Got a puppy that’s driving you crazy every night before bedtime?
Read on because I have a dog training hack for you that’s going to rock your world.
The Karl Hack is one of many dog training hacks developed by Applied Ethologist, Kim Brophey, CDBC, BA. Kim Brophey is the creator of the “L.E.G.S” model and is a nationally certified and award-winning canine behavior consultant who is also the owner of Dog Door Behavior Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
Kim Brophey developed the L.E.G.S model after many years in the dog training biz. She couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing in all of the obedience work and “misbehavior” labels she was facing as she worked with her clients to help change their dog’s behavior.
Kim’s model zooms in on 4 aspects of your domestic dog’s entire experience on this Earth. Its attention also stretches beyond your dog’s life into their ancestry, breeding history and overall epigenetic makeup. L.E.G.S stands for Learning, Environment, Genetics and Self. The model adds another layer to our toolbox in the neverending quest to understand our dogs and help them with more ease and connection. Since working with the added perspective of the L.E.G.S model under my belt, I’ve found it easier and more enjoyable to develop fun and easy ways to integrate a deeper understanding of what makes our dog, uniquely our dog and how exactly we can tap into that.
The Karl Hack was developed by Kim Brophey in response to the multiple calls a day she would receive from desperate new puppy parents losing their minds every evening when their little cuddly furbaby suddenly decided that mum was now a giant human chew toy. I don’t know about you but anyone who knows what it feels like to be grabbed at by sharp puppy teeth can relate to the building frustration it can bring on. Our well-meaning efforts to say “OUCH!”, redirect with a treat or a toy or push puppy off of us only intensifies our puppies’ excitement for the fun game we’re unintentionally playing with them.
In comes ‘The Karl Hack’.
Your puppy likely spent his ENTIRE life alongside other puppies. If he didn’t, this hack is even MORE important for his well-being!
What do a bunch of puppies do together when they’re not sleeping together or eating together? They beat the living daylights out of each other! It’s literally their favorite thing in the world and a very crucial part of their muscle memory and motor skill development. So, what happens when we scoop these little guys up at 8 or 9 weeks and whisk them away to live in a house filled with primate humans?
What a shock it must be for a puppy to suddenly be surrounded by a bunch of bi-pedal beings who don’t even use their mouth to say hello and speak none of the same language as them. This basic social need is cut off so abruptly that it’s no secret puppies transitioning into domestic life can experience a lot of distress. Think puppy screaming in a crate kinda vibe. “Where the heck did all my siblings go?!” he’s thinking.
Most of those clients who phoned Kim Brophey were looking for ways to teach their puppy a command like “No Bite” or get some sort of quick tip on how to “stop the biting”. And who could blame them? That’s how we’ve learned what “dog training” is. This sort of magic sauce through which an individual can control what a dog does or doesn’t do.
Instead, Kim told her clients to brew a cup of tea, order the giant stuffed dog in whatever breed they wanted and present it to their tiny terror right before their puppy’s usual time of assault. Not only did her clients get to experience the pure joy of watching their little angel now direct all of that demon puppy energy onto what was finally a willing participant, but they noticed such a huge reduction in the puppy biting insanity that most of them didn’t need to teach the puppy “no biting”. Their puppy just needed a Karl!
That’s the beauty of L.E.G.S! It takes us up to another level of living with dogs in a more harmonious and socially relevant way. It also puts the power into YOUR hands as you become fluent in your dogs’ unique social needs!
So try it out!
Your puppy (and your clothes and hands) will thank you!
Sydney Lupton
