to.

We slowed everything down for him.
This gave me the opportunity to really start to read his body language. It became so clear. He really started communicating with me and I was really able to understand him.
He began to trust me .... He'd tell me he was unsure of something and I'd say "OK, mate, let's go this way then"
He never had to resort to barking & lunging at people.
He became so chilled on his walks. He relaxed. His gait & his movements changed as he started to walk with less tension.

And then, over the months as he started to realise that HE had a choice (not ME forcing things on him) he began enjoying interactions with people.
He'd never met the gentleman in this video before but just look at his happy, loose, goofy body language around him.

Hunter has always been perfect with other dogs and I'd usually let him greet but this man had said that his dog wouldn't want to say hi. Plus, I spotted that the dog had a ball in its mouth and many dogs could resource guard their toys so I'd not put Hunter into that position but you can see that he'd really like to have said hi to the dog, too.

For help with your reactive Kangal contact:
www.KangalDogTrainerUK.co.uk

23/02/2025

My dog is aggressive

Or:

🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that other dogs may hurt him so he snaps & lunges at them if they get too close.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that the stranger entering my home is a threat so he warns them off with a menacing bark.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that I'm going to take his bone / chew / toy / any other random object away from him so he snaps at me whenever I get too close.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that I'll ask him to get down from the sofa or off of the bed when he is comfy so he tries to bite me whenever I move him.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that I'm going to make him come back inside when he just wants to stay out in the garden so he snaps at me when I reach for his collar.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED of the nail clippers and doesn't like having his nails clipped so he growls at me when I try to cut his nails.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED that it will hurt him when I try to lift him into the car because he is in pain so he snaps at me.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED when I accidentally wake him up from a sleep as I walk past him so he lunges at me.
🐾My dog is FRIGHTENED when there is a commotion going on and I try to help him but he accidentally redirects his frustration towards me and I get bitten

What's REALLY going on with your dog??
And what is the real issue that you need to work on?

Growling / snapping / baring teeth / lunging are not "behaviours" that need fixing .... They are communication.
It's your dog trying to tell you that he is worried about something.
The bite comes when you ignore your dogs communications.

www.KangalDogTrainerUK.co.uk

17/02/2025

16/02/2025

"I blame the owner"
Or
"Its not the dogs fault"
Or
"There's no such thing as bad dogs just bad owners"

How many times do you hear these most ridiculous words??

Thing is, there are MILLIONS of wonderful dog owners out there who have done absolutely NOTHING wrong and yet they still have "difficult" dogs.

Owners who bought a puppy & took him to Puppy Classes. Owners that adopted a Rescue dog. They trained him. They socialised him. They walked him. They played with him. They cuddled him. They fed him good food. They loved him. They did everything right and yet, suddenly, one day, from out of nowhere, their adorable, lovable, playful dog attacks another dog over the park...... What on earth just happened?? Where did that come from? What caused this beautiful dog to suddenly hurt another dog?
A photograph of you & your dog is plastered all over Social Media with everyone commenting about how irresponsible the owner is and that the dog needs to be muzzled.
Well, yes, now that we know that this dog causes harm to others he should be muzzled but to blame the owner for that behaviour is just so unfair.
Most dog owners I work with are completely devastated that their dog has turned "aggressive" towards others. They are heartbroken. Confused. Beating themselves up, wracking their brains trying to think of a reason - was it because of that other dog that had a go at him a few weeks back? Was it because we didn't socialise him enough? Was it something we did or didn't do??
Blaming themselves over & over.

One thing I can promise you is that it is entirely possible to have anything to do with the owners.
Most people don't want an aggressive dog. They don't intentionally cause their dog to be aggressive. They don't train him to attack. They don't purposely screw up their dog..... They don't do anything different to those of you with perfectly behaved, friendly, social dogs.... They did everything right just like you did. They tried their absolute hardest and behind closed doors they are sobbing into their dogs fur because daily dog walks are becoming so stressful, day after day.
You'll preach "well you just need to train your dog"..... But these owners already know that. They are trying to train their dog..... They've been trying for years but some dogs will just never be the kind of dog that runs & plays with a bunch of other dogs.

If you're lucky enough to own that friendly, social, loves-everyone type of dog then good for you but please do not assume that those other owners are bad people or that they did anything wrong.

If you're lucky enough to own those special, loving, frightened, nervous, anxious, over excited reactive dogs who lunge & snap at others then HERE'S TO YOU!! You're doing great. It's exhausting owning a dog like that. All of your dreams of long, countryside walks with other dogs have been crushed. Taking the dog out has become a dreaded chore instead of a pleasure but one thing to remember is.... Its not your fault and you are not a bad dog owner.

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

15/02/2025

Gradual desensitisation & counter conditioning can only take place when your dog is UNDER threshold.
This means when they ARE NOT reacting.
In order for your dog to NOT react you will need to give them plenty of distance from their trigger (birds, other dogs, humans, whatever ..!!) and this is how your Training Programme begins.
It means you NEVER have to punish your dog (shout at, drag them away, restrain them) and it means that your dog NEVER experiences fear, anxiety, over stimulation during the training process.

It keeps the learning process calm & enjoyable for both the teacher (you!) & the student (your dog)
No one loses control. No one freaks out. No one gets dragged about.
It enables the brain to actually learn what is being taught - no one (human or dog) can learn once they are already in that frenzied state.

Change your approach to the training.
Stop trying to "fix" the behaviour that you don't like but instead, create opportunities where the behaviour you DO LIKE can happen. Reinforce it. Repeat it. Over & over. And watch what happens ....

www.KangalDogTrainerUK.co.uk

14/02/2025

I enjoy checking my facebook account a few times per day - Do you?

I like logging on and seeing what my friends have been up to. I enjoy looking at everyone's photos. I read my messages & I scroll through my newsfeed. I'll give a little "like" or an "angry face" or some times I'll just scroll on past .... Its up to me though. If I want to stop and read something I can. If I don't want to, I won't!
Sometimes, I can be right in the middle of a really important message or I can be halfway through reading a post when something happens and I have to stop mid-way through .... ARRGHH! Thats annoying, I was really interested in that message but no worries, I'll come back to it a bit later when I have more time.
I have that choice .....

Now, imagine your dog having access to THEIR facebook account just once or twice per day. They want to read their messages. They want to leave a reply or a "like" on their friends posts. They may want to scroll through some of the information but sometimes, they find a really important message which they really need to read.
Someone is nagging them to hurry up. Someone is pulling on their lead and dragging them away half way through a message .... AARRGGHHH! Thats annoying .... They'll never get a chance to read that message again! We might not be walking back this way. We might be doing a totally different route tomorrow. Even if we do the same route the message will be different by then. How frustrating!!

Isn't the main reason we take our dogs out for a walk for their own benefit? Isn't it for their wellbeing? Isn't it because we adore them and we want them to be happy & fulfilled and to enjoy life?

How many of you own a dog and think to yourself: I know what I'll do today, I'll make my dog feel really frustrated!! I'll cause him some upset by taking him out .... I'll show him his facebook account ..... I'll let him see all of those messages & all of those photos waiting for him but I won't allow him to stop & read any of them ... Or, worse still, I'll allow him to read half of a message and then I'll just drag him away, right at the important part ...!"

Who does that?!! WHY would you do that?? For what purpose would you want to build that frustration in your dog?

I want my dogs to return from their walk relaxed, fulfilled, happy. I want them to have enjoyed the walk as much as I possibly can. I want them to have that enrichment - we all know how utterly amazing a dogs nose is and I want my dog to use his nose as much as he wants to and to take in all of those exciting smells. I want him to explore & investigate so that he feels safer in his environment ..... I don't want him to be wondering whats over there .... Is it safe? I've never smelt that before! It might be scary. What is it?? I want him to go and check it out if he wants to so that he can rest his mind.

Pee-Mails are a thing.

Let your dog read his p*e mails. Let him read the whole p*e mail. Let him leave a reply or a "like" or a "angry face"
Even if it means you don't get very far on your walks some days. Its up to your dog isn't it? We're only out for a walk because of him! If he wants to spend 10 minutes on one lamp post reading & re-reading the same p*e-mail over & over today then thats OK. It must be a really important message.

Let them sniff

14/02/2025

When I go to a Behaviour Consult for dog reactivity I often feel that the owners want to know "How do I stop my dog when he is barking at other dogs?" or "How do I stop my dog from lunging at others?"

My answer is always the same: YOU DON'T

What we should be asking instead is: How do I help the dog feel better whenever he sees a trigger so that they don't feel the need to react in the first place?
We shouldn't be punishing a dog for communicating to us that they feel scared or anxious but we CAN help to change their emotional response so that the reactivity doesn't happen and we can help them to cope better when they do see a trigger.

The first thing to look at is what else might be going on in that dogs world that is causing the stress levels to build.

This diagram is based on my own dog. She has a whole lot of things that bother her and I need to carefully manage her environment on a daily basis. Some of the things on this list are nothing at all to do with other dogs but I need to remember that these things cause her stress and so they must be taken in to consideration.

How many times do we hear "But he's fine some days, walks straight past other dogs without issue but on other days he really reacts & lunges at everything"
The answer could be hidden in the bigger picture …. If your dog is barking out of the window at people / barking at the postman / barking at birds in the garden / hiding from their harness AND THEN going out for a walk (full of stress!!) then its highly likely they may be more reactive on that day.
If you can help to reduce the barking around the house and train your dog to love the harness then when you go out for a walk they are not ready to snap & not full of stress.

*I don't walk my dog every day.
She can't cope with it. Too many things bother her in the big, wide, world and its almost impossible to train her when she becomes so unsettled so I keep her home and we do enrichment activities / scent work / training around the home.
*I rarely let her greet visitors to the house - It would take me hours to settle her afterwards.
*I don't let her have access to the front of the house so that she can't bark at everyone walking past.
*I never walk her without a muzzle.
*I keep her routine as strict as I can day after day.

All of these things play a part in how she reacts to other dogs / humans in the street. If I didn't manage her home environment so strictly then she would be far more reactive outside because her stress levels would be overflowing - make sense??

What would be on YOUR dogs list around the home?
What changes can you make at home to help reduce your dogs stress levels?

Have a think. Its a real thing! When we get stressed our behaviour goes pear-shaped and when we get stressed CONTIONIOUSLY, day after day after day it becomes really difficult to control your emotions …..

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

13/02/2025

What's your favourite food? Crinkly chips would be at the top of my list.
When I sit down to eat my dinner I enjoy the experience. No one bothers me. No one touches me or strokes me(!!) And no one keeps taking my plate of chips away from me. I'm allowed to just eat in peace. This allows the experience to be pleasurable and means meal times are nice & stress free.
There's no need for anyone to walk up to me or to prove that they can remove my food from me. What would be the point? For what purpose would it ever be useful that someone can remove food from me? In case the food is poisonous?? Well, I've been taught to understand that so, on the rare occasion that I may be eating some poisonous chips a simple "leave it" would work ….

If, whilst I was eating my chips, someone walked up to me and threw a £20 note next to my plate then I'd soon learn to be excited whenever people approach me whilst I'm eating. It wouldn't take very long for me to be excited that someone is approaching me - theres no pressure, this person just walks up to me, throws a £20 note down and walks off again …. Jeeeez, I'd soon learn how cool it is when people walk up to my plate of chips!
Repeated over & over I would soon start predicting what was coming next. I'd see the person getting closer and start to feel excited for my £20 note.
I'm learning that people approaching my plate of chips is AWESOME.

Or, someone could just walk up to my chips and take the plate away. Then they'd give it back a minute later. Just as I was enjoying my meal, this person walks over, lifts my plate up and takes my chips away.
Now, I'm dreading this person walking over to me. Mealtimes are becoming stressful. I'm starting to hate the experience. I might start gulping my food as quickly as I can so, in turn the person tries grabbing the plate quicker & faster.
Repeated over & over I would start predicting whats coming next. I'd start to tense up as soon as I see this person approach. I'd become anxious. I'd start to lose my temper. I might shout at you to back off or slap your hand away.
I'm learning that people approaching my plate of chips is AWFUL.

If you don't want your dog to learn that you're a threat to him around food then don't teach him that you are! Don't teach him that people approaching food is awful. Teach him its awesome. Build up that positive history in your dogs head that theres nothing to worry about.

You can create a dog that growls & snaps over food or you can create a dog that feels happy & comfortable around food.

Which would you like?

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