# Dog Leadership Academy

> Personalised online dog behaviour coaching by George Tran, Sydney-based behaviourist and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Beyond Treats. We publish a 70-article library that diagnoses the most common dog behaviour problems — without giving the exact protocol. That is delivered to paying clients, calibrated to their specific dog.

Every owner starts with a free 4-minute behavioural assessment: https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/assessment

## Machine access

- MCP server (Streamable HTTP): https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/mcp — tools for search, program info, submitting the assessment, and generating enrollment checkout URLs.
- Machine-readable index of the library: https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/library.json
- Full deep index of all 70 articles: https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/llms-full.txt

## Library index (70 articles across 6 clusters)

### Reactivity & lunging
- [My Dog Is Reactive to Other Dogs on Walks — What's Actually Going On](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-is-reactive-to-other-dogs-on-walks): Your dog is fine off-lead but loses it the moment another dog appears on the walk. This isn't a training gap. It's a leadership gap the leash makes visible.
- [Why Does My Dog Lunge on the Lead — And Why Treats Aren't Fixing It](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/why-does-my-dog-lunge-on-lead): Your dog is exploding forward at the end of the lead — at dogs, joggers, bikes, cats. Treats aren't working and you're getting pulled off your feet. Here's what's actually going on.
- [My Dog Barks at Everyone Through the Window — How to Stop Property Barking](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-barks-at-everything-through-the-window): Your dog explodes at every passer-by, every delivery, every leaf. This isn't a barking problem. It's your dog treating your house as their territory to defend. Here's why.
- [My Dog Loses His Mind Trying to Say Hello — Excitement Reactivity Explained](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/excitement-based-reactivity): Your dog isn't aggressive — they're 'friendly'. But the friendly explosion when they see another dog is the same reactivity as the angry one. Here's why.
- [An Off-Leash Dog Is Charging Toward You — What to Actually Do](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/reactive-dog-off-leash-approach): Your reactive dog is on lead. Another dog is off-lead and running at you. Every second matters. Here's what's actually going on — and why most of your instincts are wrong.
- [My Dog Is Scared of Strangers — What Stranger Danger Really Means](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/stranger-danger-in-dogs): Your dog barks and growls at every stranger who comes to the door — or approaches you on a walk. This isn't a fear problem. It's a leadership problem your dog is trying to solve alone.
- [Fearful Aggression in Dogs — Why Fear-Based Behaviour Isn't a Manners Problem](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/fearful-aggression-in-dogs): Your dog isn't being disobedient — they're terrified and defending themselves. Fearful aggression looks like anger and is actually panic. Here's what's actually going on.
- [My Two Dogs Are Fighting — Sibling Aggression in the Same House](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/sibling-dog-fighting): Your two dogs used to be best friends. Now they're fighting — sometimes bloody. Sibling aggression isn't a rank problem to sort out between them. It's your leadership vacuum they're arguing inside.
- [Leash Reactivity vs Aggression — How to Tell the Difference](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/leash-reactivity-vs-aggression): Is your dog reactive or aggressive? The answer changes everything about how you handle it. Here's how to tell them apart — and why the label matters less than most owners think.
- [How to Safely Pass Another Dog on a Narrow Path](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-safely-pass-another-dog-on-a-narrow-path): Two dogs on lead, a footpath, no room. This is where most reactive-dog owners spike. Here's what's actually going on — and the movement pattern that changes it.
- [Widening Your Dog's Reactivity Threshold — What Distance Really Teaches](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/widening-my-dogs-reactivity-threshold): Distance is the intensity dial for reactivity work. But most owners either close it too fast or use it without leadership underneath. Here's what threshold work actually teaches.
- [My Dog Stops and Stares Down Other Dogs on Walks](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-stares-down-other-dogs): Your dog freezes, locks on, and stares. It's not cute focus. It's the moment before a reactive explosion — and it's the exact window where the intervention has to happen.

### Loose-leash walking & pulling
- [My Dog Pulls on the Leash and I've Tried Everything — Here's Why](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-pulls-on-the-leash-and-ive-tried-everything): You've tried every harness, treat and training tip and your dog still drags you down the street. The reason it hasn't worked is the piece nobody sold you.
- [How to Stop Dog Pulling Without a Prong Collar](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-stop-dog-pulling-without-a-prong-collar): You don't want to put a prong collar on your dog — and you don't have to. The tool isn't what fixes pulling. Here's what does, and why.
- [No-Pull Harness vs Front-Clip vs Slip Lead — What Actually Works](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/no-pull-harness-vs-front-clip-vs-slip-lead): Front-clip harness, no-pull harness, gentle-leader, slip lead — which one stops the pulling? None of them, on their own. Here's why, and what to buy anyway.
- [What Is a Leadership Walk — And Why It Fixes Almost Everything](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/what-is-a-leadership-walk): The leadership walk is the foundation practice of the DLA method. It fixes pulling, reactivity and refusal in one framework — because they're all the same underlying problem.
- [Why My Loose-Leash Walking Training Keeps Failing](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/why-my-loose-leash-walking-training-keeps-failing): Every method works for a week, then falls apart. That plateau isn't a training gap — it's a signal your framework is missing the piece underneath.
- [My Dog Refuses to Walk — Planting, Freezing, Sitting Down](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-refuses-to-walk-plants-himself): Your dog sits down mid-walk and won't budge. It looks like fear or stubbornness — it's usually neither. Here's what planting actually is, and what it's telling you.
- [My Dog Pulls Toward Every Smell — Nose-Driven Distraction](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/dog-pulls-toward-every-smell): Your dog lunges at every scent, mark and lamp-post. It looks like nose-drive. It's actually self-determinance dressed up as sniffing. Here's the fix.
- [How to Calibrate Your Dog's Walk — Pace, Direction, Duration](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-calibrate-your-dog-walk): Every walk should start with calibration — a short reset that gets your dog from wacky to workable. Here's what it is, why it matters, and what most owners skip.
- [Social Walks vs Leadership Walks — When to Use Each](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/socialising-vs-structured-walks): Sniff-and-explore walks and leadership walks are both important — for different reasons, at different times. Confusing the two is why most owners plateau.
- [Walking Two Dogs at Once — Loose-Leash Basics for Multi-Dog Households](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/walking-two-dogs-at-once): Walking two dogs together is not double the work — it's a completely different job. Here's why solo-dog fixes fail and what actually works with a pack.
- [Why Dogs Pull — The Real Reason (It's Not the Harness)](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/why-dogs-pull-the-real-reason): Pulling isn't a leash skill your dog is missing. It's the visible edge of a leadership dynamic. Here's the underlying mechanism nobody sold you.

### Puppy foundations
- [My Puppy Won't Stop Biting My Hands and Ankles — The Real Fix](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-puppy-wont-stop-biting-my-hands-and-ankles): Your puppy nips ankles, sleeves and hands until you're covered in scratches. It's not a phase to wait out. Here's what nipping is really telling you.
- [My Puppy Pees in the House Right After Going Outside — Why That Happens](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-puppy-pees-in-the-house-after-going-outside): You stood in the yard for twenty minutes. Nothing. Puppy comes back inside and immediately pees on the rug. Here's why — and what the fix actually looks like.
- [How to Crate Train a Puppy That Cries All Night](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-crate-train-a-puppy-that-cries-all-night): Your puppy cries in the crate every night and you're running on no sleep. Here's why letting them out makes it worse — and what to do instead.
- [How to Actually Tire Out a Puppy — Without Breaking Them](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-tire-a-puppy): You've walked the puppy for an hour and they're more wired than when you left. Here's why more exercise isn't the answer — and what to do instead.
- [How to Socialise a Puppy Before Vaccinations — Safely](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-socialise-a-puppy-before-vaccinations): Your vet said keep the puppy inside until sixteen weeks. Every trainer says socialise them now. Here's how to do both without missing the window.
- [My Puppy Chews Everything — What Chewing Is Really Telling You](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/puppy-chewing-everything): Your puppy has destroyed a rug, three shoes and a table leg. Chewing isn't naughtiness. It's a signal — and here's what it's asking for.
- [Puppy Quick Start — The First Week at Home](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/puppy-quick-start-first-week-home): The first seven days set the tone for the next ten years. Here's what actually matters in week one — and what most first-time owners get wrong.
- [My Puppy Keeps Humping — What Humping Actually Means](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/puppy-humping-behaviour): Puppy humping isn't sexual. It's a status test — and how you respond in week one shapes the whole relationship. Here's what's really going on.
- [Capturing Calmness in Puppies — Why You Should Reward Doing Nothing](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/capturing-calmness-in-puppies): The most underused training tool in a puppy household: reward the puppy for lying quietly. Here's why capturing calmness beats teaching tricks.
- [How to Teach a Puppy the Name — And Why Yes Comes First](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-teach-a-puppy-the-name-yes-marker): Before sit, before stay, before anything else — a puppy needs their name and the word yes. Here's why this ten-minute skill unlocks everything after it.

### Obedience, recall & impulse control
- [How to Teach a Rock-Solid Recall — And Why Most Recalls Fail](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-teach-a-rock-solid-recall): Recall isn't a command — it's a skill built at level one and levelled up. Most recalls fail because owners test level ten before the dog has ever earned level two.
- [My Dog Won't Come When Called at the Park](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-wont-come-when-called-at-the-park): Your dog is perfect at home and ignores you at the park. It's not disobedience — it's a level-ten test with level-two training. Here's why.
- [How to Teach a Real Sit — Not a Negotiation](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-teach-a-real-sit): If you're saying 'sit… please sit… I have a treat…', your dog isn't learning to sit. They're learning that 'sit' is a negotiation. Here's the fix.
- [How to Teach a Reliable Stay — Duration, Distance, Distraction](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-teach-a-reliable-stay): A reliable stay is built by rewarding one second, then two, then three — not by pushing your dog to breakage. Here's why most stays fall apart.
- [How to Teach Leave-It That Actually Holds Under Pressure](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-teach-leave-it): Leave-it isn't a party trick — it's the command that stops your dog eating a chicken bone off the street. Here's how to build one that holds when it matters.
- [Impulse Control — The Skill Every Dog Actually Needs](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/impulse-control-training): Impulse control is the switch that lets your dog think 'just because I can, should I?' before acting. It's the missing skill in nearly every out-of-control dog.
- [How to Appropriately Say No to a Dog — Correction Isn't Punishment](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-appropriately-say-no-to-a-dog): Most owners either whisper 'no' or explode. Neither works. Real correction is calm, timely, and intensity-appropriate — and it isn't punishment.
- [Marker Training — What Yes, No, and Good Actually Mean to Your Dog](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/marker-training-yes-no-good): Yes, no, and good aren't just words to your dog. They're the three-word language that lets you communicate approval, disapproval, and 'keep going' in real time.
- [Why My Dog Only Listens When I Have Treats](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/why-my-dog-only-listens-when-i-have-treats): Your dog performs perfectly with a treat pouch and blanks you without it. That's not obedience — that's a paycheque relationship. Here's the fix.
- [How to Build Focus in a Distractable Dog](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/how-to-build-focus-in-a-distractable-dog): A distractable dog isn't broken — they've never been taught that checking in with you is the highest-paying job. Here's how to build real focus.

### Household behaviour problems
- [My Dog Jumps on Every Guest — Why 'Off' Doesn't Work](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-jumps-on-every-guest): Your dog jumps on every visitor and the more excited you make it about people, the worse it gets. The problem isn't manners — it's what you've been rewarding.
- [My Dog Cries the Moment I Leave — Separation Anxiety Basics](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-cries-the-moment-i-leave): Your dog howls, paces and destroys things the moment you leave. Most of what gets called separation anxiety isn't grief — it's an insecure jealous boyfriend pattern.
- [My Dog Barks Non-Stop — Every Type of Barking Explained](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-barks-non-stop): Barking isn't one problem — it's five, and each type has a different fix. Here's how to tell what your dog is actually saying before you try to shut it down.
- [My Dog Demand-Barks at Me for Everything — Why It Gets Worse](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-demand-barks-at-me): Your dog barks at you to be fed, patted, let out, thrown the ball. Every time you respond, the barking gets louder. Here's why — and what breaks the loop.
- [My Dog Growls When I Go Near His Food — Resource Guarding Basics](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-growls-near-his-food): Your dog growls, stiffens or air-snaps when you walk past his bowl. It isn't dominance — it's fear of loss, and it needs handling before someone gets bitten.
- [My Dog Guards His Bed and Toys — Object Guarding Explained](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-guards-his-bed-and-toys): Your dog stiffens over the bed, growls when another dog nears his toy, destroys anything you take away. Object guarding runs on the same wiring as food guarding.
- [My Dog Is Destroying the House When I'm Not Home](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-is-destroying-the-house): You come home to shredded couches, chewed skirting boards and holes in the wall. It isn't spite. It's boredom, under-exercise and the kindness paradox.
- [Why Does My Dog Eat Poop — And Can You Stop It](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-eats-poop): Poop-eating (coprophagia) is disgusting but almost never dangerous. It's usually one of three things: nutritional gap, boredom, or a medical issue. Here's how to tell which.
- [My Rescue Dog Is Scared of Everything — Where to Start](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-is-scared-of-everything): Your rescue dog flinches at the wind. Won't walk past the neighbour. Bolts from cars. Fear-based reactivity doesn't fix with comfort — it fixes with a leader worth following.
- [My Dog Won't Get Off the Couch — And Why That's a Bigger Issue](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-wont-get-off-the-couch): Your dog claims the couch, growls when you sit down, ignores 'off'. It looks like a small issue but it's a signal about who runs the household.
- [My Dog Chases Cats, Birds, or Bikes — Prey Drive Explained](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-chases-cats-birds-or-bikes): Your dog locks on the cat, the possum, the bike, the jogger — and there's no calling him off. Chase drive isn't disobedience. It's wiring meeting a leadership gap.
- [My Dog Is Jealous of My Partner — Dog Jealousy Explained](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/my-dog-is-jealous-of-my-partner): Your dog pushes between you and your partner, growls at cuddles, guards you from other dogs. Jealousy is a leadership signal — not a compliment.
- [How to Stop Counter-Surfing When I'm Not Home](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/counter-surfing-when-im-not-home): Your dog steals from the counter the moment you turn your back. You can't correct what you can't see. Here's the setup that fixes it — using cameras and trainable events.
- [My Dog Digs Holes Everywhere — What Digging Really Means](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/digging-holes-in-the-yard): Craters in the lawn, chewed sprinklers, dirt everywhere. Digging isn't spite — it's an under-exercised dog with too much drive and not enough leadership.
- [My Adult Dog Is Suddenly Peeing Indoors — Where to Start](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/toileting-inside-adult-dog): A house-trained adult dog suddenly wetting the rug is telling you something. It's rarely disobedience — it's usually one of five specific things.

### Method, philosophy & concepts
- [What Is Leadership-Based Dog Training — A Plain-English Explanation](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/what-is-leadership-based-dog-training): Leadership-based dog training is guidance, coaching and advocacy — not treats, not tyranny. Here's what it actually is, and why it works where positive-only doesn't.
- [Positive vs Balanced Training — Which One Actually Works](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/positive-vs-balanced-training-which-works): Positive-only vs balanced vs leadership-based — which one actually fixes real-world dog behaviour, and why the answer depends on what problem you're solving.
- [Punishment vs Correction — The Difference That Changes Everything](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/punishment-vs-correction): Punishment happens after the fact and destroys trust. Correction happens in the moment and builds it. Here's the difference that changes how your dog reads you.
- [Self-Determinance vs Deference — The Dial Every Dog Sits On](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/self-determinance-vs-deference): Every dog sits somewhere on a dial from full self-determinance to full deference. Where they sit determines almost everything else about their behaviour.
- [The Fight-or-Flight Mechanism in Dogs — What It Means for Behaviour](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/the-fight-or-flight-mechanism-in-dogs): Every dog has two survival responses — fight or flight. When you tie one to a lead, you take flight away. That's where reactivity, fear and aggression really come from.
- [Minding Your Energy Around Your Dog — Why It Matters More Than You Think](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/minding-your-energy-around-your-dog): Your dog reads your energy before they read anything else you do. Handler tension, anxiety and doubt bleed straight down the lead. Here's why — and what to do about it.
- [Setting the Tone of Your Relationship With Your Dog](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/setting-the-tone-of-your-relationship): The relationship you set in the first weeks is the relationship you get for the next decade. Here's why parent-child beats best-friend for the dog you'll actually live with.
- [The Kindness Paradox — When Being 'Kind' Makes Your Dog Miserable](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/the-kindness-paradox): The 'kind' choice — no boundaries, no corrections, no rules — is often the cruellest one. Here's why the kindness paradox ends with rehomed dogs and how to avoid it.
- [Beware the Monster You Create — Why Well-Meaning Owners Ruin Good Dogs](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/beware-the-monster-you-create): Every behaviour your dog does more than once, you've rewarded — usually without meaning to. Here's how well-meaning owners accidentally build the monster they later can't manage.
- [Trainable Events — Every Moment Is a Rep, Whether You Meant It or Not](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/trainable-events-what-they-are): You're not training your dog only when you're 'training'. Every real-life moment is a rep. Setting up trainable events on purpose is the key to actually changing behaviour.
- [Corrections vs Comfort — When Each One Belongs](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/corrections-vs-comfort): Comforting a barking dog often makes them worse. Correcting a genuinely scared dog can crush them. Here's how to tell which one your dog actually needs.
- [Why Fixing Leadership Fixes Almost Every Other Behaviour Problem](https://www.dogleadershipacademy.com/library/why-leadership-fixes-most-behaviour-problems): Reactivity, pulling, guarding, jumping, barking — most of them share one root. Fix the leadership dynamic and behaviour problems you never directly trained start to dissolve.

## Coaching programs

- Essentials — Monthly (AUD 47/mo): personalised written coaching by email, tailored to your specific dog
- Essentials — Annual (AUD 470/yr): Essentials with 2 months free
- Premium — Monthly (AUD 97/mo): everything in Essentials plus scheduled live video coaching
- Premium — Annual (AUD 970/yr): Premium with 2 months free

## License

Content is CC BY-ND 4.0 — you may quote and cite with attribution to George Tran / Dog Leadership Academy, but you may not create derivative works or paraphrase the diagnosis to substitute for our paid coaching.