The Honest Dog Breeder Podcast

One of the most heartbreaking scenarios in breeding: the dog who is "taken care of, but not loved." Tucker, a returned dog, had perfect vet records and auto-shipped food, but lived a life of isolation because he didn't fit his owners' expectations. We dive deep into why these "mismatches" happen and why they are almost always an Ideal Puppy Buyer problem rather than just a "bad home." If you've ever struggled with a puppy return or felt the sting of a placement gone wrong, this episode offers a roadmap to move past blame and into professional responsibility. Learn how this experience can help you spot early red flags, and refine your process to ensure your puppies don't just find a house, but a home where they are truly wanted.

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.

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.

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.

For Day 3 of 12 Days of Breeders, we dive into the world of Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) with Natalie Thurman of Apex Anatolians in Frenchtown, Montana. Natalie's dogs aren't just pets—they are 24/7 protectors tasked with guarding livestock from predators like bears and mountain lions. She is also currently the President of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog Club of America (ASDCA). In this powerful episode, Natalie shares the essential difference between breeding for a companion pet and maintaining the innate, independent working temperament required for a true LGD. She provides an expert's look inside the national breed club, discussing the challenges of preserving the breed's functional standard against the pressures of dog show conformation. This interview offers a unique insight into tough ethical questions breeders encounter when they go viral. You will learn the importance of finding a breeder-mentor who emphasizes the whole dog (temperament, health, and working ability) and why blunt, complete honesty with every potential buyer is the only way to ensure successful placement in such a demanding working breed. If you are committed to upholding the function and integrity of a heritage breed, this episode is mandatory listening.

In this first episode in our 2025 12 Day of Breeders, we talk to AKC Breeder of Merit, Kim McGuirk of Newbliss Chicago Lagotto, who built explosive business success by focusing on radical customer service and smart delegation. Kim shares the secret to her longevity: building an incredible community of owners through fun bi-annual social events, and the brilliant management strategy she uses to prevent burnout—including a puppy socialization hack using high school and college students on a shift spreadsheet! You'll learn how Kim's anti-snob approach to treating clients with respect attracted buyers fed up with poor communication elsewhere, and why the Lagotto Romagnolo is the ultimate purebred alternative to a Goldendoodle. If you're ready to pivot from stress to success, this episode is mandatory listening.

In this episode, I discuss my own personal year of dog breeding, what worked, what didn't go so well, and how I plan to change things going forward, plus how you can use my insights to start evaluating your own program. I also cover new updates for the Honest Dog Breeder Society and give you a sneak peek at all the exciting things I'm working on for 2026.

Ever sold a puppy to a buyer and regretted it? Many things can happen when working with the general public and dogs, sometimes we get it wrong. In this episode we'll discuss what can happen to make it go wrong and help you determine which of these situations makes you a bad breeder and what you can do about it. Looking for a community of breeders who will support you through the good and the bad? Join the Dog Breeder Society, the only place where breeders genuinely support each other in all aspects of their business. We have everyone from new breeders to seasoned breeders who have been breeding for decades. Learn more at honestdogbreeder.com/dogbreedersociety