The Honest Dog Breeder Podcast

• 12 Days of Breeders 2025 - #9 - Leilani Nichols of Northwest Cairn Terriers

  Leilani Nichols of Northwest Cairn Terriers in Oregon joins us to share her unique approach to breeding and placement. In a world where every puppy looks cute, Leilani uses her marketing to target buyers who are truly ready for the specific challenges of a clever, feisty Cairn Terrier, ensuring a perfect long-term match.  She also offers fascinating, hard-won insights into the difference between dogs bred solely for show ring success versus those bred specifically for temperament and personality. Leilani's commitment to matching the right personality to the right home proves that honesty and strategic communication are the keys to building a sustainable and ethical breeding program.

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• 12 Days of Breeders 2025 - #8 - Sarah Whitman of Bonnie Brae Collies

  Meet Sarah Whitman of Bonnie Brae Collies, who just sold her first litter of puppies.  Sarah's experience working in accredited zoos with rhinos and elephants fundamentally shaped her approach to breeding. She shares how her deep dive into population genetics led her to Collies and a registry with an open book that allows for intentional diversity planning, moving beyond closed gene pools. This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling constrained by legal restrictions on dog breeding, as Sarah is creatively working with state and local laws to shape and structure her program. She discusses the practical constraints and opportunities presented by her Colorado location, discussing how she's building a responsible, sustainable program that is still completely compliant with local laws.

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• 12 Days of Breeders 2025 - #7 - Andrea Jones of Maple Hill Doodles

  In this 12 Days of Breeders interview, we welcome Andrea Jones of Maple Hill Doodles in Ohio.  A 25-year veteran breeder of Goldendoodles, Cavapoos, and Cavadoodles, Andrea has built her program on advanced, and sometimes unconventional, health protocols. Andrea shares her techniques for holistic management, detailing the logistics of maintaining a non-vaccination protocol for her entire program, underpinned by a raw, species-appropriate diet. Critically, Andrea reveals how she's raised the bar for buyers to solidify her own credibility, demanding a higher standard of commitment from her clientele. This episode is essential listening for any breeder looking to bring more holistic rearing into their program, covering not only her dog management techniques, but also her non-negotiable business rules: maintaining a mandatory financial escrow for emergencies, ensuring all contracts are attorney-reviewed and ironclad, and utilizing rigorous structural health clearances (OFA Hips/Elbows) that go beyond standard genetic testing.

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• 12 Days of Breeders 2025 - #6 - Bill Wyatt of DubDub Danes

  In this 12 Days of Breeders interview, we welcome Bill Wyatt of DubDub Danes in Bentonville, Arkansas. After a career in high-level sales, Bill applies his deep customer service acumen to breeding, expertly guiding buyers so they feel supported, not sold to. Bill shares his lifelong love for Great Danes and gives an honest look at the immense logistics of managing a breeding business for giant dogs, covering everything from the astronomical feed (and poop) to a size-appropriate socialization protocol. You'll learn how he uses professional business standards to structure the entire customer journey and why his experience with Great Danes has made him passionate about temperament in breeding selection. This episode is a great listen for any breeder navigating a niche market or looking to transform their customer relationships.

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• 12 Days of Breeders 2025 - #5 - Cynthia Kelly of Regis Regal German Shepherds

  Today, we dive into the highly specialized world of German Shepherd service dogs with Cynthia Kelly of Regis Regal German Shepherds. Cynthia shares the unique, rigorous process she has developed for raising, training, and placing her dogs, many of whom work with children with autism. She takes intentional breeding and socialization to the next level, enabling her to provide service dogs who have amazing ways of helping people, from providing a sense of safety and security, to preventing elopement of children, to providing life-saving intervention for people with epilepsy and diabetes. Learn about her foundational standards for long-term genetic clearance (focusing on at least eight to ten generations of clear bloodlines) and her unique philosophy on what it takes to create and train a successful service dog. Cynthia proves that with the right lineage and the highest level of foundational work, the potential for these magnificent dogs to serve humans is truly limitless.

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