Big Protective Dog and a New Baby: Build Control Before the Baby Comes Home
“He’s good with kids” is not a plan. How to prepare a big protective dog for a newborn: real control, supervision and separation, built before the baby arrives.
Read articleThe journal
Journal
Ideas from the field: working dogs, family protection, training and responsible ownership. Read Rui Navarro’s practical perspectives on genetics, communication, drive and reliable control in everyday life.
How to Make Your Dog Want to Work With You: Dopamine, Anticipation and the Casino Effect
Why the moment before the reward matters more than the reward itself, and how to use anticipation, clear markers and variable payouts to build engagement, drive and control.
Read article
Your Mastiff Is Becoming More Serious: Normal Maturity or a Problem?
Why Mastiffs, Boerboels and Cane Corsos change as they mature, how to tell normal guarding from a growing problem, and what to do before you lose control.
Read article
Off-Leash Dog Running at Your Guardian Dog? What to Do
What to do when an off-leash dog runs at your Boerboel, Cane Corso or Mastiff: how to manage the moment on the street, and the control you need to build at home.
Read article
How I Fix Severe Leash Reactivity
THE JOURNALHow I Fix...
Read article
E-Collar Training for Reactive Dogs: What to Teach First
Stopping the barking does not tell you what your dog learned. Rui Navarro explains the foundations he teaches before e-collar work, with a real example from Atilla.
Read article
Dog Listens at Home but Not Outside? Why and What to Do
Your dog sits in the kitchen, lies down when you ask, and comes when you call him across the house. Then you take him outside, another dog appears, and suddenly you are repeating a command…
Read article
How to Train a Boerboel: Real Control
The problem with training a Boerboel is not necessarily that the dog struggles to learn. It is that many owners underestimate the difference between teaching a few commands and developing dependable control of a powerful…
Read article
The Recall Mistake That Teaches Your Dog to Run Away
Every time you call your dog, he ignores you, and nothing changes, you give him another opportunity to practise ignoring your recall. You say “Come.” He looks at you, then goes back to sniffing, chasing…
Read article
What Makes a Real Protection Dog: A Practical Perspective
Over the years, I’ve worked with many protection dogs.
Read article
How to Choose the Right Protection Dog for Your Family
Most people only start thinking about getting a protection dog after something has already gone wrong.
Read article
Why Most People Misunderstand the Boerboel Breed
The Boerboel is one of the most misunderstood dog breeds in the world. To the average person, it is simply a large, powerful dog, often associated with size, intimidation, and physical presence. But anyone…
Read article
How Real Protection Dogs Are Trained
Many people are fascinated by protection dogs, but few understand how much training is required to create a reliable protection dog.
Read article
Sport Dog vs Protection Dog
Most people today don’t understand the difference between a real protection dog and a sport dog.
Read articleLet’s start a conversation
The right dog.
The right foundation.
Family protection, training or breeding. Tell me what you have in mind.