Rottweiler board and train in Gloucester, MA

Males stand 24 to 27 muscular inches at the shoulder, the AKC says, with females a little smaller. Alongside top scores for trainability and watchdog instinct, the breed rates three out of five for openness to strangers and for ease with other dogs, and five for mental stimulation needs, where the scale's end reads needs a job or activity. The AKC lists the temperament as alert, loyal and fearless, and calls Rotties people dogs that do poorly when isolated.

The guarding side is real and should be described plainly. The AKC says the breed presents an aloof face to outsiders and that early training and socialization will harness its territorial instincts in a positive way. Individual Rottweilers range from goofy greeters to serious watchers, so the plan follows the dog in front of us. For almost all of them, the useful goal is the same: notice, check in with the handler, and let it go.

Neutral does not mean indifferent. A neutral Rottweiler still notices the delivery driver; it just does not need to do anything about it. That is taught by pairing the sight of people and dogs with good things at a comfortable distance, and rewarding the dog for turning back to its handler. As the dog relaxes, the distance shrinks. Because every rep stays below the point of tension, the dog practices calm rather than vigilance.

The front door gets its own routine, since that is where many guardian dogs feel most responsible. The sequence below runs dozens of times during a stay with different people knocking, so the doorbell starts to predict a familiar job. Greetings with visitors are optional for the dog. A Rottweiler that prefers to watch from its bed is doing exactly what it was asked.

The go-home lesson, or the two coaching lessons in Advanced, put the door routine, the leash rules and the neutrality distances in your hands at Dogtown. Practice them on short, easy outings first. A Gloucester side street on a weekday morning is a better early test than Main Street during St. Peter's Fiesta in late June, and the fenced Gloucester Dog Park is best visited at quiet times, if at all, until your dog is reliably calm around others.

Give the brain a job as well, since the AKC says Rottweilers learn carting easily and make excellent workers in herding, tracking and obedience. Dogtown Academy, $89 a full day or $69 a half, adds a trainer and scent games to the day; Canine Campus continues training by day with nights at home; private sessions start from $94. From Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea the Pup Van does the drive for $10 each way.