There’s a method to my Lowe’s madness. I stopped walking and put this 15 week old trainee in a Sit/Wait because I saw something he didn’t. Crossing at the end of our aisle was a gentleman and his beautiful but quite overstimulated Australian Shepherd. Aussie saw my puppy, and wanted to come down our aisle for a visit. Aussie Owner did not want this, nor did I. The owner was wrestling with him, fussing at him, clearly having a difficult time. I could see it wouldn’t be a positive interaction for the trainee, so I was prepared to make an about face. A redirect was my next step. While Aussie owne ..read more

“I would never lock my dog up in a crate, it’s so cruel and he hates it.” Wrong! I cringe when I hear this. Do these puppies look stressed? Anxious? Upset? We are firm believers in the crate, and use it as the foundation for all training. Here’s why you should, too: https://video.wixstatic.com/video/f8b86d_080bf3a764aa4dad9bda22c21300c47a/360p/mp4/file.mp4 Free-roaming gives your dog opportunities to make poor impulse-based choices, setting him up for failure. If I can’t have my eyes on a puppy, he is contained for his safety and my sanity. Crate training means that in your absence, your dog ..read more

Perhaps not a popular opinion, but here it is: we don’t do Dog Park. We don’t like Dog Park. We avoid Dog Park. There, I said it. Y’all come at me, I’m ready! Being country dwellers, we don’t experience the challenges of locating a safe space for our dogs to burn off excess energy. We have the luxury of exercising our dogs and trainees right here at home, so going to a Dog Park has never been on our radar. We simply haven’t had a need for it. Until we did. We made a cross country drive to visit my kiddo in Colorado a couple of months ago. Sister the Airedale came with us, and a four month old ..read more

This is BusyBee. Bee is indeed busy - her family named her with intent and accuracy. Bee and brother Toby are about halfway through their 2 month training program. While Recess and Bath Time don’t necessarily sound like “training”, both play important roles in their education. Recess lets a dog be a dog. We can create enrichment opportunities, even through unstructured play. A simple walk through the woods accomplishes multiple goals: Exposure. Giving her the opportunity to safely romp off-leash, to splash in puddles, to roll in smelly smells. All of these activities build character and confi ..read more

Gonzo’s first day with his new family, and he’s making himself right at home. Children are BETTER with puppies, y’all. Dr Carmen Battaglia’s research findings tell us so: Finding # 1. Children who lived with a pup during their first year of life had better immune systems than those who did not. Finding # 2. Playing with and petting a puppy decreases cortisol and increases Oxytocin, a body chemical that promotes happiness, calms the mind and increases mood. Finding # 4. Allowing a 3-year-old to put the food and water bowl down helps them develop self-esteem. Finding # 5. Teachers who studied c ..read more

We won’t fly our puppies cargo - entirely too much can go wrong, it’s just not worth the risk. It’s in-cabin travel only for Golden Valley Doodles, - you can fly to us and we will meet you at the airport with your puppy. Or if flying with a puppy sounds too daunting, we are delighted to fly to you! Air travel with a young puppy has its challenges, but proper preparation will create a more enjoyable experience for everyone. Booking your flight: nonstop is a luxury where available if you have the inevitable connection like we do, find flights with a minimum layover of 1hr 15min, but no longer t ..read more

We buried our goodest girl Gypsy on Monday. She went night-night Saturday evening, and didn’t wake up Sunday morning. A peaceful and content passing, so much like she lived her life. When I told my sister G-momma had passed, she immediately said “that girl will go to heaven, she was already an angel”. Truer words never spoken. Gypsy was the matriarch of our program. Our first momma dog, and I dare say our best. Gypsy loved mothering and continued to mother puppies who were not her own long after she retired. Years after she was spayed, we’d see her stand for pups to suckle, knowing she didn’t ..read more

If there's any constant in breeding, it's the fact that you never stop learning. And no day is EVER the same twice. You can count on that. The first chirp from my phone came in at 6:41 this morning ... "oh no my doodle got into my purse and got my chewing gum!" Now my own dogs have gotten into plenty that they shouldn't have, but gum is a first for me. I told her to use peroxide to induce vomiting - get it out. I called my vet, and they said the same - induce vomiting. Good Doodle Mommy that she it, Kiley was already calling her vet's office too ... the vet's advice: "induce vomiting immediate ..read more

These two most recent litters, like litters past, are getting the same “I want a girl” inquiries that have become commonplace for us. It happens so frequently in fact, I recently posed the question to a Breeder Group I participate in, with the intent to discern if its just me or do other breeders experience this as well. I would say a good 80% of our prospective clients are dead set on a female pup, 10% want a male, and the remaining 10% have no gender preference. Almost all of the breeders who participated in the discussion reported the same. I always ask “Why a girl?” when interviewing fami ..read more

When pups transition from breeder to family, one of the most critical components I stress to folks - no. dietary. changes. At least not for now. The stress of puppy leaving everything he knows is real, and unfortunately can result in digestive upset. Change pupper's food and introducing rich treats right off the bat is going to put a serious kink in your house training efforts. It'll get messy and quick. If you feed it, it must be good - right? Well, we like to think so! We've been with several brands over the years, and here's the thing with dog food: it changes. And change doesn't always equ ..read more