San Luis Obispo to Rio Vista: a board-and-train trip

San Luis Obispo is a college town of about 48,000 on the central coast, with a median age of 26.3 (Census Bureau). Valley quail is a statewide bird, and the dogs that hunt it well are trained for it.

The honest drive

Plan on about 260 miles and about 5.3 hours with no traffic, according to OpenStreetMap routing. This site puts San Luis Obispo in the overnight tier. Treat each trip as a travel day and ask Richard how drop-off and pick-up should work.

Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up from the Central Coast. Do not plan on a same-day return.

Quail seasons, as CDFW lists them

CDFW's upland page gives these dates for its quail zones but no county list, so confirm your zone on CDFW's quail zone map before you plan around a date. The 2026-27 seasons page has the full upland summary and a link.

Why a pointer or spaniel owner might make the trip

Quail hunting rewards a dog that finds birds, holds them and handles to the gun. Richard expanded to pointers and other upland breeds in 2013, under Steve Klassen at Blue Ridge Kennels. If your dog is a pointer or setter, read the Formal Gun Dog Training page first; for a spaniel, ask Richard.

Retriever owners come from the coast, too. Richard describes the work as bird dogs for the hunt, waterfowl and upland.

Making a long trip worth it

• Ask Richard what your dog should know before it arrives.
• Confirm the day and time of drop-off; Google lists hours of 8 AM to 2 PM except Tuesday.
• Schedule a handler lesson for pick-up day.
• Read the board-and-train page before you call.

Clubs on the central coast

The Central Coast Hunting Retriever Club of California lists a hunt test at the CRTA Goose Lake grounds in Lost Hills on the 2026 California calendar. For other breeds, check the calendar and AKC Event Search.

Hours to plan around

Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday. Call first, and book ahead if you can: Richard likes a month and recommends six weeks. A morning departure from San Luis Obispo lands you in Rio Vista in the afternoon, so ask Richard about timing before you set out.

Coastal owners sometimes wonder whether a puppy should wait. The when to start a hunting puppy guide covers the question, and Richard, who likes to start Puppy Camp at 5 to 7 months, can tell you how he sees a young dog on the phone.