Our Story
Hello! I’m Holly, the heart and soul behind Dreamy Goldendoodles. As the primary contact for our wonderful families, I’m thrilled to share my passion for dogs with you! My love for dogs has been a constant in my life, and growing up with them has shaped who I am today. While I’ve had several breeds over the years, it’s the Goldendoodle that has truly captured my heart. Now that I’ve experienced the joy they bring, I can’t imagine my life without them. My mission is to spread that love and happiness to others. Raising puppies is not just a job for me; it’s my calling. I cherish every moment spent with these adorable souls. My journey began with training Golden Retrievers, where I learned the importance of temperament. You may have heard the saying, “someone has a Golden Retriever personality”—that’s the inspiration behind the name “Dreamy Goldendoodles.” Our focus is on health and temperament above all else, and we strive to embody that dream in every puppy we raise. At Dreamy Goldendoodles, we pride ourselves on being different from most breeders. Our dogs are cherished members of our family, living indoors with us. They snuggle in our beds, relax on the couch, and accompany us on adventures. We maintain a small breeding program, typically having just 3-4 litters per year, with a few of our dogs in loving guardian homes. All of our girls and boys undergo genetic, temperament, and OFA testing before officially becoming parents in our program. We raise our puppies using a structured curriculum called Puppy Culture, ensuring they are well-socialized and prepared for their new homes. Our puppies are raised in the heart of our home, surrounded by love and care.We love sharing our journey with you, so be sure to follow us on Facebook for daily updates and adorable puppy photos and behind the scenes.
We put Health and Temperment above all..
The health and temperament of our dogs and their puppies are our top priorities. We take great pride in ensuring that our dogs are cleared of all genetic conditions through comprehensive DNA testing with trusted partners like Embark, Gensol, and Animal Genetics. Additionally, they have received certifications from OFA for optimal hip, elbow, heart, and patella health. We also carefully evaluate any potential additions to our breeding program through thorough temperament testing. These extensive assessments help us ensure that our dogs pass down the best traits to their puppies, setting them up for success. We believe that a solid foundation in health and temperament is key to raising wonderful dogs for families!
Check out how we raise our puppies and our curriculum.
Puppy Culture starting at 2 days old :
Early Neurological Stimulation Exercises
Listed in order of preference, the handler starts with one pup and stimulates it using each of the five exercises. The handler completes the series from beginning to end before starting with the next pup. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises:
Tactile stimulation - holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds. (Figure 1)
Head held erect - using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds. (Figure 2)
Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds. (Figure 3)
Supine position - hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds. (Figure 4)
Thermal stimulation—use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds.
These five exercises will produce neurological stimulation, none of which naturally occur during this early period of life. Experience shows that sometimes pups will resist these exercises, others will appear unconcerned. In either case a caution is offered to those who plan to use them. Do not repeat them more than once per day and do not extend the time beyond that recommended for each exercise. Over stimulation of the neurological system can have adverse and detrimental results. These exercises impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected, the result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance. Those who play with their pups and routinely handle them should continue to do so because the neurological exercises are not substitutions for routine handling, play socialization or bonding.
Benefits of Stimulation
Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises. The benefits noted were:
Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate)
Stronger heart beats
Stronger adrenal glands
More tolerance to stress
Greater resistance to disease
In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non- stimulated littermates over which they were dominant in competitive situations.
Secondary effects were also noted regarding test performance. In simple problem solving tests using detours in a maze, the non-stimulated pups became extremely aroused, whined a great deal, and made many errors. Their stimulated littermates were less disturbed or upset by test conditions and when comparisons were made, the stimulated littermates were more calm in the test environment, made fewer errors and gave only an occasional distress sound when stressed.
"In the first 12-weeks of a puppy's life you are endowed with an almost magical ability to shape his future."
Week 3
The Enrichment Effect: Puppies receive an expertly enriched environment, the benefits of which will last a lifetime. This continues every week until puppies leave.
Puppies begin receiving visitors as socialization starts.
Startle Recovery exercises prime puppies for the challenges of a busy life.
Foundation exercises for the prevention of separation anxiety.
Week 4
Puppies are moved into a larger weaning pen, with age appropriate enrichment.
Emotional Resiliency Exercises are done, giving the puppies the gift of “bounce back” from life challenges.
Problem solving games are introduced, these help puppies learn to handle life’s frustrations early.
comfy beds are placed inside to encourage puppies to nap in their own beds.
Week 5
Puppies learn to communicate with us in socially acceptable ways, learning the Communication Trinity, how to solve problems, and finding their voice.
Fear starts: At five weeks puppies are for the first time, capable of experiencing true fear. We expertly guide the puppies through their fear period, avoiding any experience that might cause lifelong fear problems, and building more emotional resilience as we go along.
The Curiosity Period Week 6
We continue to expertly guide puppies with just the right amount of socialization. .
Novel people of all shapes, ages, and sizes are introduced, our expert care ensures the puppies have positive responses during these important “first” meetings, because a scary meeting at this age can cause lifelong fear.
Puppies show off their enrichment seeking abilities and build confidence on novel object challenges.
Puppies learn to love strange and unusual footing, heights, and noises.
Session are kept short, puppies have naps and learn to relax when visitors come over, all skills they will need in their new homes.
Car Training:
Puppies play in the car, engine off.
Week 7
Problem behavior prevention protocols are started.
We teach the puppies to LOVE having someone take their food, food bowl, toys, bones, and other items. This helps prevent resource guarding later.
Week 8
Fear Periods start. Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, knowing how to deal with them, what to do, and most importantly what not to do, have lifelong implications for the adult dog and it’s family. With our expertise we are able to both recognize when a puppy is experiencing a fear period, to help them through the period, without allowing any trauma that might affect their temperament forever.
Car Training
Puppies have short car ride.
More work learning to love giving up: food, toys, bowls, and other resource guarding prevention is done.
Our Week 8 puppy party is designed to build on what the puppies learned at their first (Week 7) puppy party. We are careful and observant of any potential fear period, and we teach our families how to effectively help puppies through unsureness.
Flirt play and other puppy safe play.
Body handling, nail trims, grooming.
Strong Minds In Strong Bodies
Exercise not only builds the puppies' bodies, it helps build their minds.But exercise that’s not appropriate for a puppy’s age and development can cause significant and irreversible damage. What would be a simple sprain in an adult dog could leave a puppy with a misshapen or shortened limb, so this is a subject that should be taken seriously.
