I have a full time position for a Gun Dog Trainer and Upland Guide. We are located in West/Central Kansas, 40 mi NE of Dodge City. We train all pointing/retrieving breeds. We also breed and sell Lab and Shorthair pups, started, and finished dogs. You can check out our dogs on our website, www.progundog.com. I have a diverse background in gundogs. I learned retrievers from a retired pro during college. In the 90’s I competed in Hunt Tests and have titled both retrieving and pointing breeds in their respective hunt test formats. I also co-own a FC German Shorthair and did the training on another dog that went on to get his FC. Since having kids I seldom compete and the focus of our business over the last 10 years has been gun dogs.
I quit my job as a loan officer in a bank to train full time about 5 years ago. 1 1/2 years ago I was offered a job that I couldn't resist (don’t tell me it's not about the money....it's always about the money) and had to cut back my training schedule. I have had an assistant for several years, but he is semi-retired and cannot keep up with the volume. As a result I have turned down 90% of the calls and emails that we have received over the last year.
We also own and operate Ruff House Outfitters. We are a full service Pheasant outfitter and have been guiding hunts for 13 years. We have a great client base and are usually fully booked from late Oct through Feb. We do not hunt Sundays and are a family oriented business. Our website is www.ruffoutfitters.com. The site is undergoing a face lift to bring it out of the late 90's! New one should be up in a couple weeks, same address. We have an older lodge that has served us for several years, but are currently constructing a 3,000 sq/ft lodge that will sleep 16. In addition we also have a very nice 4 year old cabin that will sleep 8.
Applicants should be experienced in training both pointing and retrieving breeds. I don’t have much time for on the job training, so applicants must have a full skill set in order to be considered. A solid understanding of problem solving is necessary since we spend a good deal of time fixing problems created by well meaning owners. Good people skills are of paramount importance in both the training and outfitting business. There would also be a part time position available if the applicant has a spouse interested in cleaning the lodge, preparing/serving meals, and socializing puppies. Base pay is $30,000 plus tips when guiding hunts plus bonus on a per/dog basis for client dogs and dogs sold. During the hunting season the guides eat breakfast and lunch with the hunters, so there are also a lot of free meals included. We supply all equipment and have excellent facilities and a great variety of training grounds.
Interested parties should contact me, Travis Ruff directly at 620-338-1509 or progundog@yahoo.com. No calls after 9 p.m. Central.