Hi – I’m Tracey McLennan.
I specialise in helping people understand and train high prey drive dogs in practical, ethical ways that work in real life.
I specialise in helping people understand and train high prey drive dogs in practical, ethical ways that work in real life.
If you’re here because you’re wondering whether I’m the right person to learn from, here’s what matters most: I do not see high prey drive dogs as disobedient, hopeless or as dogs with behaviour problems.
I see them as dogs with powerful instincts, individual preferences, and behaviour that makes sense once you understand what is driving it.
My job is to help you make sense of that properly, so you can stop guessing, stop getting pulled around by other people’s opinions, and start making progress with your own dog.
One of the dogs who shaped my understanding most was Calgacus, my bullmastiff. He helped me see that the old myth about dogs becoming uncontrollable if they ever catch prey is simply not true.
In his younger years he would catch, kill and eat rabbits and birds whenever he could. He would chase deer for miles. And yet I taught him to recall from chasing and to stand and watch prey with me without too much trouble.
That mattered because it showed me early on that prey drive is not the end of the story.
Then, feeling quite pleased with myself, I took on a collie cross puppy from rescue. He was called Cuillin, and I expected easy walks with my perfectly trained young dog.
That is not what happened. When Cuillin reached about a year old, he started running off – sometimes for hours at a time. If he got even the slightest whiff of deer scent, he would disappear.
I despaired of ever training him. I know what it feels like when your dog’s behaviour makes life hard, when you don’t know what to do next, and when other people’s advice does not get you where you need to go.
It took time, study, experimentation and a lot of persistence, but eventually I learned what I needed to know to train Cuillin. He went on to enjoy years of off lead walks in forests without getting lost.
As a child, I did a lot of skiing and I was part of a club that my dad helped to found. That club had a motto: we thrive on adversity.
That has stayed with me. It fits dogs. It fits training. And it definitely fits life with a high prey drive dog.
People with these dogs are often dealing with the sort of problems others dismiss as too much, too difficult, or impossible to change. I do not take that view.
I am interested in the difficult cases. I like untangling the problems that make other people give up. Not because I believe in magic fixes, but because I know how much can change when you understand the dog in front of you and train accordingly.
These days I share my life with two working cockers, and I genuinely love high prey drive dogs.
That does not mean I romanticise the hard parts. I know how stressful, limiting and exhausting it can feel to live with a dog who is powerfully drawn to prey.
What it does mean is that I do not approach these dogs as a problem to suppress. I approach them as dogs to understand, guide and train well.
I take a problem-solving approach and look at your dog as an individual. I do not follow trends and I do not offer one-size-fits-all answers.
My expertise is not just in dog training. It is in understanding behaviour, applying research, and using observations to build a sensible route forward for your particular dog.
I am interested in root causes. I want to know what your dog finds reinforcing, what is getting in the way, what patterns are already there, and how we can build change in a way that is practical and fair.
My background in IT taught me to analyse systems properly, look for patterns, and break complicated problems into workable parts. I bring exactly that way of thinking into dog training.
So if you like clear thinking, evidence, practical steps, and honest discussion about what is and is not realistic, you will probably feel at home with how I teach.
ETHICS
EXPERIENCE
QUALIFICATIONS
I am experienced in training high prey drive dogs and in teaching people how to train their own dogs thoughtfully and effectively.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Canine Behaviour and Training, a master’s degree with distinction in Applied Animal Behaviour and Training, and a master of arts degree in Philosophy.
I am also an active researcher in the field. My research into prey drive and my review paper on prey drive research have both been published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
I also peer review for Applied Animal Behaviour Science, helping assess new research before it is published.
I have also written a book, Canine Aggression: Rehabilitating an Aggressive Dog with Kindness and Compassion.
It is not a book about prey drive. But it is about something closely related to the way I think: difficult dog problems are often treated as hopeless when they are actually misunderstood.
That idea runs through all of my work. I am not interested in writing dogs off. I am interested in understanding what is going on and helping people find a sensible, ethical route forward.
If you learn from me, you can expect honesty, nuance, evidence, practical thinking and respect for both you and your dog.
I will not tell you that every dog can do everything. I will not pretend that living with prey drive is always easy. And I will not hand you empty motivational speeches.
What I will do is help you understand the problem better, think more clearly about your dog, and make better decisions about training.
If that is the kind of help you are looking for, then you are in the right place.