About Al’s Ranch Retrievers

Bird dog training near Emery

Al's Ranch Retrievers is a small kennel near Emery in southeast South Dakota pheasant country, owned by Morgan Vandenberg, that breeds and trains Labradors and golden retrievers. Morgan says the idea grew from the family hunting lodge, where dogs are conditioned in the off-season and worked during the season.

Training

The kennel trains dogs for upland, waterfowl, shed hunting and obedience, and describes a positive mentality, patience and building on each dog's accomplishments, with methods tailored to each dog. Because most dogs are family members first, training keeps home etiquette such as crate training, table manners and sitting to wait before eating or going outside. A plan is built after discussing the dog's goals, the type of hunting and how long the dog can stay. Dogtra e-collars are used in training.

Birds and guiding

Morgan guides full time at A1 Al's Pheasant Ranch, about a mile away, where training dogs get easily 2,000 birds through the season. Trainees are taken in before September 1 so each dog gets the most from its training.

What to ask

Ask about program length, pricing and available start dates.