ABOUT US
Since 2012, we have been active in the sporting dog community through social media, showcasing talented working dogs on our brand, Field Dog Life. After owning hunting dogs, we became immersed in competitive dog sports, acquiring Maximus in 2019. He was professionally trained for AKC and HRC hunt tests, and we traveled nationwide to pursue our dream of earning a Titled Hunting Dog. After acquiring Maximus, we went on to add three more competitive retrievers from champion hunting and field trial lines to our family. However, we felt that sending our dogs to pro trainers wasn’t ideal, so we decided to train our team of canine athletes ourselves. The right training grounds were hard to find in Cleveland, sending us on a mission to find and design our own training grounds.
-
Train your dog with a new concept! Staff Guided training in our fields immerses you and your dog in a dynamic environment where solid obedience principles become the backbone of your teamwork. There is no better way to test your dog’s skills, and your handling skills, than to work your dog at our certified dog training grounds with our staff. Experience true, sporting and working dog training beyond the confines of your home or a garage - and get outdoors where canine athletes are meant to be. Master obedience and essential skills with real-world distractions, gaining control through focused exercises that build teamwork, concentration and discipline. Watch as your dog magically transforms by the power of freedom, nature and a calm environment while you gain control by keeping their brain engaged and practice learned skills in a real life hunting ecosystem. You and your dog are observed, trained, shaped and tested, to gain essential skills that will build a better human-dog relationship! Watch how your dog learns and processes his natural environment, using his skills given to him by nature - what he was born to do, while you learn how to harness his natural abilities.
For dogs with limited outdoor experience or reactive dogs, we offer integration with our balanced pack members, fostering natural socialization and confidence. These sessions are vital for energetic dogs needing solid obedience and focus to prepare for work, emphasizing control, cooperation, and leadership rooted in mutual respect. Your dog learns best when actively engaged in purposeful tasks within their natural environment , so get them to The Ranch with our staff! If we need to bring an expert to get your dog training in a certain skill, The Ranch will hunt far and wide to bring the right resources to your learning Toolbox – a collaborative space where we share proven techniques.
-
Your dog can work at The Ranch in a few different ways:
You can train your dog on your own by buying a pass, which entitles you an hour of training time on our campus
You can train with us in a guided field session where we work on skills like heal, sit, recall in a real world environment. We’ll watch you and your dog and help you gain control and sharpen your dog’s skills.
You and your dog can attend a Clinic, which is a classroom size setting where we drill down on a specific skill-set that is essential for building advanced skills and superior performance.
You can set up various competitive sporting dog scenarios, and run a master - level hunt test, or set up a Field Trial Open or Qual. Our grounds will challenge even the most skilled dogs, and we designed them to build champions retrievers.
You can train and condition your dog to swim in big, open, moving water to become a strong and confident swimmer from puppy to adulthood.
Your dog can spend time inside our indoor training facility, our WAGFIT fitness center for dogs and humans. Especially great when the winter hits!
You can enjoy all the Ranch has to offer for outdoor living. Throughout the year, we also hold Hunting specific classes for people interested in exploring the outdoors.
You and dog can come to socialize with other “Ranchers”, because dogs need wide-open spaces!
During hunting season, The Ranch comes alive! We hunt and fish all year round, and partake in winter sports like cross country skiing or snowshoeing with your dogs. We condition them to the cold, and icy waters.
If your dog becomes a regular at The Ranch, it will put him in a position to become the best dog he can be, in the best physical and mental condition of his life.
-
Our training is based on building a retriever, or a working dog, to ready them for real-world work in the field. We do it through a series of skills that build on each other, and by teaching a dog to think and make good decisions through use of “the tools” we have given him to complete a task. The process begins as soon as you and your dog hop out of the car onto our campus. We are constantly observing and watching how you work and interact with your dog, and how he reacts to you and this environment. We get to know him and how he learns; what motivates him and how he handles the pressure of his environment and stress. We evaluate how he approaches learning, and his personality, physicality, genetics, and his disposition. We rely upon you,his owner to communicate what you see at home if we do not train him as a puppy. We want to understand your goals for your dog, and plot that against his breed, nature, and his genetics. We take a scientific and behavioral approach based on Classical Conditioning concepts. But we also incorporate the latest and greatest research in regard to how dogs learn and process their environment. Our teaching follows the process of
TEACH - we introduce a concept to the dog and teach it so that the dog has a clear understanding of what is being asked of him
TEST - he will need to demonstrate a clear understanding of the concept.
APPLY - we test his knowledge by placing him in situations or scenarios where he will be required to do what is asked of him on command, and be held to a standard. If a dog has a clear understanding of what is being asked of him, this will happen automatically, without pause. If he shows hesitation, and truly cannot complete the task, then we repeat the process.
We use the principles of Classical Conditioning to create a desired response, and a dog’s ability to think for himself to develop his learning parameters.
We hold a dog accountable for his actions and behavior once he shows a superior understanding of what is expected of him. The best way to test his understanding is to take him into our fields, and give him specific tasks to perform with distractions.
We continuously review his basic skills and concepts throughout his life, thus “building” a dog.
We use this algorithm in tandem with testing and teaching you, his owner and handler, and your dedication and ability to lead your dog which will tell us how successful you’ll be as a team, and your ability to incorporate your dog into your daily life as well as lead him in the field. The dog is the center of the program, but humans control and steer the ship - one can not be successful without the other.
-
Our training center focuses on sporting and working dogs—dogs that need and love to work with purpose. These breeds need regular, meaningful activity to be happy, healthy, and well-behaved at home and in the field. Our grounds are designed to simulate hunting, testing, and trial conditions.
If your dog is a working athlete that needs off-leash activity, The Ranch is the right place. For owners with limited mobility, we offer a Dog Day Camp. We don’t offer typical classes; instead, we work with highly competitive, active and working dogs and provide space for these energetic dogs to run free and do what they’re meant to do: work.
Your dog does not need to have advanced hunting and working skills to train and workout at The Ranch. If he shows a natural curiosity for retrieving, or inclination to a certain type of work, giving him the chance to practice will be highly beneficial. If your dog is a seasoned hunter, the grounds are essential to keep him practiced and well conditioned year round.
If your dog has behavioral problems or is reactive, we can discuss what activities might be beneficial, and whether or not we’re right for you.
The fields help dogs that need to build confidence or have high anxiety, if your dog needs to learn to relax and channel nervous energy, the grounds will be highly beneficial.
If you have a puppy that will be a hunting dog, these grounds are critical to begin essential retrievers skills out of the box, or to work with your puppy before he heads off to a Pro. We have specific exercise and conditioning activities that big motor dogs should be exposed to as little at 7 weeks old.
We carefully screen dogs and owners before they join to keep a focused, exclusive community of dogs that need to stay fit and balanced both mentally and physically. To learn more or see if your dog is a good fit, contact us to schedule a visit.
And GET EM’ TO THE RANCH
ACRES FOR DOGS TO RUN AND TRAIN
Since 2012, we have trained with some of the best dog trainers and behaviorists in the country. We’ve attended seminars and training at top sporting dog kennels, gaining insights into retriever behaviors, learning for competitive sports, and overall health. In 2020, we started training our own dogs, using our 13 years of experience to develop our own programs and grounds.
The Red Dog Ranch is a labor of love and a destination for active retrievers and sporting dogs to run off-leash and train in real-world settings. We understand their needs, motivations, and behaviors, and strive to provide a safe, fulfilling environment, including our Dog Day Camp.
We have transformed the grounds from a soybean farm into a training facility while preserving the natural terrain and local wildlife, including Bald Eagles, Mallards, and more, just 15 minutes from the 271 highway in Chesterland, Ohio.