--- title: Gun Dog Training From Lodi | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/from/lodi/ business: Royal Gun Dogs trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002) phone: (530) 341-4496 email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County) booking: call or text Richard directly --- - [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/) - [All of California](https://royalgundogs.com/from/) - [San Joaquin Valley](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/san-joaquin-valley/) - Lodi # Lodi bird dog owners and the road to Rio Vista Rio Vista is about 38 minutes and 25 miles from Lodi by road. Richard Gebhart trains at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve there, and owners bring dogs to him from all over California for board-and-train. ## From Lodi to Hastings Island - **Drive to Rio Vista:** about 38 minutes 25 miles, OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic - **County:** San Joaquin US Census Bureau - **Population:** 67,607 ACS 5-year 2024 - **Median age:** 36.4 ACS 5-year 2024 Drive estimate from road routing between town centers (no traffic), pulled October 2026. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Lodi is on the eastern edge of the Delta in San Joaquin County, with the Mokelumne River just north of town. About 68,000 people live here and the median age is 36.4 (Census Bureau). It is among the shortest drives on this site. ## Closer than most About 25 miles and about 38 minutes with no traffic. For a Lodi owner, the question is rarely whether the drive is worth it; it is how to fit the lessons around work. Because the drive is short, a Lodi owner can plan on seeing the work firsthand. Ask Richard when a visit would suit the dog. ## What the Mokelumne and the Delta mean for your dog A dog raised near the river and the Delta meets water young. Moving water, cover and decoys are everyday sights, and that helps a retriever, though it also brings distractions. Training teaches the dog what to do when it is excited. If you hunt waterfowl, the key retriever skills are marks, blinds and calm in the blind. Our [marks and blind retrieves guide](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/marks-and-blind-retrieves/) explains the first two in plain terms. ## Pointing and flushing breeds Lodi owners also hunt pheasant and quail with pointing breeds and spaniels. The Northern California Brittany Club lists a field trial at Camanche Hills Hunting Preserve in Ione, and the Vizsla Club of Northern California lists an event at O'Neill Forebay Wildlife Area. Event dates move each year, so use AKC Event Search for current listings rather than a date from a web page. Read about [Brittanys](https://royalgundogs.com/breeds/brittany/) and [Vizslas](https://royalgundogs.com/breeds/vizsla/) before you decide where to start. ## Season notes CDFW lists pheasant season for Nov 14 to Dec 27, 2026, and chukar for Oct 17 to Jan 31. Hastings Island and other licensed game bird clubs run on their own season, which the preserve gives as mid-September to mid-March. The [2026-27 seasons page](https://royalgundogs.com/data/california-seasons-2026-27/) has sources and the zone-map link. ## If you hunt with a partner Many Lodi hunters share a blind with a friend and two dogs. Honoring, the skill where one dog sits quietly while another works, is worth learning together; the [honoring, delivery and line manners guide](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/honoring-delivery-line-manners/) explains it. Richard trains handlers one-on-one or in group lessons, and a shared lesson can suit two owners who hunt together. ## What a visit looks like Call first, then plan to arrive when Richard is at the preserve. Google lists his hours as Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, 8 AM to 2 PM, closed Tuesday. Call first; he arranges drop-off by phone and likes a dog booked a month out, with six weeks ahead better still. A Lodi owner can reach Rio Vista well inside that window. Bring your dog on a leash, water for it, and any questions about the plan you have been given. ### Sources (4) - U.S. Census Bureau : [data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0642202](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0642202) (checked October 27, 2026) - California Department of Fish and Wildlife : [wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Upland-Game-Birds](https://wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Upland-Game-Birds) (checked October 27, 2026) - Bird Dog & Retriever News : [bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (checked October 27, 2026) - Hastings Island Hunting Preserve : [hihp.com/dog-training/](https://hihp.com/dog-training/) (checked October 27, 2026) ### Where Richard trains Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, near Rio Vista in Solano County. Call before you drive out. [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Hastings+Island+Hunting+Preserve+Rio+Vista+CA&destination_place_id=ChIJA_E9R8AphYAR_4YnvcqbaAU) ### Start here - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [Free training consult](https://royalgundogs.com/free-consult/) ### Your trainer Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. [Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/) ### Related - [San Joaquin Valley](https://royalgundogs.com/regions/san-joaquin-valley/) - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [From Stockton to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/stockton/) - [Marks and blind retrieves explained](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/marks-and-blind-retrieves/) ## Other drive times [Fairfield](https://royalgundogs.com/from/fairfield/)[Vacaville](https://royalgundogs.com/from/vacaville/)[Stockton](https://royalgundogs.com/from/stockton/)[Suisun City](https://royalgundogs.com/from/suisun-city/)[Antioch](https://royalgundogs.com/from/antioch/)[Concord](https://royalgundogs.com/from/concord/)[Vallejo](https://royalgundogs.com/from/vallejo/)[Davis](https://royalgundogs.com/from/davis/) ## Questions from Lodi owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How far is Rio Vista from Lodi? About 38 minutes and 25 miles by road, with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing). ### Can a Lodi owner do handler lessons often? Lodi is about 38 minutes from Rio Vista, one of the shortest drives on this site, and lessons are one-on-one or in a group. Call Richard to plan them. ### Do I need a retriever? Richard works with retrievers, pointers and other upland breeds.