Ep. 117 - Built Different: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Strength, Genetics & Drive with George Daniolos

Ep. 117 - Built Different: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Strength, Genetics & Drive with George Daniolos

September 1, 2026 · 1h 33m

About this episode

Robert Santana and George Daniolos discuss the parallels between dog training and strength training, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual capabilities.

What do training a Belgian Malinois and building a stronger human have in common? Turns out - a whole lot. On this episode of Strong and Sleek , Robert Santana sits down with longtime friend, dog-training mentor, and K9 Defense owner George Daniolos for a wide-ranging conversation about working dogs, lifting weights, genetics, coaching, physical performance, and why getting the most out of someone—or something—means understanding what you're actually working with. Robert and George explore the striking parallels between K9 training and strength training: natural drive versus learned skill, genetics versus effort, knowing when to apply more stress, and recognizing when pushing harder can actually make performance worse. As Robert has learned training both humans and dogs, different individuals are capable of different things—and great coaching isn't about forcing everyone through the same program. They also get into working and protection dogs, the unique intensity of the Belgian Malinois, bite work, injury and fear, testosterone and performance, the difference between talent and technique, and why the best trainers learn as much from difficult cases as they do from gifted ones…

People in this episode

Host: Robert Santana

Guest: George Daniolos

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: K9 Defense

Places: Belgian Malinois

More episodes of Strong and Sleek Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Strong and Sleek Podcast podcast page.