Dog mom summer is officially here — and we’ve been doing the research so you don’t have to. Whether you’re shopping for your pup or sneaking a few things in for yourself, this list has everything you need to make this the best summer yet!
Use MLF to save!
We only share things we actually love… & this list is proof. Whether you’re treating your pup or treating yourself, summer is better with a dog by your side. Happy shopping, dog mommas!
Training is an essential part of owning a dog. We teamed up with professional dog trainers at Cornerstone Dog Training to talk about all things dog training!
Dog training is so vital to a dog and owner relationship. Boundaries make relationships thrive, and also help meet expectations. Dog training helps families and dogs live in a harmonious home.
“Doodle” breeds are on the rise, and we train a lot of them. In fact, a lot of our trainers are doodle owners themselves. It is no secret that certain breeds have been bred to do certain tasks. Golden retrievers, for example, were bred to hunt and retrieve. Poodles, were bred to be water wicking sport dogs. Both have amazing qualities, when bred together we see a variety of traits pull from both. One common trait we see pulling from the doodle gene pool is their eagerness to please. Sometimes, when a dog is eager to please, and they don’t understand the expectations, that’s where we see the anxiety because the rules aren’t clear. If your dog does have that anxiety, have no fear, dogs are survivors and once the boundaries are set, that anxiety fades.
The moment you get your dog home! Training is a lifestyle. There are many things you can do when your dog or puppy joins the family. We designed a program that helps you from day one get a dog of any age get through the first two weeks. As for professional training for puppies we recommend starting at 12 weeks old, there is a lot of patience and practice that goes into puppy training.
Dogs, at about 5 months (22 weeks) start to really grasp concepts. This is where the training gets really good. They are able to hold commands longer, with more distractions at greater distances.
Kennel & Potty Training
Designed to train your dog from the moment they come home. This challenge trains them to be potty and crate trained in just 14 days!
Puppy Training Course
Designed for puppies 8-22 Weeks. This 8 week course comes with step-by-step instructional videos, training book, and puppy package. This gives you and your puppy a foundation to build on. Use code MLF20 for 20% off.
Chaos to Calm Course
At 5 months your puppy is ready for advanced training. This Online Program is 8 weeks and will help you navigate as your puppy is older. $700 off will be applied at checkout.
One-on-one
Meet with a personal dog trainer every week for a personal training session. This is a 10 week program that will take you through all of the commands, on a field trip, and through to puppy graduation.
Mention MLF in person for $200 off
Board and Train
Don’t have time to do the initial work of training? This option is for you! Let the professionals take over.
Mention MLF in person for $200 off
The biggest thing that we teach is Focus. Focus kills chaos. We put that focus to work! Focus allows us to teach place (sitting on a pillow), sit, lay down, socialization, heel, and to wait at the door. By teaching these things with focus, that means we can ask the dogs to do these things for long periods of time, no matter what the distraction. Puppies have a lower mental celling than older dogs, so we really push learning to focus and adding in the distractions, distances and durations during our advanced course.
At Cornerstone Dog Training, we are here to serve you. We have put countless hours of effort, thought and heart into our program. We recognize that there are a lot of trainers out there, what we offer is guaranteed results and satisfaction. Nothing makes us happier than an “underdog” story, a good dog that seemed unmanageable, but in the end, both owner and dog were in harmony. We encourage you to consider training and hope you can see how it can bless your life.
So excited that Cornerstone is giving all of our families a special discount!!
For online puppy training use code MLF20 for 20% off. For puppies over the age of 5 months we reccomend the Chaos to Calm Course a $700 discount will be applied at checkoutf!
For in-person training: Mention MLF for $200 OFF!
Teaching a puppy to learn about the world at an early age is very important in creating a well-balanced adult dog. Have you ever thought why some dogs are so calm around loud environments, while others look anxious and stressed?
If you think about it, we live in a world full of loud, new and unusual sounds. All of these sounds our dogs will encounter—from noises inside the home (such as the vacuum or dishwasher); to environments such as the dog parks (birds chirping or dogs barking); and the outside world (traffic, storms, fireworks). Teaching a puppy to be comfortable with all sorts of sounds is key to having a well balanced and behaved dog.
Research has shown that socializing and character development can start right when the puppy is born. Here at Matthews Legacy Farm (MLF) we have spent years researching to ensure our Goldendoodles are off to a great start and ready to adapt to new sounds and situations they will encounter with their forever families.
Puppies are born with both their eyes and ears sealed shut. For their first two weeks of life, newborn pups experience the world entirely through touch and smell. We start Early Neurological Stimulation and Early Scent Introduction at day 3 of age so they know human touch is a positive and safe experience. During the third week their eyes and ears open, giving tiny pups a whole new way to experience life. At this time is when we start sound training.
Sound training is designed to help dogs get used to different noises that they will encounter. Here at MLF we start sound training and conditioning right when the puppies are 3 weeks of age up until they go to their forever families. Sounds on our Spotify playlist include: farm animals, baby cries, barking dogs, fireworks, grooming, kids playing, city traffic, vacuum cleaners, dish washer running, and many more.
As breeders, we highly suggest continuing sound training once the puppies go to their new homes so they can continue to get used to different sounds that they will encounter. Below is a video of one of our families that has continued the sound training. Meko and Milo are not anxious or stressed around the vacuum. Talk about AMAZING!
It is not too late to get your dog familiar with sounds! Sound Proof Puppy Training can help older dogs with existing fears such as fireworks, groomers, etc. Owners can help desensitize their dog to sounds and noise that they are frightened of and create a positive experience by offering praise or a treat during the training session. Visit our Spotify playlist for a variety of different sounds to help your adult dog.
“We are so happy to have found such experienced and knowledgable breeders. Meko and Milo do not budge when they hear the vacuum and can sleep through a storm. When they har our niece or nephew cry, they don’t run away; instead, they are very comforting. Even when we are on walks, they notice cars going by and might turn to see what it is, but they never seem anxious or nervous. It gives us peace of mind knowing our boys aren’t scared at every single noise they hear.” — Meko & Milo
“Sound training has been very beneficial for our puppy, Davis, and our family. Davis is a confident pup and is curious instead of being fearful in new surroundings and sounds. Sound training has been a huge benefit for our family especially because we live in a busy city with many loud sounds.” — Marina Kananova & Doodle Davis
“When we brought Tucker home, we had a 9 hour road trip to get back. I was nervous how he would do on the road, especially with road noises and busy rest stops. Seriously nothing phased this guy! Semi trucks, honking horns, barking dogs... nothing upset or even startled him. For the next few weeks being home with Tucker, I noticed how calm he was around other loud noises that normally startle my other dogs such as the blender, dishwasher, or vacuum. I also realized because he was so calm around noises, he was able to sleep anywhere easily during the day, which made crate training so much easier.”—Sarah Sheppard
“Maui does not react to anything such as the vacuum or the construction that’s been going on in our basement. Both pups for New Years weren’t jumpy during fireworks.” —Danielle Kuresa
Did you know that most of our Goldendoodles live out of state? We have Goldendoodles all throughout the United States and we are in contact with every single one! We thought it would be fun to highlight a few. We hope you enjoy getting to know some of the cutest doodles around.
Nessie
What is your all time favorite dog toy?
I’m a cheap date— my favorite toy is dirty laundry! I love to steal it so my parents will chase me. I also love getting Bark Boxes delivered to my door. I’ll grab a toy out and prance around the house with my fur sister Hasle.
Whats the naughtiest thing you’ve ever done?
I used to get on the kitchen table whenever my parents left the house. My parents had to switch out our bench for two chairs so I can’t get up there anymore.
How did you get your name?
My parents named my sister after where part of her breed is from. She's half Entlebucher Mountain Dog and they originate near a town in Hasle in Switzerland, hence the name Hasle (pronounced hazel). So they thought it would be fun to do the same with my name. They found online that golden retrievers originate from Scotland, in an area right by Loch Ness so they named me Nessie.
You can follow my instagram here!
Nala
What brand of dog food do you eat?
Taste Of the Wild— I specifically love the Pacific Stream flavor.
Do you prefer dog parks or hiking a trail?
Definitely dog parks! I love socializing with other dogs.
Who is your favorite person?
My mama! I love to be by her side at all times.
Atlas
Where do you live?
We live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina- it’s right in Charleston. It’s a lot hotter here than it was when I was in Utah at MLF, but I love to play in the rain to cool off.
How was your first plane ride to your forever family?
The nicest flight nanny named Martha picked me up, let me sit in her lap and sent updates to my pawrents as they eagerly waited for my arrival! I was a little nervous at first, but my pawrents met her at the airport and haven’t stopped spoiling and snuggling me since. When I first got home my mom tied a bandana around my neck, gave me toys and took so many pictures of me. I was so sleepy, but mom just kept taking them - and she’s never stopped since! My big sister Clover came home from daycare to meet me. It only took a few minutes and I realized we would be the best of friends. We play and wrestle and I always take her toys and hide them in my stash under the bed. We love to snuggle and dig together, until dad finds us!
What is your best trick?
Well. I have a couple. My first is to see how little space there can be between me and my mom. I don’t know why she is always saying she needs some space. When she’s sitting on the couch or laying in bed, I always try and make sure she knows I’m right there next to her for kisses, hoping she’ll give me more treats. I’m really good at fetch. I love bringing things to my pawrents, even when they didn’t throw anything! When they come home from work I’ll bring them shoes, toys, even paper bags.
Teddy
How much do you weigh?
35 lbs of love
What is your best trick?
Helping my human kids survive and make it through online learning. I’m the best listener and classmate ever!
Are you afraid of anything?
Yes, I’m afraid of the fedex truck!
You can follow my instagram here!
Murphy
Do you like sticks or stuffed animals?
I’m more of a stick guy. I really like collecting the biggest ones on my walks and I try to bring them home with me.
How do you greet mom & dad every day?
Lately, it seems like they switch off who gets to wake up with me and who has to stay sleeping. When the other one is ready, one of my parents lets me run into the bedroom and attack them with kisses for a wake up call.
How did the potty training stage go?
Potty training was great and I caught on really fast. Mom put these hanging things around the door that I jumped on and they made a noise whenever I needed to go potty. Then someone would take me out! I haven’t gone potty in the house since I was a puppy.
You can follow my instagram here!
Nora
Are you a mama’s girl or daddy’s girl?
Daddy’s girl, unless it’s snuggle time. Then I’m a total mama’s girl.
What is your favorite treat?
I love carrots!
If you could plan the day what would you do?
I can’t start the day until I have morning tummy rubs. I eat breakfast and then throw the ball around the yard. Time for my mid morning snooze! We play some tug with my favorite rope and then go to the dog park to play with my 50 best friends. Get some treats and then mega snooze. Finish the night off with snugs in bed with mom and dad. That would be a perfect day.
You can follow my instagram here!
