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Mission
It is our mission to produce dogs with sound temperaments, tremendous drive and courage, with the intelligence to become great family members and hunters of all game desired by the owner. Our primary goal is to produce extremely versatile hunting companions, and we validate our breeding program through NAVHDA, other hunt test/field trial organizations, and most importantly with many days in the field.
History
Tommy Wisdom has been involved with the breeding and training of fine gun dogs for over fifty years. He has owned the finest bloodines of Pointers, Setters, and German Shorthaired Pointers. Tommy Wisdom and David Egger teamed up in 1996 due to their shared passion of hunting with the versatile gun dog, in particular, the German Shorthaired Pointer. Due to Tommy’s extensive knowledge of dogs and performance bloodlines, he has overseen the breeding and whelping of all Rio Concho dogs. Tommy began his breeding program with Southern Starr's Concho Freida, a bitch who would attain an impressive eight field trial placements her derby year to include winning the Joe Eden’s State Classic and the Cass Flanagan Memorial Classic. She also placed 3rd in the Mid-South Regional Derby in Wilma, LA. This qualified her as the only GSP in the nation to compete at the National Derby Championship (NBHA) running primarily against English Pointers. She also was a NAVHDA UT Prz III dog. Her drive was off the charts. She was a wonderful house pet and fetched the morning paper without fail. She was a blue hen bitch who produced NAVHDA Breeder’s award litters, and it seemed she produced wonderful pups no matter which sire she was bred to. In 2009, we registered the Rio Concho Kennel name, with the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. Tommy has since retired from breeding dogs, but we continue to move forward in producing fine and truly versatile hunting companions.
David has dedicated his life to the training of working breeds and successfully campaigned dogs in NAVHDA hunt tests, AKC Field Trials, Retriever Hunt Tests, VDD Hunt Tests, Police K9 Competition, as well as guiding wild bird hunts and preserve hunts. David has trained dogs to the level of Hunting Retriever Champion, NAVHDA Utility, and several field trial winning dogs. He retired from a 21 1/2 year Law Enforcement career and his last ten years of service was spent as the K9 Unit Supervisor/Trainer over four dual purpose Police Service Dog Teams, certified in Patrol Apprehension and Narcotics Detection. We have assembled a team of trainers who understand animal behavior, are avid bird dog men, and spend several days a week in the bird fields.
In 2015 we added two trainers to our staff. Both Chad Walden and Brad Taylor have extensive backgrounds in horses and hunting dogs alike.
Professional Organizations
NAHVDA life member Texas NAVHDA Life Member,Charter Member, Director of Training Lonestar NAVHDA Life Member Former National Narcotic Detector Dog Association Certifying Official United Blood Trackers Association Member Hunting Retriever Club Member Big Rivers Chapter VDD Member
We conduct blood trailing seminars and rattle snake avoidance clinics. We also guide hunts throughout Texas and provide blood trailing services for area deer hunting ranches. We also accept a select few client dogs for versatile gun dog training.
Philosophy
I have grown to expect more from my personal hunting dogs than the average hunter/dog owner. I will use my dogs to assist me in guiding and hunting for most all game. I hunt several species of upland birds, waterfowl, and blood trail wounded game primarily. Though I don’t hog hunt with my dogs as a rule, they are exposed to feral hog in a controlled environment and learn to handle them. I want them to know how to handle them in the wild. I believe varmint control is essential in quail management practices and allow my dogs to participate in locating and dispatching vermin. Dogs can easily be trained to avoid vermin for the quail/pheasant purists, however, my training areas exceed 15,000 acres and I remove as many varmints as possible annually. I use my dogs as a “trap line” dogs. I trap coon and fox on my training leases, and use the dog to trail the animal after it has dragged the trap through the brush. They will find and bay the trapped animal. They are equally proficient on feather and retrieve with a soft mouth. I also appreciate a dog with a clear mind and a clean switch. My dogs enjoy lounging on the couch and sleeping in the camper on long hunts. But when it is time to go hunt, they sling dirt leaving the line. I believe a dog made in Texas can hunt almost anywhere. They need to be mentally and physically tough to handle the cactus, mesquite, and rocky terrain found on many ranches. I love the versatile breeds and often own German Shorthaired Pointers, Deutsch Drahthaars, and Pudelpointers. Experience has taught me that these versatile gun dog breeds can be trained to hunt just about anything, and they have the intelligence to discern what type of game they are after. A training program must be developed for each individual dog. Some breeds and individuals within breeds are softer, and require gentler techniques than others. Each dog learns at his own pace, and the training program must be flexible to meet each dog's needs. A trainer must have a great understanding of the principles of conditioning and must conduct objective based training. Trial and error simply does not work when it comes to training dogs. One must be able to reasonably predict an outcome for each training scenario.
David Egger
Newly Remodeled Indoor Kennel Facility
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