Positioning
Define what the program stands for, who it serves, and the standard families can expect.
The Stokeshire Method™
Build the breeding program families remember.
A documented operating system for breeding programs built with purpose. Delivered as an eight-week applied practicum, with up to twenty programs in the January 2027 founding cohort.
The problem
Exceptional work gets trapped in memory.
Follow-up lives in inboxes. Development standards are inconsistently documented. Client communication depends on who is working that day.
The program may be strong. The system underneath it can still be difficult to teach, measure, or hand off.
The Method is built to move knowledge out of the founder's head and into documented work another person can follow.
The operating system
Operations
Turn judgment and routine into written workflows another person can follow.
Development
Document how puppies and dogs are developed, observed, trained, and prepared for family life.
Experience
Build a considered family journey from first inquiry through homecoming and beyond.
Technology
Use Companion to connect internal evidence with a simpler family-facing record.
Growth
Build capacity without asking the program to surrender the standards that made it valuable.
The doctrine
Education matters when it changes the operating system.
The goal is not to collect modules. The goal is a clearer offer, documented workflows, stronger developmental standards, a more intentional family experience, and software that supports the way the program actually operates.
Each week produces a working draft of that week's artifact. In Week 8, the 90-Day Implementation Plan schedules finishing every draft by Day 90.
The founder
Built inside a real operating program.
James G. Stokes has been building businesses since 2010 and working in brand, web, and direct-response marketing since 2013. The Stokeshire Method wasn't created in a classroom. It was extracted from the systems James and Katie had to build to make Stokeshire work.
A trainer records weekly rubrics and training logs in Companion, so development records don't depend on one person.
Founding Program
$4,997Complete Program · paid in full
Or three payments of $1,799 ($5,397 total).
Applications are open. Enrollment and payment are not open. Application and acceptance are required before payment.
- Eight-week applied operating practicum
- Eight weekly group calls
- Four 30-minute individual calls with James in Weeks 2 to 8
- Operating templates and implementation tools
- Private onboarding
- Twelve months of course access
- Twelve months of Stokeshire Companion
Who this is for
Eligible breeding programs
Cohort 1 is for breeding programs: purebred programs anywhere, and doodle and designer programs based outside the United States. Trainers are not eligible for Cohort 1.
Working operators
Breeders ready to document what currently lives in one person’s head so another person can follow the work.
Evidence-minded programs
Breeders willing to distinguish what was planned, observed, measured, interpreted, and communicated.
Time to implement
Plan on about 3.5 to 6 hours a week per program, including the weekly live call. Capstone weeks can run higher.
U.S. doodle and designer programs may apply. They are not eligible for Cohort 1, and their applications will be retained.
Stokeshire Companion™
The record that travels with the dog.
Stokeshire Companion™ is the record that travels with the dog. Breeder observations, developmental work, training sessions, photos, and milestones stay in one continuous record, while families see a simpler view: where their dog is, what they can comfortably do, and what comes next. Companion is in active development. Founding members receive twelve months of access, help shape what is built, and see planned features labeled as planned, not promised.
Week 7
From record to reputation.
Week 7 includes a short lesson on how the records you build become content families can find. The Method does not teach marketing in depth.
The Method teaches breeders how to produce and substantiate the value. Marketing for Breeders teaches them how to communicate that value to the market. Companion helps them operate and preserve it.
The investment
Is this the right time for your program?
The Complete Program is a meaningful investment. We don't believe you should make it based on hoped-for sales or a promise that a course will pay for itself.
The Method is built for breeding programs ready to invest in stronger systems, better documentation, and a more intentional family experience.
If investing $4,997 would put pressure on the basic operating health of your business, don't force the Complete Program right now.
Quality should not depend on memory.Stokeshire Method™
Further reading · WDD blog
Read the work.
Follow the sources.
Selected perspectives from Stokeshire Designer Doodles. The full articles live on our family website.
Breeding standards
The 10 Foundations of Ethical Dog Breeding
Stokeshire’s perspective on welfare, documentation, veterinary partnerships, and responsibility to families.
Development and enrichment
The Art and Science of Puppy Enrichment
A look at the environments, activities, and daily experiences described in Stokeshire’s puppy program.
Sources and reference documents
Original guidance on the topics above. Inclusion here does not imply endorsement of the Stokeshire Method.
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
The CHIC Program (Web)How breed-specific screening and public records work. A CHIC number records completed, disclosed tests; it does not mean every result is normal.
American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
Puppy Socialization Position Statement (PDF)Guidance on early, positive exposure, avoiding overwhelm, and managing health precautions. Context for development and enrichment, with veterinary guidance for each puppy.