About Ruffed Country Kennels

Bird dog kennel near Brainerd

Ruffed Country Kennels is a small 12 run kennel on 40 acres of grouse and woodcock habitat south of Brainerd. Its main focus is training grouse and woodcock dogs, but it trains for all hunting needs regardless of breed. It also breeds a small number of English Setter and English Pointer litters.

The trainer

Jordan Pharris started the kennel in 2025 after a decade working with Chad and Tracy Heinz and Charlie Wilczek at Willow Creek Kennels, where he is credited with training over a thousand dogs and building his pointing dog foundation. He grew up hunting waterfowl and upland birds with his father's field bred Golden Retrievers.

Approach

Jordan tried many training systems before settling on what works best for him, summed up as "Patience is key. Adaption is a must. Consistency is the core." The goal is to build good bird dogs every day.

What to ask

Ask about training programs, length of stay, pricing and upcoming litters.