Finally, there are some real answers:
for trainers & behaviorists,
for veterinary & shelter pros,
for groomers & walkers & sitters & keepers.
FOR DOG PEOPLE, LIKE YOU.

You're a pro. You already know a bit about "how" to teach dogs & people. But sometimes you just can't shake the sense that you're missing some critical pieces of the puzzle— like "why" so many behaviors are happening in the first place.

We have been taught to view dog behavior all wrong – as something it is our job to change or “fix”. Most of us trainers, with our emphasis on “how” to change behavior, are not getting the depth of meaningful resolution for the dogs & families we serve that they so desperately need—because we never actually get to the source of the problems that those symptom behaviors are reflecting. 

You want to be the very best for dogs and people, & you know you need to find those missing keys to do it. Well, get ready to take your professional journey to the next level, because you finally found them. Fill in the gaps, connect the dots, & give yourself & the dog families you serve the comprehensive understandings & interventions that make the difference.

Student Reviews

Energize & Level Up Your Dog PRO Career

  • Unlock the Why

    You know. Many dogs are in real trouble these days. Like any other animal on earth, dogs struggle & suffer when the “key” of who they naturally are doesn’t fit the “lock” of their world. Most dogs are living a “pet” life, but weren’t designed for that habitat. Knowing why will energize your work.

  • Upgrade Your Understanding

    There’s a growing collection of leading professionals who have recognized the problem & are actively working to reconcile the gaps between science & practice in our field. The only question for each of us to answer is whether or not we’re going to keep up as professionals, & push ourselves to grow with the science we now have. Get your mind blown & CEUs (CCPDT, IAABC, RACE)

  • This is the Beginning

    This course is just the beginning of a journey for you as you join a new community to dog pros who are finally moving away from the polarized debates about HOW to best train dogs in order to have a far more consequential dialogue. This course is the organic body of the future of our industry. And we need you.

What you will learn inside

this one of a kind course

  • Fill in the gaps and connect the dots, giving you the missing links and puzzle pieces in your education so far with information and insights you can't find in any other course in the world.

  • Level up your professional career and relationships with dogs, as you join the cutting edge of the dog behavior industry.

  • Give you a community of leading dog professionals who are committed to respectful and creative dialogue in order to solve practical problems, where egos are checked at the door.

  • Give you the science to substantiate the observations and experiences you are having in your life and work with dogs in the modern age.

  • Provide you with a professional designation that you can be proud to hold as a Family Dog Mediator.

  • Relieve you from the burnout and pressure you have been feeling in your work.

Kim Brophey CDBC, CPDT-KA

Applied Ethologist and Owner of The Dog Door Behavior Center in downtown Asheville, NC.

Kim Brophey has garnered international attention in the industry for bringing applied ethology to the table, & wants you to pull up a seat & discover what you’ve been missing. Welcome to the new course in the pet dog industry. Welcome to a whole new world for dog pros. This course has the L.E.G.S. ® to get you there. Let’s evolve together.
Kim Brophey with dogs

Recorded on Location

in front of a live audience at Wolf Park

We were able to film this incredible live course experience so that you ALL can join us back where it all started, with the first 50 people to ever take this course. We hope to share that magical atmosphere with you inside this version on video.
It is exciting that the atmosphere of that moment in our industry is one that we will all be able to share together as students.
Seminar Group from Wolf Park

The ONE comprehensive course available to teach you WHY a dog's behavior is actually happening

Content Available September 30th 2021

Curriculum Highlights

Welcome to the Course

Course Introduction and Section 1: Dogs, People, Pros.

  • The Field of Dog Training and Behavior
  • Asking the Wrong Questions


Part One - L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology - Begins with Section 2: LIFE

  • Ethology - Life. Nature. Evolution.
  • Applied Ethology
  • Where OUR World Collides With Theirs
  • Phenotype and L.E.G.S.®
  • Integrating the Sciences


Section 3: Some Ethology 101

  • Ethology - Terms and Concepts


Section 4: Some Evolution 101

  • The Cornerstones of Evolution
  • Tinbergen’s 4 questions
  • “Levels of Analysis”
  • Coppinger’s Three Categories of Behavior


Section 5: Some Evolution 101

  • The Problems We Create: Interference in Genetics and Environment


Section 6: Welfare

  • What Is Welfare?
  • The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare
  • Captivity and Compromise


Section 7: "Behavior Problems" as Symptoms

  • Behavior Is Naturally Adaptive and Functional in Life
  • Maladaptive Behavior
  • Symptom of Problems and Inadequate Welfare
  • Need For New Solutions
  • Applied Ethology and Family Dog Mediation


Introduction to Part Two - Family Dog Mediation

Section 8: SELF

The Big 6 Internal Conditions of the Dog & Effects on Behavior

  • Individual Personality/Psyche
  • Age/Ontongeny
  • Sex/Hormones
  • Nutrition/Condition
  • Disability/Physical Injury
  • Health/Physiology


Section 9: GENETICS

  • The Social Animal & Behavior
  • Wolf to Dog- Evolution’s Selections
  • The Ten Genetic Working Groups
  • History and Selections
  • Predatory Selections
  • Specific Learning and Environmental Needs


Section 10: ENVIRONMENT 

  • The Literal Environment
  • The Social Environment


Section 11: LEARNING 

  • Socialization
  • Relationship
  • The Power of Patterns
  • Communication
  • Social learning
  • Carrot vs Stick vs Premack
  • The Relationship Between Operant and Classical Conditioning
  • Methodology and Management
  • Punishment Problems
  • Changing Course- Neuroplasticity
  • Behavior and Stimulus Chains
  • Frontal Lobe Obstacles and Opportunities
  • Common Behavior Problems and Fast Practical Solutions


Section 12:  L.E.G.S. in Motion

Section 13: Kim's top dog hacks (practical solutions and interventions using applied ethology)

View our full curriculum PDF here

Kim Brophey has been seen on...

Become a Certified Family Dog Mediator

Get started now with our convenient

Frequently Asked Questions

Kim has thought of everything for you

  • Will there be a final exam/testing to complete the course?

    There are quizzes at the end of each section. The certificate level is for the accomplishment of completing the course, and then there’s a second level of licensure to demonstrate competency, which you will learn more about in the course.

  • How long will I have access to the course materials?

    You have lifetime access to the course.

  • Is it self paced or do I need to available at certain times?

    The course is entirely self paced for your convenience. Move through the content as you like, at your own speed.

  • In what format is the course content delivered?

    The course consists of the videos recorded when Kim orginally presented it live at Wolf Park, and so is far more dynamic and interesting to view for the size course that it is given that there was a live audience. There is a color downloadable/printable course book that coincides with the course content as you progress as well. In addition, there are numerous downloadable bonus materials for students within the course components: articles, posters and client handouts, logos for advertising your new certification, information about licensing, and other practical resources for you to use in implementation of the material in your work

  • Is there any recommended reading or viewing to compliment the course?

    Books:
    Meet Your Dog – Kim Brophey;
    Biophilia – Edward O. Wilson;
    Animals Make Us Human – Temple Grandin;
    Your Inner Fish – Neil Shubin;
    Dogs – A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution – Raymond Coppinger,
    Videos:
    What Darwin Never Knew – PBS;
    Planet Earth Series – Discovery Channel,
    Life Series – Discovery Channel;
    Motor Patterns and Their Influence on Breed Specific Behavior Problems – Ken McCort

  • Who is this course designed for? Do you have to be a professional trainer to take this course?

    This course was designed for dog behavior pros who want to fill in the gaps in their education as trainers and take their career to the next level, by providing the missing pieces of the puzzle in their knowledge so far. BUT it is appropriate for other dog pros who are in the position of working with behavior such as shelter and rescue staff, veterinary professionals, daycare and kennel staff, dog walkers and sitters, and even aspiring trainers and seriously passionate students of their own dog's behavior. For anyone who really wants to understand the whole picture of what is actually happening for dogs behaviorally in the 21st century, this course is a critical and unique element of their education.

  • Is there any ongoing support from the instructor, a way to ask questions and talk about the content with other students?

    Yes! We have a dedicated Facebook Group for students of the course: LEGS Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation Course

  • Will I be certified as a Family Dog Mediator after taking this course?

    YES! You will receive a certificated of completion and will be able to use the designation FDM after your name

  • What have students of the course felt about the value of the information so far?

    100% of the students who have reviewed this course said that it was valuable, that they learned a lot, and that they enjoyed it!

Applied Ethologist

Kim Brophey

Kim’s 20-year commitment to Family Dog Mediation® has been recognized both nationally and locally, awarded the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) Outstanding Trainer of the Year in 2009 and the Best Dog Trainer of WNC six years in a row. She has lectured and taught courses at colleges, universities, and conferences on canine behavior, ethology, and welfare. Kim is a member of the International Society for Applied Ethology and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and is a past board member of the International Association and Animal Behavior Consultants and the Asheville Humane Society. 

Kim’s trademarked Dog L.E.G.S.® model is a groundbreaking new system for dog lovers to truly understand their dogs’ behavior- distilling multiple scientific disciplines and established principles into a simple and accessible framework for pet dogs and their people like never before. Kim is launching a coordinated grassroots movement to facilitate a paradigm shift and market disruption in the pet industry through: her book MEET YOUR DOG- The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior, TEDx talk – The Problem with Treating a Dog Like a Pet, Canine Genetic Heritage Testing Software –The Dog Key®, National Dog L.E.G.S.® Association for pet industry businesses and organizations, L.E.G.S.® Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation® Professional Course, BEYOND THE OPERANT (BTO) Collaborative and establishment of Asheville as the official Dog City, USA®. She has become a powerful leading voice in the dog behavior and training industry internationally, with students all over the world. Kim’s vision is to facilitate a critical paradigm shift in our relationships with dogs- building bridges and inspiring others with comprehensive, practical science to redefine how we perceive, talk about, and treat our canine companions as a society.

What people are saying

about our Seminar Version of this Course

Join us in the L.E.G.S.® evolution that is changing the entire conversation in the dog behavior industry

Get started immediately!

More Student Reviews

Dog Pros Can't Stop Raving About the Course!