Well I would say it is a bit more than bribery. It starts as bribery and then it becomes an assumption on his part that it's a good idea to obey me because usually that results in good stuff. I don't give him a treat every time I ask him to sit or heel these days but I did when I was training him initially. He sees me as a good person to be around and that builds our relationship and that's why he usually obeys me. He doesn't love or respect me because dogs don't have those emotions as humans understand them.
Why do you think your dog obeys you? Because you are pack leader or some crap? What does that even mean? It just means you control access to resources which is exactly what I said.
My dog understands no in the sense of 'she is making that noise that means she disapproves of what I am doing' but it isn't a very useful command really as it does not tell him what I would rather he does. Therefore I only use no as an interruption to get his attention and then I give him a different command that he has been trained to know.
Eg he jumps up. If I just shout 'no' how is that effective? He will have no idea what I do actually want from him. Instead I ask him to sit so he can't jump up or go to his place and now he routinely offers me those behaviours instead as he knows those are rewarded. Down, leave it, drop it and watch me are all a hell of a lot more useful in stopping him doing things I don't want than just shouting no.
I have tried punishing him at times and it really didn't work out very well. It makes him more hyped up and antagonistic if he is shouted at or threatened. If you shout at, hit or frighten your dog then some dogs will react back aggressively at you and mine is one of them. He's a flock guardian breed (didn't know that when I rescued him) and it's in his nature to meet perceived danger with aggression or at least a show of aggression.
I have had people (family and a dog trainer) advise me to spray him with water for jumping up, shake a can of stones at him for barking, use a prong collar and yank his lead for pulling. I did try those things and I quickly concluded that it was just making matters worse and I found a better trainer who works positively and we have successfully trained him out of all those behaviours (well barking is a work in progress) without the need for aversion.
I don't hit and shout at my kids and I did not feel comfortable doing that to my dog either. I never understood people smacking a toddler for hitting and to me shouting at or causing pain to a dog as a punishment for negative behaviour is the same dumb counterproductive logic.