I’m lucky that my family has always had big dogs. Starting out young with dogs who stand face to face with you changes your perspective on how to relate with dogs later on in life.

I have decades of experience with:

• German Shepherds & Rottweilers
• Vast amounts of study on various dog training philosophies
• Working with adopted rescues and purebreds
• Higher level training including scent training

…and I still don’t feel like I have any kind of expertise. My dogs continuously show me new things I need to learn. When I started out one of the first books I read was The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete. It offers wonderful, if hypocritcal, advice about how to interact with a puppy. Since then I’ve learned a lot more about dog/wolf behavior and I have a better understanding of how human behavior is the reflector of dog behavior. I don’t really believe it’s possible to send your dog away for training and have a great dog in the end. If you want a great dog, you have to be a great dog owner.

The Wolf

In 1970 a book titled The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species did a great deal of damage to dog training in general (in my opinion). It painted a picture of wolves as a military unit with an alpha male that used punishment to enforce a heirarchy. Thus trainers were more likely to punish dogs to train them out of so-called ‘bad’ behaviors. In the early 2000s dog trainers started challenging this thinking and created better ‘positive’ reinforcement, and this resonated with me because of my own interaction with dogs and how I saw them relate with me.

This change was largely due to a researcher named David Mech who published new research on wolf packs after 13 years of close observation. What he ‘discovered’ was that the alpha wolf was just the father of the rest of the pack. The alpha female was the mother, and they were disciplining their children, rather than punishing them. There were no fights over dominance – rather the parents distributed food fairly and no one was challenging that.

The Dog

When we raised our first Rottweiler puppy, Loki, this understanding of wolves changed everything about how I related to my puppy. Like the monks of New Skete, our puppy was around us all the time. We used crate training to assist with potty training, but otherwise he was never on his own. Instead of being owners, we treated him as his adopted wolf parents and I was his mother. As a male dog, he didn’t listen to me as well as he did his adopted father, even though he was very protective and adored me.

I feel that even though every dog is different and every owner is different, if you are raising a dog for family protection, it’s important to incorporate both male and female leadership in the dog’s life especially if they will be protecting males and females and children. This means that the dog must be able to listen to both adults well and to children as well.

Why Dogs Need to Listen

You’ve seen it, the dog that’s off leash and is ignoring its owner. “He’s friendly!” they shout. Or worse, “He’s normally a very good dog!” If you want your dog to be trusted to make good judgements in any situation, they need to be able to listen, every time.

• A dog that has bad recall (that is, doesn’t return immediately when called) can end up in a dangerous situation.
• A dog that only protects one person in the family and not another is useless for protection.
• A dog that is not able to take commands from a woman or child is not going to be able to adequately do its job.

Dogs Love Jobs

Every dog that I’ve ever known loves having a job and their biggest reward is being told that they’ve done a good job. Usually their favorite job is the one that was bred into them over hundreds of years.

After experiencing both German Shepherds and Rottweilers, I believe the Rottie has a special place as a family dog and protector.

The Ancient Romans used a type of mastiff, descended from the giant extinct Molossian hound, to drive cattle that fed the legions going to battle. Those dogs needed to be hardy, intelligent and hard-working, with strong guarding instincts. When the Romans were pushed out of Germany, they left some dogs behind, which bred with the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Swiss Mountain Dog, giving the dog its shorter or longer coat and sometimes a tell-tale white spot.

Legend says that the last female left of the Roman line was in the Roman-founded town of Rottweil, and she was bred with some other Mastiff-like dogs to preserve the breed before it disappeared.

What the Rottweiler Teaches Us About Good Dogs

My observation of my Rotties has shown me what I believe to be the underlying goals of the original breeders, who were both Roman soldiers going to war as well as rural German families. Many Roman soldiers were partially responsible for their own gear and often had families at home. I can imagine the life of a Roman soldier camped by herds of cattle being driven by groups of dogs who would flop down by the campfire when they could, eager to spend time together after a long march. These dogs must have been independently intelligent to make herding decisions without much human direction, and yet loving human company.

When these dogs became part of village life, the Germans must have seen how smart and yet dumbly loyal these dogs were, for they are strong enough and smart enough to not need people at all. Every description of Rottweilers states that they are ‘a stubborn’ breed, and yet this is just a side effect of their intelligence and independence. If you give them a command, they often weigh how smart you are before they listen.

Training a Smart Dog Means Treating Them Like They Know Stuff

The goal then isn’t to punish a dog into submission, or coddle a dog that believes it’s your baby. The goal is to give your dog a sense of purpose and feel that they’ve accomplished a job well done. This means daily exercise of either the mind or the body, just like you need, and respecting that they have complex thoughts just like you.

This might sound a little crazy, but I communicate with my dogs in full sentences, and my dogs communicate back in full dog language. In my experience dogs are communicating a lot through their nose and their bodies. Rotties vocalize a lot more than other dogs, but all dogs are very nose-centered. Rottweilers are great a tracking, but any dog’s sense of smell is their visual field of reference. Researchers have shown that sneezes are an intentional message to other dogs that they’re just playing, but I have seen even more nose-talk:

• Sneezes: I’m just joking or just messing with you, but can also mean hey pay attention
• Snorts (pig-like sound): I’m listening or I’m here, or asking you to listen up
• Huffs and puffs: Discomfort and boredom
• Sniffing: This is reserved for serious cataloging of smells

Each dog is different and they might be excited if you snort back at them, eliciting all kinds of random sounds. Dogs don’t have much of a language but a library of smells that creates their visual field, and that visual field may be miles wide depending on the wind blowing. Keeping in mind that your dog is constantly distracted by this can help you get his attention as smells take priority over sounds which take priority over sights.

This being said, they can understand a myriad of subtle sounds, which is why snorts are an acceptable form of communication since their hearing is so acute. They are listening less for words and more for subtle emotion in your voice. Thus when I say, “Come here,” in a soft play voice, they may not listen until I say it in a deep commanding voice. They are processing your voice as if it could be interpreted like a smell.

Dog Training Philosophy Guide

1. The Role of the Owner

• You cannot outsource responsibility—great dogs require great owners.
• Training is a lifelong relationship, not a quick program.

2. Leadership Through Family

• Think of yourself as your dog’s parent, not a drill sergeant.
• Balance male and female leadership—dogs should listen equally to both.
• Children must also be part of the training dynamic for true family protection.

3. Training with Respect, Not Fear

• Forget outdated “alpha dominance” methods; dogs are not soldiers in a hierarchy.
• Leadership is about fairness, guidance, and consistency.
• Intelligent dogs will “weigh” your worthiness before following—earn their respect.

4. Reliability Matters

• Obedience must be consistent: come when called, every time.
• A protection dog must obey everyone in the family, not just one person.
• Unreliable recall can put your dog in danger.

5. Give Dogs Purpose

• Dogs thrive when given meaningful jobs.
• Tap into their breed instincts: guarding, herding, tracking, companionship.
• The greatest reward is your praise for a job well done.

6. Daily Mind & Body Workouts

• Smart dogs need mental challenges as much as physical exercise.
• Training sessions, scent games, problem-solving, and consistent walks are essential.

7. Speak Your Dog’s Language

• Dogs understand tone, body language, and subtle emotion more than words.
• Use full sentences if you like—what matters most is your tone and intention.
• Communicate with vocal cues they naturally use:
  • Sneezes = playful or “just kidding”
  • Snorts = listening, attention-seeking
  • Huffs/puffs = discomfort or boredom
  • Sniffing = serious investigation

8. Respect the Canine Worldview

• A dog’s nose is its primary sense; scents shape their “visual field.”
• Understand that distraction is often scent-driven, not defiance.
• Train with patience, knowing your dog lives in a layered sensory world.