Rui Navarro
- IReal protection begins with character.
- IIDogs selected with purpose.
- IIITraining built for real life.
Chapter ITHE APPROACH
Real protection.Real responsibility.
Protection starts long before training. It starts with the right dog: stable, clear-headed and capable of making the right decisions under pressure.
My work brings selection, realistic training and family life together. The standard is simple: safety, control and reliability when they matter most.
- I.
Selection comes first
- II.
Built for real life
- III.
Control without compromise
Chapter II25+ YEARS WITH WORKING AND GUARDIAN BREEDS
Working dogs.Individual dogs.
I am Rui Navarro, a protection dog trainer and working dog trainer with more than 25 years of experience. My work includes German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Boerboels, Rottweilers, Cane Corsos, Dobermans and other serious working and guardian breeds.
These dogs can bring strength, intensity and a strong interest in movement into everyday life. Those qualities influence what an owner needs to teach. A dog that rushes the gate, loses focus around another dog or chases whatever moves needs a plan that reaches beyond practicing positions in the living room.
Breed gives me useful information. It does not tell me everything. Two dogs from the same breed can respond very differently to a reward, an unfamiliar person or pressure from the environment. I look at the individual before choosing the approach.
That principle runs through my protection dog training, breeding work and owner education: we train the dog in front of us.
You may also know me as Dogman Rui from my YouTube channel. Everything I teach is available 100% online.
Chapter IIITHE PERSON BEHIND THE WORK
One life.Dedicated to dogs.
Trainer. Breeder. Author.
A lifetime of asking more of myself and understanding more about dogs.
I am Rui Navarro. Through TYR Protection Dogs, Elite Boerboels and Von Tyrwald, I bring together decades of work with dogs, a commitment to sound character and a belief that function must come first.
I am also the author of The Boerboel Bible, sharing the knowledge behind my work with the breed.
Rui Navarro
THE WAY I WORK
Drive stays.Control stays.
Chapter IVTHE WAY I WORK
Drive gives a working dog a reason to act. Food, a ball, a game of tug or the chance to chase can become much more interesting than a familiar command. Good training has to account for that.
A German Shepherd holding a down in a quiet room is showing one level of understanding. Holding that down while excited by a moving ball asks more of the dog. The same applies to recall: returning in the backyard does not prove that the response will hold when a rabbit crosses a field.
My objective is not to remove drive. It is to build control inside the drive. I want engagement, clear communication and obedience that develops as excitement increases. I also want a dog that can leave an activity, settle and reconnect with the handler.
Training high-drive dogs means using their motivation with purpose. It means choosing a manageable exercise, rewarding the right response and knowing when the next step is too much. The dog keeps his personality. The owner develops a clearer way to guide him.
Explore high-drive dog training and the principles behind my approach.
Chapter VIN THE FIELD
Protection.In practice.
A closer look at Atilla and the work behind a family protection dog.
Chapter VIREAL-WORLD DOG TRAINING
Knowing commandsis the beginning.
Real control shows up in ordinary situations. Your dog comes away from the gate. He returns close enough for you to take the leash. He can pause a game, walk past a distraction at a suitable distance and settle while you handle what is happening around you.
Off-leash dog training builds toward that reliability in stages. The leash, long line and, where suitable, drag line support a progression toward greater freedom. Distance and distractions increase as the dog demonstrates that he understands. Removing the leash comes after that work. The setting and the individual dog still determine where off-leash freedom is appropriate.
Some owners face a different starting point. A dog may react because he is afraid, frustrated, highly excited or repeating behavior that has worked before. Reactive dog training begins with understanding that pattern. Where there is a risk of aggression, assessment and a suitable management plan come first.
TRUST, IN THEIR WORDS
“The perfect drive to switch from a calm public companion to a reliable family protector and back again whenever needed.”
Chapter VIIDCP: DRIVE CONTROL PROTOCOL
A system for the dogyou live with.
DCP is my four-month training system for owners of serious working and guardian dogs. It brings together motivation, communication, obedience and handling with one purpose: building reliable control when drive and distractions increase.
It is relevant to German Shepherd training, Belgian Malinois training, Boerboel training and other situations where an owner’s everyday expectations have moved beyond what the dog can currently deliver.
We start by understanding the individual. Engagement and a clear language support the work on obedience, recall and impulse control. Those responses then need to be developed in the environments where you actually live with your dog.
The aim is a dog with drive, personality and more opportunities for freedom, alongside an owner who can make better decisions. DCP focuses on that relationship and those handling skills. Protection work is a separate purpose that requires its own assessment.
Train other people’s dogs, or want to? My dog trainer course teaches the method and how to build a dog training business.
Chapter VIIIMY WORK
Three projects.One standard.
- October 30, 2026
Is My Dog Reactive, Protective or Aggressive?Is your dog reactive, aggressive or protective? Most dogs that bark and lunge at strangers are insecure, not aggressive. A trainer shows how to tell them apart.
- October 30, 2026
Would Your Dog Actually Protect You If You Were Attacked?Do dogs protect their owners? Barking at the gate is not protection. A protection dog trainer explains how to tell if yours would, without ever testing him.
- October 25, 2026
How to Train a High-Drive Dog: Control Without Killing the DriveA high-drive dog doesn't need less drive. He needs brakes that work at full speed. Here is how I build control inside drive, step by step.
LET’S START A CONVERSATION
The right dog.The right foundation.
Family protection, training or breeding.
Tell me what you have in mind.
