Napa to Rio Vista: training a bird dog an hour away

Napa has about 78,000 residents and a median age of 41.5 (Census Bureau). It is one of the closer cities on this site to the training ground, so a Napa owner can stay in close touch with the work.

By the numbers

Drive times are estimates from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic, measured to Rio Vista. Add time at commute hours or on summer weekends.

The marsh next door

The Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, a CDFW tidal-marsh property, lies along the Napa River south of the city (CDFW). Hunters who live in Napa already know that kind of country: sloughs, tules, tides. Hastings Island and Suisun Marsh are the same habitat farther east, where the Delta begins.

Suisun Marsh is roughly 116,000 acres and the largest contiguous brackish wetland in California, managed mostly by CDFW and private duck clubs. The Suisun Marsh page explains what that means for a dog.

Why a short drive helps board-and-train

With a short drive, you can see your dog's progress yourself. A handler lesson becomes an easy morning rather than a major trip, and that matters: the dog works for you the way it works for Richard only after you have practiced the same commands together.

Ask Richard about visits and how he likes to schedule them. He decides each dog's plan, including how many weeks inside a program's range. The overview is on the board-and-train page.

Pointing breeds and the Golden Empire club

The Golden Empire Brittany Club has listed a field trial and hunt test at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve itself, which is Richard's training ground. If you own a Brittany, a visit to one of those events is a good look at the setting. Brittanys, pointers and setters fit Richard's upland work, which began in 2013 at Blue Ridge Kennels.

Questions Napa owners tend to ask

Is a dog from wine country too soft for marsh work? Breed and temperament matter more than the zip code, and Richard looks at the individual dog. Can a house dog be a hunter? Many of the dogs Richard trains are everyday hunting dogs and home companions, in his words. Bring up both on the first call and he will tell you how he sees your dog.

Hours worth knowing

Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday. Call before you drive out; an hour's drive from Napa is easy to plan once you know he is there.