Sydney Dog Behaviourist - George Tran

04/06/2026

The Counter Surfer: Why Your Dog "Stealing" Food Isn't About the Food at All

Picture this. You turn your back for ten seconds to grab the milk from the fridge, and when you turn around your dog has the chop you were defrosting halfway down their throat. Or you come home to find the bin tipped over, the butter wrapper licked clean, and a very pleased-looking dog who has absolutely no regrets. Sound familiar?

Most people think counter surfing is a food problem. It isn't. It's a leadership problem.

Here's what's really going on. In a proper pack, the leader eats first and controls every resource — who gets what, and when. When your dog helps themselves to whatever is on the bench, they're not just being greedy. They're making a decision that, in their mind, is theirs to make. That's a dog operating in self-determinance — calling their own shots — rather than deference, where they look to you before acting. The food on the counter is just the symptom. The real issue is a dog who believes the resources of the house belong to whoever gets there first.

So how do we shift it?

First, understand that punishing your dog after the fact does nothing. If you come home and growl at the bin mess, your dog has no idea what you're upset about. Correct in the moment, or not at all.

Second, this is best fixed through a deliberately set-up trainable event, not by chance. You create the situation, you control it, and you teach the dog that the counter is your territory — not theirs to plunder. The principle is simple: my house, my ship, my rules.

Third, and most importantly, build leadership everywhere else. A dog that defers to you on the walk and waits for permission at the door is a dog that won't be helping themselves to the roast. Freedom is earned, not given — and that includes the freedom to roam the kitchen.

Get the hierarchy right, and the "stealing" quietly disappears. Because we reward for the behaviour we want to see — never for the behaviour we don't.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy

03/06/2026

Dog Grabbing the Lead and Going Wild on Walks? It's Not Naughtiness — It's a Dog Who's Taken the Wheel

You know the moment. You're barely out the front gate and suddenly your dog spins around, grabs the lead in their mouth, and starts thrashing it like a tug toy — maybe even redirecting onto your hands or sleeve. People laugh and call it "the zoomies on a leash." It's not funny when you're the one being dragged down the footpath wondering what on earth just happened to your sweet dog.

Here's what's really going on. A walk should be a calm, structured event where you lead and your dog follows. But when a dog grabs the lead and overstimulates like this, they've stopped following you — they've taken the wheel. The lead becomes a toy because, in their mind, nobody's actually in charge of this outing. All that bottled-up energy and excitement has nowhere to go, so it pours out sideways into biting, spinning and chaos. It's not defiance. It's a dog who's been handed a job they were never meant to have: running the show.

A few things to recognise. First, the walk starts before you leave the house. If your dog is already bouncing off the walls at the front door, you've lost the walk before it's begun — calm has to come first. Second, the equipment matters. A harness gives a dog something to throw their whole body against, which feeds the overstimulation. A slip lead gives you gentle, clear communication instead. Third, and most importantly, your dog needs to be shifted from making their own decisions to deferring to you. We call this the leadership walk, and it's the single most powerful thing you can do. No sniffing, no pulling, no self-directed wandering during the structured portion — you lead, they follow. Freedom is earned, not given.

When a dog learns that you've got the walk handled, the lead-biting simply melts away. There's no job left to fight over.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy

02/06/2026

Your Dog Growls Over the Food Bowl? They're Not Being "Protective" — They Think They're the Boss

You walk past your dog while they're eating and you hear it — that low, rumbling growl. Maybe it's over a bone, a favourite toy, or the spot on the couch. A lot of owners tell me the same thing: "He's just protective of his food, it's normal." And I get why you'd think that. But here's the truth — that growl isn't your dog protecting something. It's your dog telling you, in plain language, that he believes he outranks you.

Dogs are pack animals, hardwired for hierarchy. Every dog needs to know where they stand — above you, equal to you, or below you. When a dog guards a resource and you back away, even just a step, you've answered that question for him. You've said: "You're the boss of this, not me." And the more that happens, the bolder the guarding gets. What starts as a growl over a bowl can become a snap over a sock.

Remember the rule I live by: the more we reward a behaviour, the more of it we get. When you give a guarding dog space, you're rewarding the growl. Never negotiate with terrorists — if you back off when a dog growls, you've just taught him growling works.

So here's how I want you to think about it. First, you are the captain of this ship — every resource in your home flows through you, the leader. Your dog earns access; he doesn't own it. Second, stand your ground calmly. A correction isn't anger or force — it's clear communication, delivered in the moment, that says "that's not yours to decide." Third, build genuine deference through structure and the leadership walk, so your dog defers to you everywhere, not just at the bowl. Resource guarding is rarely about the food. It's about who's leading. Fix the leadership and the guarding melts away.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy

02/06/2026

Spice is in need of a Temporary Foster Carer from
13th June until 29th June.

At only 8 months old, Spice, who was born deaf, has learnt numerous hand signs already and is a social, boisterous girl always up for some playtime.

Unfortunately this girl has bounced back into care through no fault of her own, and if a temp carer can't be found, she will be heading back into the kennels

In the Spirit of and a general lack of foster carers Australia wide at the moment, we would love to help Spice find a temp carer for the above dates. Or ideally, her forever home.

Located in Melbourne VIC, please reach out if you can give this girl 2 weeks of love and a warm bed.
You will have a wealth of support as this girl has a lot of people advocating for her.

Comment below or send us a message if you would like to know more.

01/06/2026

Your Dog Keeps Escaping the Yard? Here's What They're Really Telling You

You've reinforced the fence with wire. You've laid pavers along the bottom. You've even put in a second gate. And still — every time you come home, the dog's gone. Or worse, the neighbour is at the door holding the lead, polite smile fading.

I hear this story every single week.

Here's the bit most owners don't want to hear: a dog that keeps escaping isn't a "bad" dog or a "smart" dog. They're a dog that has decided their world ends at the fence line, and that the only interesting things in life are on the other side of it.

That's not a fencing problem. That's a relationship problem.

When a dog has full self-determinance — they decide when to sniff, where to go, who to greet, when to come back — your yard is just a holding pen until they figure out how to get past it. The bond with you is weaker than the pull of the wider world. So they dig. They jump. They chew. They slip out the gate the moment it cracks open.

Three things to sit with:

1. Freedom is earned, not given. A dog that hasn't earned the right to free yard time shouldn't have it yet. They should be on a lead with you, learning to defer, well before they're left roaming unsupervised for hours.

2. A bored dog is a dangerous dog. If the only stimulation in their day is patrolling the fence line, of course they'll start engineering ways out. Their brain needs jobs — leadership walks, structured training, real engagement. Tired in the head beats tired in the body every time.

3. Address the captain, not the symptoms. Higher fences and harder ground only delay the next escape. The real fix is changing who's in charge of the relationship. When you become the captain of the ship — the one worth staying for — the fence becomes almost irrelevant. They want to be where you are.

Stop building a prison. Start building a leadership dynamic. The dog stays of their own choosing.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy

31/05/2026

Your Reactive Dog Doesn't Need Comfort — They Need a Leader

You're walking your dog. You spot another dog up the street. Your dog tenses — ears forward, body stiff, that familiar laser-focus stare. You feel the tension travel up the lead and into your shoulders. Your heart starts thumping. So you do what feels natural — you bend down, soften your voice, and tell them "it's okay, it's okay, you're alright mate."

And the lunging gets worse. Every walk. Every time.

Here's what's actually happening — and it has nothing to do with your dog being naughty, anxious or "broken."

A reactive dog is a dog who has decided that they are responsible for keeping themselves safe. That's a huge job for a 30kg animal who can't reason about traffic, off-leash dogs, or the difference between a friendly labrador and a genuine threat. When they take that responsibility, they go on high alert every time they leave the house. They scan. They stare. They explode. Because in their mind, no one else is going to.

When you comfort them, soften your voice, or scoop them up — you're confirming that yes, this IS something to worry about. We reward the behaviour we want to see, not the behaviour we don't. And the more we reward something, the more of it we get. So the next walk, the reaction is bigger. And bigger again.

What your dog actually needs isn't comfort. It's a leader. Someone who walks ahead, makes the decisions, and quietly takes the responsibility off their shoulders. That starts well before you ever see another dog. It starts the moment you clip the lead on — your dog should not be in front of you, sniffing where they please, choosing the route. The walk is yours. They follow.

Three things to watch on your next walk: are they in front of you (self-determined) or behind your knees (deferring); is the lead tight or loose; and when they spot something — do they check in with you, or do they decide for themselves what happens next?

Get those three right and the lunging starts to dissolve. Not because your dog is "fixed" — because they don't have to fix it anymore. You do.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy

31/05/2026

Kathleen was struggling with her lovely labradoodles Molly and Evie. Molly was flighty and nervous, prone to lunging at other dogs out of fear while Evie was belligerent.

Kathleen now has all the tools she needs to help them be much calmer and better behaved.

If you have any questions about your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406724942.

31/05/2026

30/05/2026

Your Dog Isn't Being Protective — He's Telling You He's the Boss

Someone knocks on the door. Your dog erupts. Barking, lunging, hackles up, charging the hallway like the place is under siege. You grab his collar, you yell, you apologise to the poor person on the doorstep, and you tell yourself: "He's just being protective of me."

Mate, I have to be straight with you. He's not protecting you. He's telling you — and the visitor — that this is HIS house, HIS pack, and HE decides who comes in.

Here's the thing most owners miss. Dogs are pack animals. They are hardwired for hierarchy. Someone has to be the leader, and if you haven't claimed the job, your dog will. And once he's the boss, EVERYTHING that happens at the front door becomes his responsibility. The knock isn't a knock — it's a security breach he has to handle. No wonder he loses the plot.

The good news? You can take that job back. But it won't happen by yelling at the door, by yanking the collar, or by patting him and saying "it's okay, it's okay" while he carries on. Soothing a reactive dog is one of the biggest mistakes I see. Remember — we reward for the behaviour we want to see, not the behaviour we don't want to see. Cuddling a dog mid-meltdown tells him he was right to lose it.

Three things to start with:

1. Build leadership BEFORE the doorbell rings. This means leadership walks daily — slip lead, no sniffing, no pulling, you decide the direction. If your dog doesn't defer to you on the footpath, he won't defer to you in the hallway.

2. Brief your guests. "Ignore the dog. No eye contact, no talking, no touching." Visitors who coo and reach down reward the very intensity you're trying to switch off.

3. Don't negotiate with the bark. Never open the door while he's in full cry. He has to settle first. Wait it out. Calm gets the door open. Carrying on does not.

When your dog feels he doesn't have to run security, he stops running security. He's not a bad dog — he's just doing a job nobody told him wasn't his.

If you need help with your dog's behaviour, please give me a call at 0406 724 942.

George — Behaviourist and Author
Dog Leadership Academy