--- title: Gun Dog Training From Visalia | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/from/visalia/ 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/) - Visalia # Visalia to Rio Vista: a spaniel, setter or retriever trained up north Rio Vista is about 3.9 hours and 197 miles from Visalia by road. Richard Gebhart trains gun dogs at Hastings Island Hunting Preserve there, and dogs come to him from all over California for board-and-train. ## From Visalia to Hastings Island - **Drive to Rio Vista:** about 3.9 hours 197 miles, OpenStreetMap routing, no traffic - **County:** Tulare US Census Bureau - **Population:** 143,939 ACS 5-year 2024 - **Median age:** 33.9 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. Visalia, the Tulare County seat, has about 144,000 residents and a median age of 33.9 (Census Bureau). It sits in the southern San Joaquin Valley, in a county where two spaniel clubs list field trials on the 2026 calendar. ## Nearly four hours each way The route covers about 197 miles. OpenStreetMap routing, with no traffic, estimates about 3.9 hours, which is the top of the long-drive tier. It is a long day each way, and a same-day round trip would leave little time for anything but driving. That is why the dog stays. Under [board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/), the work happens at Hastings Island while you stay home, and your trips are for drop-off, pick-up and a lesson. ## Spaniel trials in Tulare County Two clubs, the English Springer Spaniel Club of Southern California and the Arrowhead English Springer Spaniel Club, list 2026 spaniel field trials at Kincaid Wildlife Management Area on Lake Success near Porterville (California 2026 trial and hunt test calendar, read October 27, 2026). Porterville is in the same county as Visalia, so an owner of a flushing breed can see trained dogs work close to home. Read the [English Springer Spaniel page](https://royalgundogs.com/breeds/english-springer-spaniel/) for how Richard approaches the breed. ## Kern National Wildlife Refuge for waterfowl Farther south, Kern National Wildlife Refuge sits 19 miles west of Delano, offers waterfowl hunting and is closed to non-hunters on Wednesdays and Saturdays from October to January (USFWS). The refuge page does not list its acreage, so none is given here. A dog headed for a refuge like that needs to hold still through shots and wait for the send. Those skills are what the [Basic Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/basic-waterfowl/) covers. ## What to ask Richard on the first call - How old the dog is and whether it has been around birds or gunfire. - Whether you hunt upland, waterfowl or both, since the work differs. - How drop-off and pick-up would work from the southern valley. - Whether a handler lesson can be fitted on the day you collect the dog. Google lists Richard's hours as 8 AM to 2 PM Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday. Call first and plan your arrival with him; four hours is too far to drive on a guess. The [how to book training](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/how-to-book-training/) answer covers the first call. ## After the stay Pick-up is the other half of the program. A dog that works for Richard still has to work for you, so the [handler lesson](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) matters. Bring the questions you wrote down, and practice the commands in the order Richard shows you. Back in the valley, you can see spaniel and pointing-dog work at the events described above. ### Sources (4) - Bird Dog & Retriever News : [bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : [fws.gov/refuge/kern](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/kern) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Census Bureau : [data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0682954](https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2024.B01003?g=160XX00US0682954) (checked October 27, 2026) - Hastings Island Hunting Preserve : [hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/](https://hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-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/) - [English Springer Spaniel](https://royalgundogs.com/breeds/english-springer-spaniel/) - [From Hanford to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/hanford/) ## Other drive times [Hanford](https://royalgundogs.com/from/hanford/)[Tulare](https://royalgundogs.com/from/tulare/)[Redding](https://royalgundogs.com/from/redding/)[Fresno](https://royalgundogs.com/from/fresno/)[Monterey](https://royalgundogs.com/from/monterey/)[Red Bluff](https://royalgundogs.com/from/red-bluff/)[Paso Robles](https://royalgundogs.com/from/paso-robles/)[Salinas](https://royalgundogs.com/from/salinas/) ## Questions from Visalia owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How far is Rio Vista from Visalia? About 3.9 hours and 197 miles by road, with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing). ### Is Visalia close enough for a same-day round trip? It is a long day each way, so plan for the full day. Call Richard about drop-off and pick-up from the San Joaquin Valley. ### Which spaniel events are near Visalia? Two springer clubs list trials at Kincaid Wildlife Management Area, Lake Success, on the 2026 calendar. Confirm any date with the club or AKC Event Search. ### Does Richard train spaniels? He expanded into upland breeds in 2013 under Steve Klassen at Blue Ridge Kennels. Ask him about your spaniel.