Where do I even begin! After bringing home our first GSP pup two years ago, we found Blue Ridge Kennels and haven't looked back. We live over an hour from the kennel but have loved the facility and all of its amazing staff so much we refuse to even attempt anything closer. We have used Blue Ridge for both training (field and obedience) as well as just basic boarding many of times now. The quality of genuine care, attentiveness and communication from staff has been above and beyond! The love for the dogs is felt instantly and radiates when you are greeted by Rebecca and Caitlin in the office/kennel. Dropping your pup off for any length of time in never easy, yet somehow they've melted away any of those hard feeling and both our dogs absolutely love them! The expertise, patience and professionalism from Steve and the rest of the team in the field/obedience work has been incomparable! Everyone truly takes the time to get to know you and your dog, and works as a team to make sure both your dog and yourself are on the best path to success. Both of our dogs have returned home from every stay at Blue Ridge Kennels happy, loved and with so much progression in obedience/field work! read more

Vacaville has extremely limited capacity for dog boarding, and I have to leave often on military duty. My usual boarding place was booked up due to the onset of summer and so were the 3 subsequent places I checked. So glad Happy Paws had recommended Blue Ridge. Kaitlin, the owner gave me a tour of the modest but well maintained grounds and explained her philosophy. I was very impressed at the service between her and Rebecca. I forgot to bring my dogfood back and Rebecca was kind enough to drop it off at my house when she was in town. The online reservation system makes things really easy. Near the freeway, it makes drop offs en route to the airport easy. read more

This is my favorite place to take my boys. I have two Malinois and they can be a handful. This is the only place I don't think about them on vacation because I know they are being well cared for. One of my dogs typically gets so anxious when he is being boarded that he won't eat, but he will eat here. I personally believe it is the higher level of attention he gets here. Rebecca is awesome! In fact last year I went into labor A MONTH EARLY. I contacted them and they made accommodations for us to drop off on the way to the hospital. Rebecca was so helpful during such a stressful time and grabbed the dog from the car nascar pit-stop style. We had our daughter about two hours after making it to the hospital. We love this place and so do the dogs. A true hidden gem! read more

Blue Ridge Kennels - Enjoying the views at the check-in office - Pet Sitting Near Me - Dixon, California

I am so glad I found Blue Ridge Kennels. Great staff. They are willing to work with my dogs that can be a handful at times. I highly recommend. read more

We have been using Blue Ridge Kennel for our Bernese Mountain Dog for over a year now. We would never take our dog anywhere else. They take such good and personal care of each and every dog. The owners are wonderful and so kind. I know that my dog is safe and well taken care of there. read more

Blue Ridge is an excellent training facility! Hazel, our GSP, loves it there, and so do we. To the negative reviews: The field, I found, is more than adequate. There are foxtails, but they check the dogs and are very aware of the concern. The size is perfect, good training cover, and is completely fenced in. What more could you ask for. Sometimes when the cover is beaten down, they use a secondary field which is even better. On training days, yes, even with an appointment, you have to wait your turn. Do not expect them to stop training with others ahead of you because of your appointment. Everyone there has an appointment. If you need to leave at a set time, show up a little early before your app, and let them know when you are scheduling. The reason you are waiting is because they are giving all of the attention and time needed to their clients that they are working with. You will get that same wonderful service. You just need to wait. And for dogs with separation anxiety or dogs that are not comfortable at kennels, be aware. Blue Ridge is a no-frills hunting, training facility. I say that as a compliment. It is definitely not a luxurious dog boarding kennel. With that being said, your dogs safety is never jeopardized. Everyone there has a heart for dogs and they treat them with love and respect. Your dog may come home a little dirty and possibly skinnier than when you left them. And I'm sure the first night will be tough. But it's character building, like sending your child to a camp for the first time. By the end of their stay your dog will be comfortable and happy to be there. Our GSP, who we dropped off for puppy camp at 6mo old for two weeks, loves it there. She gets so excited when we park for training days and can't wait to be greeted by the staff. And be aware, she is as much of a family dog as she is a hunter. If she's not sleeping in her crate, she's in our bed. So no matter how pampered your dog is, they will love blue ridge for what it offers. Also, her training is going excellent. At under one year she's about to go on her first hunt, and I have complete faith it'll be successful. Thank you Blue Ridge Kennels! read more

Blue Ridge Kennels - Pet Sitting Near Me - Dixon, California

Steve has trained 3 short hairs for me and they were all excellent hunters. The last one was the best pointer Ive ever hunted over, been hunting 54 years. I have a 8 week old wire hair now, and will be calling him soon to get the prerequisites for her training. Shes already retrieving up to four birds before loosing interest. Looking forward to working with him again. read more

Blue Ridge Kennels - Lexi at 4.5 weeks - Pet Sitting Near Me - Dixon, California

I have been taking my dogs to Blue Ridge Kennels for many years now. They are the very best. I can't say enough good things about Steve and Blue Ridge Kennels. You don't need to have a hunting dog to board here. They board dogs. Our Lab loves going to BRK. He highly recommends it! read more

I adopted Memphis a 1.5 year old German Wirehair from a co'worker's husband (John). John had Memphis trained by Steve (Blue Ridge Kennels) for over a month. This was my first time taking Memphis back to Steve to review/learn what Steve had taught Memphis. I would've bet my life on Memphis doing the exact opposite of what he was suppose to do. NOPE, once we walked out onto the field my dog went to work. It blew me away what my dog could do, and that was hunt. He caught a wiff and froze right on the bird. Steve used his "whoa" command and Memphis stayed right there as we walked around into position. Once the dog could see us, we stopped then he attacked the bird, bird flew, we shot it and Memphis went and retrieved it. Blown away people, it was freaking phenomenal! Steve was very personable as well. We had several conversations about hunting, where to hunt, his background, etc. He truly cared for my dog. For the price, the money is well worth having your dog trained to do what it was bread to do. read more

Blue Ridge Kennels - The sign from the road - Pet Sitting Near Me - Dixon, California

Back in Nov I decided to board my child for the first time. Considering my child is highly discriminated against (she's a pit), I called several/researched/looked at quite a few place and ended up choosing BRK. I came first came for a visit (also brought along the child) and checked out the facility. What I like about this place is that it has a indoor Outdoor run which is separated by a small wall, which is nice in my opinion for that privacy/blockage for an area when they want to do their business and there's aeration. So it's been over a month, no sickness (kennel cold or whatever), no major depression, she also ate while she was there (better than not eating), and most important the entire staff is super nice, accommodating, and friendly. My dog is usually skiddish around people but she was just fine (slow to warm up). This place is also very affordable. It was $25 per night and if you wanted an extra walk it was $5. Nothing fancy, just basics for your child. Highly recommend! read more

You will not find a better bird dog trainer in Northern California. Steve is the real deal. He's experienced, knowledgeable, professional and honest. He tailors his training to each and every dog. Training blocks are built step-by-step in a methodical and progressive way to ensure you and your dog are successful. I can't recommend Steve highly enough as a dog trainer. I have not boarded my dog at Blue Ridge, but the facilities are clean and well maintained. The staff are all experienced and professional and your dog will be well looked after. The kennel books up quickly and has a ton of repeat customers, so be sure to reserve in advance, especially over holidays and long weekends. read more

We've been taking our fur babies (Zoey/Koa) for over a year and it's been a peace of mind. Rebecca especially goes out of her way to make sure our fur babies get extra love.. because they're love attention! Thank you Rebecca and Blue Ridge for keeping our fur babies safe and loved. read more

Highly recommend this place!! We needed a two-night​ stay for our 2 year Doberman &1-year-old​d Rhodesian Ridgeback for our wedding! They took amazing care of us!! We will always be back. If you have a strong, large breed dog...look no further! They can handle it all! We knew they were in safe hands and when we picked them up were just shocked how well they listened to the handlers! My Dobie was kissing the handler! read more

Steve is Awesome!!! I have a Vizsla - which was chosen on the fact that he would be able to hunt AND he would be able to snuggle with my girlfriend....Which worked out fine until the hunting part began. Luckily we met someone else with a Vizsla who recommended Blue Ridge and we ended up sending Sutter to "Gun Dog Kindergarten" - it was tough - Sutter was not interested in birds for the first 4-5 days (Steve later told me he was on the bring of sending him home....) But through careful and diligent instruction Steve was able to turn him around. After another 2 week session and a handful of one on one lessons I am confident that Sutter is ready for the upcoming hunting season! He is now pointing, fetching, and doing all the things that a good gun dog should do. He is not perfect - but it's amazing how far he has come. (And yes, he never stopped sunggling with the GF.) Anyway, I feel quite lucky to have found someone as patient, kind, and diligent as Steve. I would highly recommend him to anyone with a gun dog, whether it be a sturdy short hair or a "softie" like Sutter. Thanks Steve! read more

I have taken my dogs to Steve for 5 years whether It is one of my trained competition dogs needing a tune-up or a 6-month old puppy getting his first experience of what his life as a bird dog is going to be. Steve has always come through and never let us down. He has a rare trait you don't find very often called honesty and integrity. Every time I have taken a dog to Blue Ridge Kennels I am completely satisfied. The staff is very professional, the facility is always clean and all the dogs are well cared for. You will not be disappointed with their service. And, if your dog has special needs, rest assured they will be treated as if they were the family pet. read more

We boarded a very hyper Lab here and were so pleased with the results. She was treated well and actually lost a bit of weight (she was a bit overweight). They did a very great job with our dog. Thank to the entire staff!! read more

I cant imagine leaving your dog in a better place. Like Emily and other Vizsla owners have seen, Steve and his team will do more than care for your dog...they will love and encourage them. I've certainly used the day kennels here in town when I have to because work gets in the way. Couldn't have made a better investment than to send our 9 month old Nyla to them for two weeks of Kindergarten Gundog Training. This upcoming Monday will be her first actual pheasant hunt. If you want your dog to gain self confidence and transition from visual to scent hunting, go see Steve. read more

Blue Ridge Kennels - Steve working his magic with new student Nyla - Pet Sitting Near Me - Dixon, California

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We came out for a couple private lessons and field is not maintained as it should be considering our dogs will be running in it. Had thorn and foxtail issues each time. Also the younger trainer could never seem to get around to us in a timely manner although we had appointment scheduled. Once he did he would go to his truck and back out to us about 5 times. Money and time wasted. We decided to train at a facility with better upkeep and time dedicated to us. read more

Great place to train, Steve has been training Hunting , Hunt Test and Field Trails dogs for 30 plus years. His staff is professional and always friendly. If you are new to hunting dogs or have experience you can always progress with Steve's training methods, you will have a better dog for the field and your home. Personally I have been training dogs for many years and I can always learn something new at Blue Ridge Kennels. read more

We used Blue Ridge on multiple occasions and each time there was an issue. I'm not sure what happened but this place used to be run by two people. It now seems to have a staff of about eight unprofessional individuals who dont seem to know much about your dog. They couldn't even get our dogs names right. Staff can never seem to remember what was boughten with dogs either. You may want to write names on all of your things when using blue ridge because they will forget, misplace, or keep for themselves. We forgot to ask because we were happy to see our dogs after a month. When asked about it next time we boarded they seemed clueless of where things went. I was told our dogs mustve shredded them when i know for a fact that wasnt the case. read more

Great people! My Sig is rockin his training with Steve...best there is ... my dog is very well taken care of when's he's there. Happy great people! read more

Great place: clean, accessible, friendly and organized. Have used them many times.

We boarded our 5 month old puppy here since we were going to be gone all day at the 49er game and visiting family in the bay. The staff was very professional. They gave us a little tour and they seemed very organized. It only cost us $25 to board her for the day. Very pleased with their service, will definitely be utilizing them again! read more

We have trained & boarded dogs with Steve for close to 20 yrs, you will not find a better place to leave your dog...they treat all dogs as if they were their own... read more

Unfortunately my experience had not been the best. We used Blue Ridge Kennels before when and older woman owned the facility. However my recent experience had been more than pleasant. They were my last resort option since the kennels we usually use was all booked. I had a really weird feeling when I dropped off my dog. I let the owner know that she has separation anxiety and if there is any problems, please contact me and a friend would be able to pick her up. While on vacation I called to check on my dog and he said she was doing well. Needless to say I was happy. When I picked up my dog that was a whole different story. My dog had lost 15 pounds and she was a lean dog already. She was not fed all the food that I sent that was pre measured and put in ziplock bags for easy feed. The last thing that broke my heart was she coward down when I reached to pet her head; which indicated that she was abused. It took several months for me to gain her trust back. I am happy that others have had a positive experience. I wouldn't recommend for dogs with separation anxiety. read more