Dakota Ridge Kennels

07/15/2024

Had a good weekend at Prairie Lakes HRC test this weekend. Went 8/9.
Dottie passed seasoned on Saturday and titled.
Henry went 2/2 in seasoned to title.
Raven went 2/2 in started to title.
Henry and Raven are owned by Derek Eichner
Dude went 2/2 in started, this was his first time running. Dude is owned by Rusty Howard
Dash went 1/2 in started on her first weekend running. Dash is owned by John Schierholz

01/19/2024

Kirby turns 11 today! 4xGMPR HRCH MH and QAA!

01/11/2024

Check out this awesome picture of a Griffey x Ruby puppy from our spring litter. Toby showing his point with a Viszla and two shorthairs! Toby has been rocking it in Iowa!

01/09/2024

!!ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT FOR TRAINING!!

We are starting to take training reservations for this season!

We will start taking obedience and beginner dogs February 1st and our more advanced gun-dog and hunt test dogs starting in March/April.
If you’re looking to advance your dog to that next level it is recommended to get them in early to get obedience, collar conditioning, and force fetch completed by the time the nice weather hits so we can be rolling right away and build that next level dog.

We will be running AKC and HRC tests.

Programs are tailored to each dog and areas of focus will be dependent on the dogs’ needs and your hunting style.

We also offer puppy head start! We will take those 8-12 week old puppies and get them started on the right path to make a big dog. Crate training, beginning obedience, place training, bird and gun intro, and much more!

We have access natural water and technical water to teach all concepts and give many different looks.

Limited spots will fill quick. Dogs continually come and go throughout the summer so if your pup isn’t ready right away that’s OK!

For rates and more information message me on here or call/text (507)829-3469.

11/24/2023

We don’t post or promote too many products but some that we use with our dogs everyday have really stood out to us and we are proud to represent.

We believe one of the best training collar brands on the market is Dogtra. We use many of their products every single day. E-collars, bark collars, and remote training electronics. If you are in the market for a new collar or new electronics use our discount code DGTFSCN for additional savings!

https://www.dogtra.com

Another product we have started using is Alpha Dog Nutrion supplements. One of the best we’ve used so far is the Free Range. I’m a believer is has helped keep Kirby in the field this fall. At almost 11 years old he needs all the assistance he can get. We’ve started all our dogs on it as well to help maintain their bodies. Follow the link for savings! If you miss out on the sale they are running currently you can always use code DRK15 for savings!

https://alphadognutrition.com/

10/28/2023

I am opening up a few spots for obedience training for November and December. Will include on and off leash obedience as well as e-collar conditioning if desired. Pm with any questions or to book your spot!

10/02/2023

Get your Griffey pups!!

09/07/2023

These 3 boys are from our spring Griffey x Ruby litter. They’re all back in for some bird and gun intro and getting ready for hunting season. The dark red pup is Riggs. Light yellow is Kinnick. And medium yellow is Chet. All three are turning in to retrieving fools!

We don’t have any pups of our own available right now but there are multiple Griffey sired pups on the ground now or coming soon that we can put you in contact with. PM me for details on those!

09/02/2023

Look 👀 at this dude! Toby is from our spring Griffey x Ruby litter.

Jessica Pick I’d say at 6 months old this dude will be something special. What a great first hunt he had!! Alan has got a good one! Toby

08/23/2023

Ended our HRC weekend on a pretty good note. Took the dogs up to the Jim River HRC test and came home 7 for 8.

Raven picked up her first two started passes. Raven is a Kirby daughter.

Henry went 1 for 2 in seasoned. Ran extremely well Saturday and had an excellent land series on Sunday. A 10 yard splash bird got him to break on Sunday. This dog is going to be special!

Dottie is really turning it on and seems to be clicking on all cylinders. She went 2 for 2 in seasoned. Dottie is a Kirby daughter.

Griffey is running excellent as well and was 2 for 2 in finished. Griffey is a Kirby son.

08/09/2023

Kellen stopped by training tonight to see his girl Dottie run. He got some time on the bucket too.

07/24/2023

Had a good weekend at the Dakota HRC test

Griffey 2/2 in finished.
Dottie and Henry each went 1/2 in seasoned. Both ran excellent but had young dog mistakes that we’ll build upon and correct

07/16/2023

06/07/2023

Big boy Griffey picked up his 4xGMPR title over the weekend! Big thanks to Troy Benson of Northstar Pointing Labs for putting in a lot of work with Griffey to get him where he needed to be. I’ve said it before but Troy is one of the best in the PL game. Building a nice dog is a team effort and there are a lot of people to be thankful for!

05/25/2023

Some good looking pups from our boys’ recent breedings. Toby (Griffey x Ruby) showing off his point! And R***r (Kirby x Stella from Lindley Labs) with some bird intro! These two little guys are great looking pups with exciting futures ahead of them!

04/29/2023

Breeding confirmed via ultrasound. Puppies due around May 20th. message me with any questions or for additional info.

https://huntinglabpedigree.com/puppy.asp?id=52337

04/22/2023

04/11/2023

Griffey x Ruby puppies head home this weekend!

03/30/2023

As we look forward to nicer weather and training season rolls around, client dogs are starting to come in to the kennel and puppies are going to new homes I am getting asked a ton of questions on what people should do with their puppies before sending them to training or how to give them the right start to prepare for hunting season in the fall. My main points for owners to focus on would be socialization, make that puppy fearless. Teach your puppy to walk on a leash and move with you not against you. Crate/kennel train your puppy, teach them the kennel is a good space to be calm and clean. Teach your puppy simple obedience such as here and sit, treats work excellent for shaping a young puppy. Finally, make that puppy CRAZY to chase and retrieve, do not require a perfect delivery, but get that puppy wanting to pick up any object thrown and carry it around.

My basic Gundog program is approximately three months, IF a reasonable effort has been put forth to accomplish the goals I listed above. If a dog has never been on a leash and fights it constantly or if a dog needs to be built up because it hasn’t been socialized or lacks retrieve desire that three months can become a lot longer because we have to build up that foundation before we can formalize it and further advance.

My goal as a trainer is to send you home a dog that will get you invited on hunting trips, not one you have to be embarrassed to bring out in front of your friends. Realistic expectations help us meet this goal.

03/23/2023

Puppies are just over 4 weeks old! Started on puppy mush and able climb in and out of their whelping box. They got moved to the big pen and are loving all the extra room. personalities and the battle for dominance is starting to shape up. All have found their furever homes but stay tuned for an exciting announcement!

01/29/2023

Pregnancy confirmed via ultrasound! Looks like Ruby has a belly full of bird finding machines that will turn it off at the end of the day and be your best cuddle buddy! We have 2 spots for males open on our deposit list then we’ll start a waitlist. 1 spot open on female deposit list.
Approximate due date of Feb 20th.

01/29/2023

Shirt and hat order turned out great. We’ll gauge interest for another order this summer!

12/24/2022

Merry Christmas to all our past, present, and future clients! We hope 2022 was was a joyous year and blessings for a happy and healthy 2023!

12/22/2022

Message, text, or email for more information! Priced accordingly, UNDER $1k!

11/02/2022

We are starting to wind down our Gundog training for the season, with that being said, I am opening up a couple of obedience spots for November and December. Preferably a 2 month session to get the most success out of the dog but will work with one month as well. Obedience will consist of recall (here or come) heeling on and off leash and sit. We can teach place and kennel as well. Can request info via Facebook messenger or call/text me at (507)829-3469 if texting please provide name. Thank you!

10/19/2022

💯 % truth to this. Great dogs take time.

Expectations vs Reality.

Many people watch our dogs progress and it seems flawless from the perspective of social media that dogs go from puppies to finished dogs that are ready to go hunt.

Often people expect to have a ready to hunt dog in 4-6 months that’s going to go out in the field and have no problems simply because we laid a good foundation and while some dogs may have the foundation in that time and even some that may be ready and able to start hunting there’s a lot of times that simply isn’t the case.

You wouldn’t expect your 6 month old child to be walking and you also wouldn’t throw in the towel if they weren’t walking by then. You keep going until….until when? Until they figure it out. You’ve got to be patient!

Some dogs take longer than others, they mature and learn and different rates and what makes the real deal click for them is often very different.

You don’t get a finished gun dog, a master hunter or a field trial competitor by doing the bare basics, for the cheapest amount, in the shortest amount of time possible. It takes a lot of time, a pretty hefty financial investment not only in training but for the puppy you purchase. You can’t buy a pinto and race with supercars no matter how good the driver or coach is.

DONT buy a cheap puppy! Pushing your budget on the right puppy will give you more return on your investment than anything else!
Good dogs ain’t cheap and cheap dogs ain’t good!

Understand that this is a 3-4 year commitment to building a great dog, whatever that means to you. Great takes time.

In your dogs first hunting season, be patient. Let them soak it in from behind the blind. Don’t worry about shooting. Work the dog.
Slowly start building them into how to hunt by doing small steps and getting them checked off in the right way first. Small wins lead to big wins, self confidence in your pup and ultimately success. Focus on getting the little things right and set your pup up to learn his first season. It will be rough. Next season you’ll have a lot more fun, the 3rd season, you’ll have a hunting dog.

“The one who tries to get something for nothing generally winds up getting nothing for something.”- Napoleon Hill

10/18/2022

Went out for a “daddy daughter” hunt today. The old man Kirby put on a show for his daughter Dottie on some public land. Two points from Kirby and one assist on a retrieve from Dottie. Team work makes the dream work.