Ray has been an avid duck and goose hunter for over 25 years.  Like most professional dog trainers, he started out with his own retriever pup and Richard Wolters' book Water Dog.  He worked with his first lab, "BEN," almost every day, reading a chapter of Richard's book then going outside to apply what he had just read.  This worked well and he and Ben grew together as hunter and trained hunting dog.

 

Things changed about seven years ago when Ray and "ROXY"  joined a local retriever club.  Soon after, he started going to field trials to be able to work with his dog in the off-season, and realized the potential and satisfaction of a truly trained retriever.  As "ROXY" excelled in the NAHRA program, Ray started working with new members of the retriever club, helping them learn from his experiences.

 

Today, Ray trains retrievers for other hunters, allowing them to share some of the same exciting times with their dogs as he has shared with his own retrievers.  Ray is a member of the United Kennel Club's HRC hunting test program and has qualified dogs in 26 events and titled four dogs in the past year.  Ray continues to hunt whenever possible, recently returning from his annual Manitoba, Canada duck and goose hunting trip where he and his three hunting companions shot and retrieved more than 160 ducks and 40 geese in two weeks.

 

Come join us at RIVER ROAD KENNELS and experience hunting with a RIVER ROAD KENNELS trained hunting retriever!