Rui Navarro

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.

My training philosophy

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.

Handler walking with a dog through a smoky brick passageway.

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.

More about Rui Navarro

Rui Navarro holding two young Boerboels outdoors.

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

More about Rui

Chapter IVTHE WAY I WORK

Dog beside a handler in a smoke-filled brick passageway.

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.

Watch on YouTube

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.

How I approach off-leash control

TRUST, IN THEIR WORDS

“The perfect drive to switch from a calm public companion to a reliable family protector and back again whenever needed.”

WesJoker’s owner · TYR Protection Dogs

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.

See If DCP Is Right for Your Dog Explore Drive Control Protocol