Doodle
School™
Boutique canine development. Grounded in science, refined by experience, and shaped with intention.
How a puppy is trained matters as much as what they learn.
Early training is one of the most meaningful investments you can make in a dog's life. It tends to shape a companion who is not only well-mannered but emotionally steady, socially confident, and attuned to your family's rhythm.
Life leaves little margin for the slow, consistent work the earliest weeks require. Doodle School™ was built for families who bring the love and the commitment, and who value seasoned guidance through this brief, foundational season.
I am so impressed with Fuzzy. He is the most mild-mannered three-and-a-half-month-old puppy I have ever met. We are so happy we chose to put our puppy in training with Kelsey. I cannot recommend her enough.
Fuzzy's Parents · Stokeshire Doodle School™ Graduate
What a 12-week
graduate looks like.
Your puppy graduates at roughly twelve weeks with a meaningful foundation in the things that make the first months at home easier. Not a finished dog. A prepared one.
Crate & Potty Rhythm
Structure · Sleep · PredictabilityYour puppy tends to understand the crate as a place of rest rather than confinement, and arrives with a structured potty rhythm already practiced.
Leash & Foundational Cues
Introduced, not finishedEarly leash desensitization is complete, and clear hand signals for Sit and Come have been introduced before verbal cues fully register.
Touch & Grooming
Familiar · CooperativeEars, paws, mouth, and coat have been handled consistently and gently, which tends to make grooming and vet care easier from the start.
Emotional Regulation
Settling · Recovery · ResilienceConfidence, startle recovery, and the ability to self-settle are cultivated throughout. This is the outcome that matters most, and the hardest to build later.
What this season of development is, and what it isn't
Doodle School™ emphasizes the eight to twelve week developmental window, when puppies learn best through gentle exposure, routine, and relationship. Think of it as Kindergarten. Key skills are introduced and meaningful foundations are built, but long-term mastery requires continued practice at home.
We do not guarantee complete potty training, perfect crate behavior, permanent compliance with cues, or qualification as a therapy, service, or emotional-support dog. What we commit to is careful care, expert handling, and a thoughtfully built foundation.
Why the eight to twelve week window matters
Occasional trainer visits can help, but they do not shape a foundation the way this window allows. Patterns formed here tend to persist. When a puppy lives with their trainer around the clock, meals, rest, play, and outings all become part of the shaping rather than gaps between sessions.
How we train, and what we will not use
Our methods combine classical conditioning with gentle positive reinforcement, grounded in early socialization science and a relationship-centered philosophy. Trainers read subtle behavioral cues and adjust, knowing when to introduce novelty and when a puppy needs quiet.
Electronic collars, prong collars, choke collars, and intentional pain- or fear-based corrections are prohibited for any puppy in this program.
Every moment is an opportunity for gentle, intentional shaping.
Where your puppy stays.
Doodle School™ is delivered by several Stokeshire trainers, and we continue to add to the team. Each one is vetted, works under the same written protocols, and documents your puppy's program the same way.
Depending on capacity and your puppy's needs, your puppy may stay with Katie Stokes at our Medford property or with another Stokeshire-approved trainer at an approved home in Wisconsin. In every case, puppies are raised in a home environment with their trainer.
How approved trainers are vetted
Approved trainers follow Stokeshire's written protocols for biosecurity, sanitation, vaccination, separation, and handling, which are designed for puppies whose vaccine series is not yet complete. They carry commercial liability and animal care coverage, and their homes are reviewed before any puppy is placed.
Their homes may include other dogs and, in some cases, cats, livestock, or poultry. For some puppies that exposure is an advantage, and we match accordingly.
Confirming your placement preference
Your enrollment, updates, documentation, and communication run through Stokeshire throughout the program, whoever your puppy stays with. You confirm your preference for off-site placement at checkout, and you may decline it.
From match to homecoming.
Enrollment is confirmed at Match Day, once your puppy is matched. Formation begins the following week at eight weeks of age, and your puppy comes home at roughly twelve weeks.
Enrollment, timing, and availability
- Indicate interest when you place your deposit, and no later than your puppy's six-week birthday
- Enrollment is confirmed at Match Day and paid at checkout
- Formation begins at eight weeks of age, when early routine has the greatest long-term impact
- Doodle School™ is a limited service. Placement depends on trainer availability and is not guaranteed by deposit or interest alone.
- Start dates outside the standard window may be accommodated at our discretion, based on your puppy's development, litter timing, and program capacity
Pickup, travel, and going home
Pickup or delivery should be scheduled to coincide with graduation. Your trainer walks you through your puppy's routine, cues, and next steps at handoff, and the final go-home document follows the same structure so nothing depends on memory.
Flight nanny services are subject to size and airline restrictions. Our team will guide you through timing and routing well in advance.
Curriculum and the daily routine
The week-by-week curriculum, the developmental pillars, and a full daily schedule are laid out in detail on the program page.
Considering Bootcamp™ instead
Bootcamp™ is the shorter option, scoped to your goals in a pre-program consultation and billed at the same $200 per day. Same standard, different scope.
The beginning,
not the finish line.
The foundation built in the first twelve weeks is meaningful, and it is designed to be carried forward by you. Training works best when expectations stay consistent across environments.
Many Stokeshire families work toward the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certification, a widely recognized benchmark of temperament and real-world manners. Doodle School™ puts your puppy on that path. The journey continues with you.
The foundation your dog deserves,
built before they arrive.
Doodle School™ placements are confirmed at Match Day. Begin the conversation before your litter arrives.
