Australia's premier choice for quality groodle puppies
A family owned, boutique groodle breeder
Our unique philosophy is based upon compassion, love and providing a nurturing environment to create the pawfect family companion.
In the golden rolling hills of Western Australia’s Southern Wheatbelt region, lies the idyllic location for Great Southern Groodles.
An award winning, small boutique breeder where puppies are born into the family home environment. Our dogs are the centre of our world. Spoilt rotten with acres of space to play and water holes to swim in; they are healthy, attend ongoing training and are genuinely happy family members.
Once born, our puppies are loved, nurtured, cuddled by our kids and comfortable in the hustle and bustle of family life. They are our pride and joy, bred for health and temperament to become the pawfect new family member or therapy dog.
The application process is detailed and thorough to ensure the puppy and their family are a match.
Here at Great Southern Groodles we take great pride in producing confident, well socialised and beautifully natured family companions and therapy dogs. Whether you have other animals, young children or a hectic lifestyle, our puppies will bring unrivalled joy, love and fun to your home.
Our dogs are particularly family focused and love being around their humans. A portion of our dogs work in the therapy space, working in schools and with Allied Health Professionals.
We have several that support individuals with additional medical issues. These puppies are hand selected at 6 weeks old following in-depth assessments by external professionals.
A puppy has a way to unite all members of a family like no other, where all members share in the new adventures.
Puppy Acclimation Program
To ensure each puppy is the very best they can be
We have developed a unique and highly personalised puppy acclimation training programme from birth that prepares each puppy for their new homes. The level of time and dedication we invest daily to each puppy is truly unrivalled. We shower our puppies in love and affection. We ensure they experience a wide variety of challenges, environments, smells and sounds to build resilience and contentment. We do this with a true understanding of canine body language and in a very controlled environment to ensure each puppy thrives at their own pace.
Our puppies are born in the family home, they play in our garden, with our kids in their sandpit and paddling pools; they are free to dig, play and chase their littermates. They are “free range” as much as safely possible. We have one litter at a time so that we can meet the needs of each individual personality. It is not possible to replicate this level of care in mass production. We therefore only have two litters per year.
We follow the world-renowned, evidence based Puppy Culture protocol. We combine this with current research on positive reinforcement and our own training and ethics. Our aim is for puppies to be content and relaxed in novel situations.
This is the gold standard in puppy acclimation.
Each puppy is handled daily by our children, ourselves and close family. They attend our kids’ birthday parties, playdates and are immersed in the general hustle and bustle of family activity. By introducing our puppies to these things, their tolerance, confidence and resilience builds.
Our daily activities include introducing sudden noises such as vacuums, washing machines, blenders, lawn mowers and leaf blowers. We have designed a special list to ensure our puppies meet all kinds of people, such as those with facial hair, wearing different footwear and high visibility work wear. We introduce people that smoke, individuals wearing glasses and a variety of ages. For example, Great Grandmother Groodle aged 94 has a zimmer frame and is a great asset to the acclimation program because she mobilises differently to us. This early socialisation period is critical and we take the responsibility to do the very best for each puppy seriously.
Novel situations such as those listed can typically stress a poorly socialised dog and their reactions can become problematic. By introducing them early and in a controlled environment we are providing positive opportunities for learning. We can share in depth scientific evidence to support our theories and we’d love the opportunity to discuss this with you.
We do this to help the puppies learn that life is varied and exciting. All our training is puppy-led, force free and positive. Vicky is undergoing further training with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers and we align our program to their principles of training.
We also begin a modified early neural stimulation (ENS) program on day three to day sixteen of a puppy’s life, this is a series of scientifically backed exercises each puppy completes with us and has shown a number of benefits including a greater tolerance to stress in adult life and a greater resistance to disease.
Our puppies are introduced to car journeys, prepared for plane rides and begin crate training. Each activity is broken down into smaller bite size parts to set each puppy up for success. The exposure table below shows how we do this. We begin to introduce the smells, sounds, sights and textures individually over a period of time.
We have had many vets across WA comment on how well socialised the puppies appear at such a young age. Make no mistake, this is no coincidence.
The reason why a Great Southern Groodle is superior in every way is due to several factors:
1. GENETICS
We do have superb pawrents. We take the DNA and the extensive health testing very seriously. But it’s more than that. Our dogs are our family, we love them. They have their own personalities but they are friendly, well-mannered and well trained.
2. PUPPY ACCLIMATION
We go to every length, using all of our expertise and knowledge to ensure the first 8 weeks builds strong foundations for the remainder of the puppy’s life. A combination of Puppy Culture, Early Neural Stimulation and our dedicated expertise ensure an unrivalled early socialisation period for each puppy. We believe the level of detail is incomparable to any other program in Australia.
3. APPLICATION PROCESS
We really take the time to get to know prospective families. We understand the type of dog that would fit into their family dynamics. We take in to account each family’s dynamics, lifestyle and daily routine. We ensure prospective families understand the ideal puppy set up that will work in their home and are fully supported for the duration of their puppy’s life.
4. HARD WORK
Our new owners put an awful lot of work into this process. They spend time reading the resources we send, they ask questions, they watch our videos and invest time into their new puppy. They learn all about puppy development, set up awesome puppy areas and work hard in those first few weeks. Great Southern Groodles will recommend puppy classes and provide direct access to highly qualified trainers at any time.
We are on a mission to produce the healthiest, friendliest and best socialised puppies in Australia
We only have our puppies for a short time but we genuinely fall in love with every single one, we dedicate our days (and nights) to nurture their growth and development. That does not end when they go to their new FURever families.
We offer a lifetime of support and we are only a phone call or text message away. We genuinely love being a part of their lives and cheer from the sidelines at every achievement.
We love to receive PUPdates about each puppy’s progress. We will organise annual meet ups and once you purchase a puppy, you truly join our family.
The Great Southern Groodle Difference
Registered breeder
Registered Breeder with the Responsible Pet Breeders Association with a code of ethics and regular vet audits. We follow RSPCA breeding guidelines and are RSPCA approved.
Fully health checked
Our dogs are health checked, hip & elbow scored, DNA tested, have regular blood tests and eat the best food we can source.
Family breeder
Our puppies are part of our family, born in our home. They are healthy, happy and well used to the hustle and bustle of family life. Car rides, loud noises, other animals are all practiced from day one.
Great Southern Groodles Temperament Testing
Every Great Southern Groodle is temperament tested by an external specialist puppy trainer. The multi-page report is available on request. The reason that we externally test is that every puppy is different. That is, every puppy, in every litter, has different experiences in life. The way they view the world is different. Their relationships are different. It is not enough for a family to decide a particular breed would be perfect for their family. It is not enough for us to say every one of our puppies is outgoing and confident. And it is certainly, not enough for a breeder to suggest that any of their puppies would be perfect for a specific family.
At Great Southern Groodles, we are the first Groodle breeder in Australia to externally temperament test our puppies. We use a modified Volhard assessment protocol. This is one tool we use to match a puppy to their pawfect family. It is used in conjunction with the inevitable fact we spend all day with the puppies and know of their individual traits. However, we utilise science and an unbiased specialist to assist in the process. Testing gives us an insight to the puppy’s potential, especially important if choosing a puppy for therapy or assistance work.
On the day of testing, the Specialist Assessor has no prior knowledge of each puppy and has never met them. The testing is conducted in a completely novel environment for the puppy.
The assessor spends time, working her way through 15 different tests and scores accordingly. The assessor is vigilant in assessing the puppy’s body language and responses to each task. It is completely positive and an enjoyable experience for the puppy.
“A temperament test is a snapshot of what potential a puppy has to offer”.
Temperament test scores don’t necessarily reflect exactly how a puppy will grow up, but they can give a good indication.
A puppy’s environment and socialisation until adulthood have a big impact. But temperament testing is a valuable tool that can be helpful in placing puppies in homes where they will thrive.
