Our dog is a German Shepherd crossed with something big and brindle (bull mastiff, pit pull, dunno). His personality is to mind everyone else's business and he's basically always "on guard". Not mean, but always watchful and had he been mistreated I can easily see how he could have turned "ugly" and been euthanized early. He's smart and he's willing but you have to be "in charge" with him. Not a "beginner dog". I always wonder what he'd be like now if we'd had him as a puppy.
Badfish, the most important thing you can ever teach your puppy (after his name) is the command, "Watch me". You want the dog to look you in the eyes and hold your gaze for a few seconds before rewarding him lavishly with praise and some lovin'. Once you have a dog that will instinctively turn to look at you when you call to him you the rest of his training will be a breeze. And it's easiest to teach that to puppies, I think.
Our dog had things his own way for his formative years and even now, if he's got something in his sights that intrigues him and he "locks on the radar" he can't be relied upon to automatically turn and look to me for guidance. He will respond but not always in the time frame I'd like. We train every single day and I practice, "Watch me" regularly. That's really the only command for which I'll reward him with food, and I don't use it all the time, saving it for times when we're training "with distractions".