Breeding Standards & Partner Principles — Stokeshire Designer Doodles
Stokeshire Designer Doodles · Medford, Wisconsin

Standards &
Principles.

Stokeshire holds two distinct sets of standards. One governs what we practice inside our breeding program — the decisions only we can make. The other governs what we require of the brands and products we recommend to families. This page documents both, separately and honestly.

I The Breeding Standard — what we own
II The Partner Standard — what we require
On this page
01 Genetic Stewardship COI reduction, Embark testing, OFA clearances
02 Temperament & Placement Volhard assessment, selective placement, refusal policy
03 Long-Term Commitment Lifetime return policy, post-placement support
04 Partner Curation Standards What we require of every brand we recommend
05 What We Will Not Do Pay-to-play, undisclosed placements, volume over curation
I
Part One
The Breeding Standard

These are practices Stokeshire controls directly — the decisions made inside our program, before a puppy ever meets a family. No partner, sponsor, or affiliate relationship influences them.

What we practice

Intentional from
the beginning.

Stokeshire Designer Doodles is a therapy-grade breeding and development program in Medford, Wisconsin. The program was built around a single premise: that the dog a family lives with for twelve to fifteen years deserves the same level of rigor applied to any long-term decision that matters.

Every standard below reflects a choice made under that premise — not a marketing position, and not a reaction to industry trends. These practices predate the language around ethical breeding becoming commercially useful. They exist because the alternative produces worse dogs and worse outcomes for families.

What "therapy-grade" means at Stokeshire

Stokeshire does not sell or certify therapy dogs. "Therapy-grade" refers to the nervous system profile we select for in breeding and confirm through Volhard Puppy Aptitude Testing — dogs that are genuinely calm under pressure, adaptable to varied environments, and capable of tolerating close human contact without stress. These traits make dogs suitable for therapy work if families choose to pursue it. They also make better family companions regardless of that goal.

01

Genetic Stewardship Through COI Reduction

Stokeshire structures breeding decisions around Coefficient of Inbreeding reduction using Embark Veterinary genetic testing. The goal is increasing genetic diversity across successive generations — counteracting the narrowing gene pool caused by the Popular Sire Effect in purebred and designer dog populations. Every breeding pair is evaluated for COI before pairing. Dogs that would increase COI above program thresholds are not bred together regardless of aesthetic or market demand. Health panel results, carrier status, and COI data are documented and available to families at placement.

02

Volhard Puppy Aptitude Testing at Seven Weeks

Every Stokeshire puppy is assessed using the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test at seven weeks of age — the developmental window at which behavioral tendencies are most clearly observable before environmental conditioning takes hold. The assessment evaluates ten behavioral categories including social attraction, following, restraint, social dominance, elevation, retrieving, touch sensitivity, sound sensitivity, sight sensitivity, and stability. Results inform placement decisions directly: each puppy is matched to a family profile based on score, not availability. Families are told which score profile their puppy holds and why that profile fits their household.

03

Selective Placement Over Volume

Stokeshire produces a limited number of litters per year. The waitlist is not first-come-first-served; placement is based on fit between household profile and puppy temperament assessment. Families who complete the application process may be declined if no available puppy in a litter is appropriate for their situation. This is not a sales practice — it is a refusal to place dogs in households where the probability of a poor outcome is elevated. A puppy placed in the wrong home is a failure of the program regardless of whether the sale completed.

04

OFA Health Clearances on All Breeding Dogs

All Stokeshire breeding dogs hold OFA health clearances for conditions relevant to their breed lines. Testing is conducted through licensed veterinary radiologists and ophthalmologists, with results registered in the OFA public database. Clearances are not performed selectively — every breeding dog is tested, not only dogs whose results are expected to be favorable. Embark panels screen for over 250 genetic health conditions and provide breed composition analysis. Results are shared with families at the time of placement and are factored into every breeding decision.

05

Lifetime Return Policy

Stokeshire accepts the return of any dog placed through the program at any point in the dog's life — no questions required, no financial penalty. This policy exists because the alternative — a placed dog surrendered to a shelter or sold by a family — is an outcome the program is responsible for preventing. The return policy functions as a structural accountability mechanism: breeders who cannot stand behind placements indefinitely have a different relationship to placement decisions than breeders who can. It also means Stokeshire families are never alone in a situation they cannot navigate.

06

The Stokeshire Method™ — Development Beyond Placement

The Stokeshire Method™ is a structured development program that extends beyond placement day. Families who enroll receive four weeks of on-site training through Doodle School or intensive Bootcamp formation, covering crate conditioning, leash manners, social exposure, recall foundations, and emotional regulation. The program is not an add-on designed to increase transaction value — it is the logical extension of the placement standard: a well-placed dog in an underprepared household is still a dog at risk of a poor outcome.

Verified credentials & registrations
Wisconsin Licensed Dog Breeder
License #514401-DS · State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
BBB Accredited Business · A+ Rating
Better Business Bureau accreditation · independently verified business standards
Embark Veterinary Genetic Screening
250+ genetic health conditions · breed composition · COI analysis on all breeding dogs
OFA Health Testing
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals · hips, elbows, eyes, cardiac · results publicly registered
II
Part Two
The Partner Standard

These are the standards Stokeshire holds external brands and partners to. We do not manufacture products. What we do is curate — and curation is only worth something if the criteria are clear, documented, and honestly applied.

What we require of partners

Curation is only
worth something
if the criteria
are honest.

Stokeshire does not manufacture products or manage a supply chain. When we recommend a brand — on our website, in our training programs, or in the materials families receive at placement — we are representing that product to families who have extended us significant trust.

That trust is the only thing that gives a recommendation value. The standards below describe what a brand must demonstrate before earning placement in Stokeshire content. They are the standards of a curator, not a manufacturer — but they are real, applied, and not adjusted for sponsorship.

The distinction that matters

Stokeshire earns affiliate commissions on some recommended products. This is disclosed on all relevant pages. Disclosure does not change the standards a product must meet to earn a recommendation. No brand pays for placement. Brands that pay for placement are not recommended — they are advertisers, and Stokeshire does not run advertisements.

The practical test: would Stokeshire recommend this product to a family if there were no financial relationship? If the answer is no, the relationship is declined regardless of commission structure.

Standard · 01

Longevity Over Disposability

Stokeshire recommends products built for daily use over years, not seasons. A crate, collar, or bowl that needs replacement annually fails the longevity standard regardless of price point. We look for products made from materials that age well — structurally and aesthetically — and that are designed to be cleaned, repaired, or refilled rather than discarded. Buying fewer, better things is the most sustainable choice families can make. We reinforce that through what we recommend.

Standard · 02

Material Transparency

Brands Stokeshire partners with are transparent about what their products are made from. This means published ingredient lists for consumables, disclosed material sources for physical goods, and honest representation of what coatings, dyes, or chemical treatments are used. Products that cannot or will not disclose their material composition are not recommended to Stokeshire families — who are often researching for households with children, allergy considerations, and dogs with sensitive skin and coats.

Standard · 03

Ethical Labor Practices

Where and how a product is made is part of its quality. Stokeshire prioritizes brands whose manufacturing relationships are transparent — who can speak to the working conditions and labor standards of their supply chain without deflection. This is not a certification requirement we impose externally; it is a question we ask and a standard we apply in our judgment. Brands that cannot or will not answer the question do not pass this standard. We prefer regional and European production where it reflects genuine quality relationships, not marketing positioning.

Standard · 04

Safety for Dogs and Children

Stokeshire families are households — typically with children alongside their dogs. Products recommended must be safe for both. For nutrition and consumables, this means formulations reviewed against AAFCO standards and free of additives associated with adverse reactions in dogs. For physical products, this means materials free of heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting plastics, and chemical finishes that degrade with chewing or licking. We do not recommend products whose safety profile we cannot assess or that carry unresolved safety advisories.

Standard · 05

Alignment With Positive Training Methods

Stokeshire's training philosophy is built on positive reinforcement and nervous system regulation. Products that rely on aversive mechanisms — shock, prong, or correction-based tools — are not recommended regardless of efficacy claims. This standard applies to training tools, apps, and programs. We do not recommend equipment or methods that conflict with how Stokeshire trains the dogs it places, or that create inconsistency in a family's training approach during the critical first months of ownership.

Standard · 06

Minimized Environmental Footprint

Stokeshire favors brands actively working to reduce environmental impact — through recycled or recyclable materials, minimal packaging, sustainable sourcing, and honest environmental reporting. This is a preference, not a hard filter — a product can meet all other standards without a perfect environmental record. But where two otherwise comparable products exist, the one with lower environmental impact earns the recommendation. We do not accept "sustainable" as a marketing claim in the absence of specific, verifiable practices.

What Stokeshire will not do — regardless of financial offer
— Accept payment in exchange for a product recommendation or editorial placement. Every recommendation is earned. Brands that want guaranteed placement are advertisers, not partners.
— Recommend a product we have not evaluated against the standards above, regardless of commission structure or partnership agreement.
— Suppress a disclosure. All affiliate relationships are disclosed on the pages where links appear. No exception is made for preferred partners or annual program sponsors.
— Partner with other breeding programs, puppy marketplaces, or commercial dog sellers. The conflict of interest is irreconcilable with honest family guidance.
— Recommend a product that makes health claims we cannot independently verify — including allergen-free promises, disease-prevention guarantees, or efficacy claims unsupported by peer-reviewed research.
— Allow retroactive edits to published content at a partner's request. What is published reflects our honest assessment at the time of publication. Partners do not hold editorial control.
Our Commitment

The future of
dog ownership
is more thoughtful
than this.

"Care is a form of luxury. Responsibility is part of love."

Stokeshire exists at the intersection of genetic science, behavioral development, and the lived experience of families who take this seriously. The standards on this page are the structural expression of that position — not a promise of perfection, but a documented commitment to the reasoning behind every decision we make.

These standards are reviewed and updated as the program evolves. What does not change is the underlying question: does this improve life for the dog, support the family, and respect the world they live in.

—
Honest Recommendations

We tell families what we actually use, what we actually test, and what we actually believe — including when the honest answer is "we don't know."

—
Continuous Standard Review

Standards are evaluated against new research, partner performance, and observed outcomes in placed dogs. A standard that stops producing good outcomes gets revised.

—
Education Over Sales

A family who understands what they're choosing makes a better decision than a family who was sold to. Stokeshire content is designed to produce understanding — conversion is the outcome of that, not the goal.

—
Volume Restraint

Stokeshire does not scale breeding to meet demand. The number of litters produced is determined by the capacity to meet the standards above — not by waitlist length or revenue targets.

—
Generational Thinking

The Stokeshire breeding program is structured around the long-term development of a proprietary American companion breed — The Stokeshire. Decisions made today are evaluated against a ten-generation horizon, not a single litter.