Dogs don't respond well to being treated like babies. If you appreciate their intelligence, they love being able to help you. I had a big Alsatian/lab that never needed a leash nor a word spoken on a walk. On a residential street, he'd stay in the same block with me. In a commercial area, he'd be within 3 meters, and if I went into a department store or government building, he'd heel perfectly, never once getting us hassled. If I was going out and couldn't take him, about half an hour before I was going to leave, he'd lay down under the kitchen table and not stir, but if I was going to take him, about ten minutes before I decided to put on my coat, he'd move to the door mat. The only time I could surprise him was if I was just going for a walk, not an errand. We would get to the sidewalk, and I'd stop and look at him. He'd jump up and spin around, and choose a direction, leading the way and ranging around, but never outpacing me. When I wanted to return, I'd just stop following, and he'd lead us home another way. His knowledge of the area was amazing - he always found more interesting walks than I could.
The only reason I don't have a dog now is because I've seen the world population triple, and humans and domestic animals now outweigh all the wild species combined by 5:1. Feeding a dog starves a fox or a child.