Doodle Dogs Create Cutthroat Billion-Dollar Industry

On the first night of the 2024 goldendoodle conference, the breeders were out for pure blood. They’d come to a Radisson in Fort Worth, Texas, from suburbs across the US to eat Milk-Bone-dry sliders, throw back watery mixed drinks and take notes through two days of panels on everything from puppy socialization to post-whelping complications. The women—almost all the breeders were women—chatted about the best ways to acclimate doodle pups to the sounds of fireworks and ambulance sirens; debated the merits of Puppy Culture—a sort-of Baby Einstein program for dogs; and discussed whether something called Early Neurological Stimulation could stave ...