Doodle Expert Gearhart Unpacks Royal Veterinary College Behavior Study Findings

Corinne Gearhart, M.A., FFCP, knows what happens when a science headline hits the doodle community wrong. Known worldwide as The Doodle Pro, Gearhart is a professional dog trainer for doodle-breed dogs, helping them live happier and safer lives. So when the Royal Veterinary College published a landmark study on doodle behaviour earlier this month, she wasn't about to let oversimplified media coverage do the talking. On March 25, 2026, Gearhart published her own in-depth expert response, urging doodle owners to look past the alarming headlines and engage with what the research actually says.

It's exactly the kind of intervention this community needed.

What the Royal Veterinary College Study Actually Found

A new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) revealed that three popular designer Poodle-crossbreeds, Cockapoos, Labradoodles and Cavapoos, often display higher levels of undesirable behaviour than their purebred parent breeds. As the first UK study of its kind, these findings challenge widespread public perceptions that these Doodle breed dogs are easier to train or especially suited to family homes with children compared to purebred dogs.

Gina Bryson of the Royal Veterinary College and colleagues presented these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One. The study gathered responses from the owners of 9,402 UK dogs through an online survey conducted between 21 February and 21 April 2023, making it one of the most detailed comparisons of designer crossbreeds and purebreds carried out to date.

Survey data indicate that cockapoos, cavapoos, and labradoodles exhibit more undesirable behaviors than at least one of their purebred progenitor breeds in 44.4% of behavioral trait comparisons, with cockapoos showing the most problem behaviors. Specifically, the RVC stated that these dogs "do not always behave as expected, particularly regarding training, anxiety and aggression," with cockapoos displaying more aggression and dog rivalry, and separation anxiety flagged as a notable concern across all three doodle breeds studied.

One finding that deserves particular attention from anyone thinking about where their doodle came from: another notable covariate in the study was whether the owner had seen the puppy with its mother on the day of collection, a proxy for illegal puppy sales. Not seeing the mother on collection was linked to lower trainability scores across all comparisons, and was also associated with higher scores of owner-directed aggression and excitability in Cockapoo comparisons, higher separation-related problem scores in Labradoodle comparisons, and higher dog rivalry scores in Cavapoo comparisons. If you got your doodle without seeing the mother, these findings are worth sitting with.

Why Gearhart Stepped In

Previous research had identified perceived enhanced health, ease of training, and hypoallergenicity as motivators for acquiring designer-crossbreed dogs over purebreds. Yet despite rapidly rising public demand for certain designer-crossbreeds, there was very little published research reporting their behaviour, even though breed-associated behaviours are a key factor in pre-purchase decision-making. The RVC study began filling that gap, but the media coverage that followed risked replacing one set of myths with another.

That's where Gearhart's expertise becomes critical. With over 50,000 hours working exclusively with Doodles, she has helped thousands of families transform chaos into calm. Working directly with hundreds of doodle dogs of every mix in Denver, Colorado, she earned the reputation as the professional with the world's most experience working with doodles and the most variety of doodle mixes. She's seen the real-world version of every data point in this study, and she knows that a number on a chart doesn't capture the full picture of any individual dog.

Her response, published just days after the study's media rollout, warns against letting over-simplified headlines drive decisions for doodle families who are already in the thick of it.

The "Easier to Train" Myth and What It Actually Means

The popularity of doodles and other designer crossbreeds has been rising rapidly around the world, in part because of the widespread belief that they tend to have more desirable behaviors, such as being easier to train or better with children. However, very little research had previously tested those beliefs. The RVC study is the first rigorous UK-based attempt to do exactly that.

The idea that crossbreeds are automatically calmer, easier to train, or less prone to anxiety than purebreds is not supported by this data. But that doesn't mean your goldendoodle or cavapoo is a lost cause. Dogs Trust's position is worth noting: breed is not destiny. A well-socialised dog that receives proper training and veterinary care can thrive regardless of its genetic background.

Gearhart's entire practice is built on exactly that premise. She knows first-hand how doodles are different and delivers positive reinforcement-based, breed-specific plans and solutions to their devoted families. The study's findings about trainability aren't a verdict on your dog; they're a signal about how much the right support matters.

Who Gearhart Is and Why Her Take Matters

Gearhart earned a Master's degree from New York University in Higher Education and Student Affairs with a specialty in counseling, and she traded years of experience in education and criminal justice reform for a formal education in learning theory and dog training and hands-on work with doodles. She is a Fear Free Certified Professional in the veterinary program, certified in dog training foundations from the Karen Pryor Academy, and has completed training programs from Michael Shikashio in AggressiveDogs, Training Between the Ears, and Suzanne Clothier.

She is the host of the top-ranking and award-nominated The Doodle Pro Podcast, recently ranking #3 in the U.S. and in the top 5 in Canada, Britain, Australia, and more. She has also authored a bestselling dog training book tailored specifically for doodle mixes, including Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, Bernedoodles, and Aussiedoodles, serving as the first routine-based guide written just for Doodles.

When Gearhart weighs in on a study of this magnitude, it's not a hot take. It's the perspective of someone who has spent more professional hours with doodles than arguably anyone else on the planet.

What the Study Means for You Right Now

The RVC itself emphasized that the study highlights the importance of prospective and current dog owners consulting reliable information sources pre-purchase, noting that the immense popularity of Poodle crosses strongly suggests these dogs are here to stay and that the paper is a timely resource for both owners and veterinary professionals when making decisions about breed choice.

That's the honest takeaway: not panic, but preparation. Prospective owners are better served by meeting a dog in person, understanding its individual history, and asking breeders detailed questions about socialisation, rather than relying on breed reputation alone. And current doodle owners should treat this study as a framework for understanding their dog's behaviour patterns, not a judgment on the dog they already love.

Gearhart's response does what good expert commentary should: it holds the science accountable to nuance, and holds the doodle community accountable to actually using that science. The RVC paper is a genuinely important piece of research. Read it. Then read what someone who has worked hands-on with these dogs for 50,000 hours has to say about it.