The Doodle Pro®: Positive Dog Training for Calm Doodles

Can a Doodle truly be bred ethically, or have you started to wonder what really separates a responsible breeder from a polished broker website and the right buzzwords?
And have you ever felt you had to defend your choice to bring home a Doodle, like you owed someone an explanation for the dog you love?
You deserve honest, science-based answers, and you never needed anyone's permission to love your Doodle.
In Part 2 of this conversation, I'm back with three members of the board of the Goldendoodle Association of North America: Kelsey Painter of Fox Creek Farm, Brenda Adtruson of Bren's Doodles, and Shari Hall of Shining Star Doodles, who is also the current president of GANA. I sat in a room at the GANA conference and watched purebred breeders, even a Dalmatian breeder and a Miniature Poodle breeder, show up just to learn, because the level of science in that room was so high. I wanted to bring you that same eye-opening half of the conversation.
We cover:
Whether a Doodle can even be bred ethically, and how the board answers that question head-on
Why a "champion show line" with a CHIC number can still hide serious health problems, one Westminster-line Mini Poodle's story will stop you
The "no good purebred breeder would ever sell to a Doodle program" myth, and the show breeders quietly doing exactly that under NDAs
GANA's three-generation rule and how genetic diversity protects your Goldendoodle's longevity
What ethical breeding includes beyond health testing, from clear program goals to puppy enrichment like ENS, Puppy Culture, and Avidog
If you've ever been made to feel small for choosing a Doodle, or you just want the real standard behind responsible Goldendoodle breeding, this episode is not to be missed.
Here's to informed Doodle parenting,
Corinne
Want to learn from the leading experts in Doodle behavior, training, grooming, vet care, and nutrition all in one place? The Doodle Pro® Summit: Doodle Parent Edition 2026 happens July 27 to 29, and your complimentary spot is waiting. Save Your Spot at https://doodleprosummit.com 🎟️
The close of this episode is all about giving your puppy a calm, confident start. The complimentary Puppy Prep Pack hands you exactly that, from socialization to schedule to settling. Get Instant Access at thedoodlepro.com/puppy-prep-pack 🐾

RESOURCES & BREEDER DIRECTORY
Looking for an ethical breeder? Start with the Gold Standard Circle™, my hand-curated, invite-only network of ethical Doodle breeders across every Doodle cross, including Goldendoodle, Bernedoodle, Cavapoo, Sheepadoodle, Aussiedoodle, Cockapoo, and Whoodle: thedoodlepro.com/topbreeders
For a Goldendoodle specifically, you can also search GANA's full directory of certified breeders at goldendoodleassociation.com 
All three of today's guests are part of the Gold Standard Circle™:
Bren's Doodles: thedoodlepro.com/go/brensdoodles
Shining Star Doodles: thedoodlepro.com/go/shiningstardoodles
Fox Creek Farm: thedoodlepro.com/go/foxcreekfarm
For breeder listeners: Grab the complimentary Doodle Breeder Bonus Kit, my resource bundle for ethical Doodle breeders, at thedoodlepro.com/doodle-breeder-resources/
And this is the final week for the GANA offer: $100 off the kennel application, bringing it to just $99. Use code podcast2026 at goldendoodleassociation.com. If you're already meeting these health standards, consider this your invitation to join the people doing this work the right way.
I'm also proud to share that I've partnered with GANA so that renewing Goldendoodle Society members receive a copy of my book, Your Doodle's Daily Schedule Blueprint™. 
Connect with the Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA):
Website: goldendoodleassociation.com
Instagram: instagram.com/ganabreeders/
🎧 More episodes: thedoodlepro.com/podcast
 🎉 The Doodle Pro® Virtual Summit is coming this summer, and the waitlist is open now! 
Three days of science-based, no shame, no blame guidance to help you raise the whole Doodle, not just train one. Get on the waitlist to be the first to find out who's joining the lineup, get first access before doors open, plus a complimentary gift while you wait.
👉 Save your spot: doodleprosummit.com 
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

You have twelve breeder tabs open and every one looks perfect. So how do you tell a truly ethical Goldendoodle breeder from a polished website or a puppy broker?

In Part 1 of this conversation, three members of the Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA) board explain what real health testing looks like, why "vet checked" is not the same as health tested, and the simple questions that reveal whether a breeder is doing the deeper work. This is the practical, reassuring roadmap every Doodle family deserves before bringing a puppy home.

If you are looking for a Goldendoodle, start at the GANA directory at goldendoodleassociation.com. 
For all Doodle crosses, the Gold Standard Circle is my hand-selected network of breeders I trust. Visit thedoodlepro.com/topbreeders

Breeders listening: GANA is offering $100 off the kennel application, code podcast2026, while this episode is fresh.
 🎉 The Doodle Pro® Virtual Summit is coming this summer, and the waitlist is open now! 
Three days of science-based, no shame, no blame guidance to help you raise the whole Doodle, not just train one. Get on the waitlist to be the first to find out who's joining the lineup, get first access before doors open, plus a complimentary gift while you wait.
👉 Save your spot: doodleprosummit.com 
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

Thinking about a Goldendoodle, or living with one who's more furry tornado than teddy bear? This 2026 Goldendoodle 101 gives you the complete picture: the breed's surprising service-dog origins, the field vs show Golden distinction that explains so much about red Doodles, why "vet checked" is not health tested, the COI number that stunned a New Yorker writer, and exactly how to find an ethical breeder. Plus the story of Amy Lane of Fox Creek Farm, creator of the Mini Goldendoodle and founder of GANA, whose business partner joins me next week with two more GANA board members.
🐾 Save Your Spot at The Doodle Pro® Summit, July 27-29: doodleprosummit.com
🐾 Gold Standard Circle™ curated breeders: thedoodlepro.com/gold-standard-circle-doodle-breeders/
🐾 Goldendoodle GANA breeder directory: goldendoodleassociation.com
 🎉 The Doodle Pro® Virtual Summit is coming this summer, and the waitlist is open now! 
Three days of science-based, no shame, no blame guidance to help you raise the whole Doodle, not just train one. Get on the waitlist to be the first to find out who's joining the lineup, get first access before doors open, plus a complimentary gift while you wait.
👉 Save your spot: doodleprosummit.com 
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

Have you questioned whether Doodle breeding really produces healthier dogs than purebred dogs? Or felt like you had to defend that choice without the science to back it up?
You deserve honest, science-based answers that don't talk down to you or make assumptions about why you chose to become a Doodle parent.
In this episode, I'm joined by John Seabrook, a staff writer at The New Yorker, who wrote a deeply reported piece on responsible breeding, the business of designer dogs, and what genetic diversity actually means for your dog's health.
We cover: 
• Health testing at the Goldendoodle Association of North America 
• The science of hybrid vigor and the coefficient of inbreeding 
• Why the AKC has refused to engage with Doodles 
• What drove the rise of shelter Doodles after the pandemic 
• What the best Doodle breeders do differently to protect your Doodle
If you're a Doodle parent looking for science-backed answers on responsible breeding using balanced, honest research, this episode is not to be missed.
Here's to informed Doodle parents, Corinne
🎟️ Save your spot at The Doodle Pro® Summit: https://doodleprosummit.com 🎙️
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro® and a certified dog trainer and Doodle specialist with over 50,000 hours of hands-on Doodle experience. She helps Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using science-based positive reinforcement, and is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle's Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint: https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/ 🎧 More episodes: https://thedoodlepro.com/listen
Article mentioned: How Doodles Became the Dog du Jour https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/23/how-doodles-became-the-dog-du-jour

 🎉 The Doodle Pro® Virtual Summit is coming this summer, and the waitlist is open now! 
Three days of science-based, no shame, no blame guidance to help you raise the whole Doodle, not just train one. Get on the waitlist to be the first to find out who's joining the lineup, get first access before doors open, plus a complimentary gift while you wait.
👉 Save your spot: doodleprosummit.com 
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast

Bunny the Sheepadoodle has taught millions of us to listen to our dogs differently, and this week her mom Alexis Devine is back for Part 2 of our conversation. 🐾

If Part 1 reframed how you see your Doodle, Part 2 hands you the practicalplaybook. Alexis explains why buttons without body language are basicallymeaningless, why any dog (yes, any dog) can learn this, how to handle the "my dog won't stop pressing the treat button" wall, and the medicine button moment that changed how she thinks about agency for animals.

Plus, the one button Bunny would press about us humans. It's perfect. 😂

🐾 Try buttons with your own Doodle (12% off code DOODLEPRO):
https://thedoodlepro.com/shop/fluentpet

🎟️ Save your spot at the Doodle Pro Summit:
https://doodleprosummit.com
 🎉 The Doodle Pro® Virtual Summit is coming this summer, and the waitlist is open now! 
Three days of science-based, no shame, no blame guidance to help you raise the whole Doodle, not just train one. Get on the waitlist to be the first to find out who's joining the lineup, get first access before doors open, plus a complimentary gift while you wait.
👉 Save your spot: doodleprosummit.com 
Corinne Gearhart is the founder of The Doodle Pro®, a science-based training platform helping Doodle parents raise calmer, well-mannered dogs using positive reinforcement. She is the host of The Doodle Pro® Podcast and author of Your Doodle’s Daily Schedule Blueprint™.
📘 Get the Doodle Schedule Blueprint:
https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-schedule-bonus/

🎧 More episodes:
https://thedoodlepro.com/podcast