The Doodle Pro®: Positive Dog Training for Calm Doodles

A major study from the Royal Veterinary College went viral this week, and headlines from the BBC to Smithsonian Magazine declared that Doodles "behave worse" than purebred dogs. Before you panic, read this.
I read all 24 pages of the actual study. Plus the 2024 companion study from the same research team. And what I found is a story that is significantly more nuanced, more hopeful, and more useful than any headline captured.
In this episode I break down what the study actually measured (owner survey data, not clinical veterinary observation), which Doodle crosses were and were not studied (Goldendoodles, Bernedoodles and Sheepadoodles were NOT included), what the Labradoodle findings actually show, the training methods finding nobody reported, and the health-behavior connection buried in the discussion section that may be more relevant to your dog than anything else in the study.
The study is right about something important: Doodles are not plug-and-play dogs. But your dog is not broken. And this episode gives you the full picture.
🐾 Join the free Doodle Parent Challenge (April 20): https://thedoodlepro.com/challenge 
📖 Your Doodle's Daily Schedule Blueprint: https://thedoodlepro.com/doodleblueprint 
📝 Read the full expert response: https://thedoodlepro.com/doodle-behavior-study-2026
🐾 Ready to train WITH me? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons starting April 20th. No credit card, no catch. Grab your free spot at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
→ thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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

If you've ever been judged in a comment section, at the dog park, or by a trainer for choosing a Doodle, this episode is for you. 
I dig into the most common criticisms of Doodles and do something most people in those conversations don't do: I actually engage with them. I explain what the critics get right, where their arguments fall apart, and why the science behind your Doodle's intelligence, sensitivity, and drive is exactly the reason Doodle-specific training matters. 
You'll also hear about my beloved Standard Poodle Hershey, why a Poodle and a Doodle are genuinely different dogs, and what organizations like GANA and WALA are doing to raise breeding standards. 
This one is for every Doodle parent who has ever wondered if they made the wrong choice. Spoiler: you didn't. 🐾 
Join the FREE 5-Day Doodle Parent Challenge starting April 20: https://thedoodlepro.com/challenge 
🐾 Ready to train WITH me? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons starting April 20th. No credit card, no catch. Grab your free spot at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
→ thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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
🐾 Ready to train WITH me? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons starting April 20th. No credit card, no catch. Grab your free spot at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
→ thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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

If you've ever been judged in a comment section, at the dog park, or by a trainer for choosing a Doodle, this episode is for you. 
I dig into the most common criticisms of Doodles and do something most people in those conversations don't do: I actually engage with them. I explain what the critics get right, where their arguments fall apart, and why the science behind your Doodle's intelligence, sensitivity, and drive is exactly the reason Doodle-specific training matters. 
You'll also hear about my beloved Standard Poodle Hershey, why a Poodle and a Doodle are genuinely different dogs, and what organizations like GANA and WALA are doing to raise breeding standards. 
This one is for every Doodle parent who has ever wondered if they made the wrong choice. Spoiler: you didn't. 🐾 
Join the FREE 5-Day Doodle Parent Challenge starting April 20: https://thedoodlepro.com/challenge 
🐾 Ready to train WITH me? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons starting April 20th. No credit card, no catch. Grab your free spot at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
→ thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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

Does your Doodle seem impossible to tire out? You walked them, played fetch, hit the dog park — and they're STILL bouncing off the walls. Here's the truth: more exercise isn't the answer. It might actually be making things worse.
In this episode, Corinne Gearhart, The Doodle Pro®, shares why the classic "a tired dog is a good dog" advice fails Doodles — and what's really going on when your dog can't settle.
Before becoming The Doodle Pro, Corinne owned one of her area's top dog walking companies. And what she watched happen over time with those dogs completely changed how she thinks about Doodle energy: the more they walked, the more those dogs could handle. She wasn't tiring them out. She was building athletes.
In this episode you'll learn:
Why exercise alone can't create calm in Doodles (and what it actually does instead)
The Needs Buckets Framework — the five areas your Doodle needs filled, and why overflowing one doesn't satisfy the others
Why calm is a skill that has to be taught — not a mood that arrives when your dog is tired enough
Three practical shifts you can make this week to start filling the right buckets
The one bucket most Doodle parents have never poured anything into
Whether your Doodle is 8 months old or 8 years old, this episode will completely reframe how you understand their behavior — and give you a clear path forward.
🐾 Ready to train this with me live? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge starting April 20th — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons including a full day on relaxation and settling. Free to join at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
Resources mentioned:
Free Doodle Parent Challenge: thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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

Many Doodle parents ask whether a board and train program for dogs is the best solution. Many Doodle parents eventually ask the same question:
“Should I send my dog to a board and train program?”
It’s a very understandable thought. When your dog is jumping, pulling on leash, barking, or struggling to settle, the idea of sending them away for a few weeks and getting back a perfectly trained dog can sound incredibly appealing.
In this episode, I’m sharing a personal story about sending my own Poodle to a board and train program years ago, long before I became a professional trainer.
At the time, I had young children and simply wanted to do the best thing for my dog. I had heard that positive reinforcement was the best approach, and I asked a lot of questions before enrolling her.
One of the answers I heard back then is something I now recognize as a major red flag:
 “We start with positive reinforcement and only use other tools if necessary.”
When I picked up my Poodle, she had a beautiful down-stay.
But the moment I stopped using the tool she had been trained with, the behavior disappeared. And the emotional fallout for my dog was real. She became more anxious and started submissive peeing.
That experience taught me something important about how dogs actually learn.
Years later, after becoming a professional trainer and working with Doodles every day, I revisited that exact skill. I wanted to know if we could teach an even stronger down stay without relying on tools like prong collars or pressure.
That work eventually became Relaxation Protocol for Distractable Doodles™, a training approach designed specifically for the high-energy, highly social nature of Doodles.
Today I regularly see Doodles learn to settle calmly even with real-life distractions like doorbells, visitors, or activity in the home — all through positive reinforcement training.
In this episode, I talk about:
• Why behaviors built with pressure often disappear when the pressure is removed
 • The red flag phrase many dog owners hear when asking about positive reinforcement training
 • Why many board and train programs still rely on aversive tools like prong collars or e-collars
 • Why sending a dog away for training doesn’t automatically transfer skills back to the family
 • Why training together often creates stronger long-term results
 • How to teach a Doodle to settle and relax using positive reinforcement training
I also want to be clear about something important. Skilled, science-based trainers can be incredibly valuable. The best trainers don’t replace the relationship between you and your dog. They help guide you so you can build that relationship yourself.
Because in the end, the most important training happens in the everyday moments between you and your dog.
Many Doodle parents also find th
🐾 Ready to train WITH me? Join the FREE Doodle Parent Challenge — 5 days of short, Doodle-specific lessons starting April 20th. No credit card, no catch. Grab your free spot at thedoodlepro.com/challenge
→ thedoodlepro.com/challenge
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