Our Standards and Guiding Principles

Our dogs are our companions first

Our Doodles live in our home with us, or in the homes of their guardian families, and share our daily lives. We limit our number of dogs so that every dog receives excellent daily care, individual play and activities, and group play and exercise with our other dogs. 

We work from home and our dogs are not routinely confined away from us. They enjoy being with us while we work, engage in hobbies, and just relax.

Our dogs have choices

Over the course of our lives with dogs, we have embraced emerging science and our current area of interest is applied ethology, which Kim Brophey has described as "studying animals that are under some form of human control, some type of captivity". Our companion animals are included in that group.

Cooperative care falls within this field of study. Cooperative care is becoming more widely embraced in our human interactions with animals. You can find many examples in modern zoos, where tigers agree to hold still for vaccinations, or elephants present their feet willingly for routine care.

For much of dog/human history, humans have demanded instant obedience instead of encouraging willing cooperation. By giving our companion dogs as many options in their care and training as we can, we not only make their lives better, happier, and more fulfilling - we also develop a deeper bond with these companions we love so much.

Opting out is another focus for us, and something we use for any games or activities we offer to our dogs. If a dog enjoys chasing the ball but not bringing it back, opting out of the second part is just fine with us. If the dog loves backyard agility except the dog walk, there is no problem with them skipping that obstacle.

Sometimes opting out is a result of anxiety about the activity - we do not pressure the worried dog, but we do present them ongoing chances to participate if they want to. An example is during group play with our dogs, we engage in various activities and games with those who choose to. Observing their friends enjoy an activity is often an incentive for the worried dog to try it, too.

We are all about healthy canine minds in healthy canine bodies

Our main focus in breeding our companion dogs is excellent companion temperament and lifelong health. We are fortunate that the other physical traits we value (adult weight of ten to twenty-five pounds and a low shedding coat) can be found in many dogs of a variety of breeds and mixes who exhibit the temperament and health we are looking for.

Our most desired traits include

• Friendly behavior with the people and other animals they live with
• Neutral or friendly behavior with unknown people and other animals
• Lack of resource guarding (food, toys, etc), particularly with people
• Lack of reactivity or other fear or aggression toward people, other animals, noises, and challenging situations
• Acceptance of physical handling of all kinds, particularly as related to their grooming needs
• Excellent startle recovery to loud noises, sudden movements, and other unexpected events
• A natural tendency against excessive barking when all of their needs are being met
• A natural desire to be near their people and to interact positively with their people
• Excellent functional structure so our dogs can engage in all the things dogs should be able to do painlessly and happily - running, jumping, climbing, playing, digging, freely breathing, tolerating a reasonable range of temperatures and weather
• Genetic diversity to help prevent many health disorders, and a very low coefficient of inbreeding.
• Excellent lifelong health free of congenital or hereditary disorders that are life-threatening or cause significant quality of life issues (especially those that present before the dog is well into their senior years)
• A low shedding coat
• Adult weight ideally between ten and twenty-five pounds

People are our passion project

We respect and value

• our Doodle families
• our fellow breeders
• canine scientists and researchers
• our veterinary team
• our local community including our friends and neighbors; animal shelters and rescues; police, fire, and city workers

Continuing education is vital in any profession, and dog breeding and training are no exceptions.

We regularly participate in online and in person learning opportunities including webinars, seminars, classes, forums, groups, scientific paper review, videos, blogs,  podcasts, and informal chats with fellow dog professionals.

A partial list of recent education:

Functional Dog Collaborative

• Podcast
• Functional Breeding Facebook Group
• April 2025 FDC 2 Day Webinar on Functional Breeding

MadCap University

• Puppy Culture Film - 50 lessons covering the critical first 12 weeks of a puppy's life
• From Newborn to New Home - A 27 hour advanced, comprehensive course for breeders 
• Puppy Culture Podcast

Ethology

• The Dog's Truth with Kim Brophey

Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

• Sarah Stremming - Enrichment for Dogs: Ditch the Bowl, Better Their Life!
• Christina Young - Are They Having Fun Yet? Teaching Polite Dog-Dog Play
• Nicole Wiebusch - Calm in the Crate: Skills for Success
• Deb Jones - 101 Things to Do With a Chin Rest
• Christina Young - Teaching Dogs How to "Opt Out" Without Leaving the Conversation

Good Dog

• The Ins and Outs of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
• Part I: Coefficient of Inbreeding
• Part II: Genetic Diversity and Population Health
• Breeder Mythbusters: Top Ten Myths in Canine Reproduction
• Best Practices for the Welfare of Breeding Animals
• Good Dog Pod

Other Podcasts

• The Future of Dogs
• Cog Dog Radio
• The Bitey End of the Dog
• The Dog's Voice