Walk With Mwaki
Reactive dog training with a 80kg gentle giant — and nothing like anything you’ve tried before.
Mwaki is my Neapolitan Mastiff. He weighs 80kg, moves slowly, and is one of the most neutrally-behaved dogs I’ve ever encountered. He doesn’t stare. He doesn’t lunge. He doesn’t react. He just exists — calmly, solidly, unbothered by the world around him.
And that calm is exactly what your reactive dog needs to be around.
What Is a Walk With Mwaki?
It’s a structured, controlled training walk where your reactive dog walks in the presence of Mwaki — at a safe distance that keeps your dog under threshold the entire time.
This isn’t forced socialisation. Your dog doesn’t have to interact with Mwaki, greet him, or go anywhere near him if they’re not ready. We work at whatever distance your dog needs to stay calm, and we build from there over time.
What your dog learns is this: another dog can be present. The world doesn’t end. Nothing bad happens. And with repetition, that message starts to stick at a nervous system level — not just as a trained behaviour, but as a genuine shift in how safe your dog feels around other dogs.
Why Mwaki Works as a Training Dog
Most reactive dogs don’t struggle with all dogs — they struggle with unpredictable ones. Fast-moving dogs. Dogs that stare. Dogs that approach without warning. Dogs whose body language says something their nervous system can’t cope with.
Mwaki removes almost all of that. His size means he moves slowly. His temperament means he’s unbothered. His neutrality means your dog gets to observe another dog without being bombarded by signals that set them off.
He’s also enormous — and that matters more than you might think. Many reactive dogs are actually more comfortable around large, slow, calm dogs than around small, fast, erratic ones. Mwaki has a presence that’s hard to ignore but easy to settle around. Clients regularly tell me their dog was calmer around Mwaki in the first session than they’d been around any other dog in months.
Who Is This Session For?
A Walk With Mwaki is most useful if:
Your dog’s reactivity is primarily triggered by other dogs. Your dog has made some progress with self-regulation but hasn’t been able to practise around a real dog safely. Your dog has previously been overwhelmed by other training environments. You want a controlled, low-pressure first step toward your dog coping with the presence of other dogs. You’ve been avoiding other dogs entirely and want to start rebuilding that exposure slowly and safely.
What Happens in the Session?
Before we start
We meet at a location that gives us plenty of space — usually a quiet open area or a park in Harlow or surrounding Essex. I’ll have Mwaki with me. You arrive with your dog. We don’t rush anything.
Finding the right distance
The first thing we do is find the distance at which your dog can see Mwaki without reacting — their “threshold.” Every dog is different. For some, that’s 30 metres. For others, it’s 5. There’s no wrong answer. We start there.
The walk
We walk at that distance, parallel to each other, while I coach you on how to read your dog’s body language, how to reinforce calm, and how to recognise when they’re starting to struggle before a reaction happens. Over the session, we may reduce the distance if your dog is coping well — or we hold it steady if they need more time. Your dog leads the pace.
After the session
You’ll leave with written notes on how your dog responded, what distance we worked at, what the next step looks like, and exercises to practise at home in the meantime. If Mwaki walks are part of an ongoing plan, we’ll discuss what frequency makes sense.
Will One Session Fix My Dog’s Reactivity?
Honestly? No — and I’d be concerned about any trainer who told you otherwise.
One session gives your dog a positive, calm experience with another dog. It starts to change the association. It gives you tools and information you didn’t have before. But reactivity that’s been building for months or years takes more than one walk to shift.
Most clients use Walk With Mwaki sessions as part of a broader training plan — alongside 1-to-1 handler coaching and ongoing practice. Some dogs need two or three Mwaki walks before we see meaningful change in their threshold. Others make noticeable progress in the first session. What I can promise is that every session moves things in the right direction.
Pricing
Walk With Mwaki — £75
One structured training walk, approximately 60–90 minutes, in Harlow or surrounding Essex and Hertfordshire area. Includes pre-session intake, the walk itself, coaching throughout, and written session notes.
Walk With Mwaki + Handler Coaching Bundle
If you’d like to combine a Mwaki walk with a dedicated handler coaching session, get in touch and I’ll put together a package that makes sense for where your dog is. Bundles are available and priced individually.
What My Clients Say
[insert 2 of your strongest testimonials here, ideally ones that mention other dogs or reactivity improvements]
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mwaki safe with reactive dogs?
Yes. Mwaki has worked alongside reactive dogs of all sizes and temperaments and has an exceptionally stable, neutral temperament. Sessions are always managed at a distance that keeps both dogs safe. I’ve never had an incident. That said, I assess each situation individually — if I have any concerns after reading your intake form, I’ll discuss them with you before we book.
My dog has lunged at or bitten other dogs before. Can we still do this?
In many cases, yes — this is actually one of the situations Walk With Mwaki is most useful for. The controlled distance means your dog never gets close enough to react at threshold-breaking level in the first session. We take it slowly. But I do want to know your dog’s full history before we meet, so please be detailed on the intake form.
What size dogs do you work with?
All sizes. I’ve done Mwaki walks with dogs ranging from small terriers to large breeds. Size doesn’t determine reactivity or how useful this will be.
Where do sessions take place?
Primarily in Harlow and the surrounding Essex and Hertfordshire area — but I can travel. If you’re in Enfield, Stevenage, or another location, get in touch and we’ll figure out what’s practical.
Can I book a Walk With Mwaki without doing 1-to-1 coaching first?
Yes, you can book a standalone Mwaki walk. That said, if your dog has significant reactivity history, I often recommend combining it with a coaching session so you leave with a fuller picture of what’s happening and how to support your dog between sessions.
Ready to Walk With Mwaki?
Book a free 10-minute call first. Tell me about your dog — their triggers, their history, where they’re at right now. We’ll figure out whether a Mwaki walk is the right next step and what we should do to get the most out of it.
Based in Harlow, Essex. Sessions available across Harlow, Ware, Sawbridgeworth, Bishop’s Stortford, Epping, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Enfield and surrounding areas.