25/01/2026
Cujo — Built, not bought.
Cujo is my purpose-bred working dog and represents where CalibreK9 is going, not just where it came from.
I became a decoy because I wanted to be involved with real protection dogs, but I wasn’t ready to own and train one myself at that stage.
When that interest turned into a need rather than a want, Cujo arrived.
It wouldn’t have been fair to try and make Cleo do work she wasn’t genetically designed to enjoy. Cujo was chosen, bred and raised specifically for the job.
As a puppy, he was everything I wanted — except one thing.
He was slow to fully wake up in the bitework.
We didn’t rush him.
We didn’t pressure him.
We built foundations.
Then at around six and a half months, something switched on — and since then he’s only gone from strength to strength, constantly doing more than I ever expected of him.
For his first two years, Cujo has competed in UK Trials, always putting on a show and leaving people talking.
This year, we’re changing direction slightly and looking at PSA.
This will be a test for both of us.
For Cujo, it means learning to bring control back into high-drive scenarios and regulate himself around a decoy — something I’ve never previously asked of him.
For me, it’s a test of my training, my foundations, and whether the standards I set actually hold up under pressure.
People have said this will be a struggle.
But Cujo has been built for confidence, clarity and structure — and now we’ll see what those foundations are really worth.
Cujo is what a protection dog should be:
Social.
Safe around people, dogs and children.
Stable and confident.
And capable of serious intensity when asked.
This is the standard.
Poster by .creations
