We purchased our ESS from Ken and had a great experience. Lindy is a very bright dog and is training well. She is 5 months old and responds well to verbal, hand and whistle signals. She has a lot of energy in the field and is a very affectionate dog in the house.

I would recommend Ken and his dogs to anybody who is interested in a Springer. Ken has a very nice and clean facility and cares for his dogs.

We received Easton a year or so ago out of Hardy their beautiful stud dog. When I saw Hardy run it was amazing. And also the best looking spaniel I have ever seen. I did not know a springer could run and find birds like that. I knew in about 10 seconds I wanted a pup out of that dog. I am so glad I made that decision. Easton has been great in the house, easy to train. And was hunting wild pheasants at just 9 months old. He out hunts dogs 5-9 years old. Thanks, and when I am ready for a new pup I will be in contact.

Mel

We now own 3 Blue River Kennel field bred springers!! Our dogs are used for upland game and now they are also competing in field trials with great success.

Ken Hanson has developed a strong line of intelligent and driven dogs with an amazing nose and flush. Each of our Blue River Kennel ESS are also fabulous family dogs as they spend their down time in the house. Ken has also remained in contact over the years to check in on how each puppy/breeding has progressed. There is simply no substitute for good breeding.

By far, one of the best decisions I have ever made was getting a Blue River ESS puppy from Ken Hanson.

In short . . . great dogs, great guy!

We purchased Aspen from Blue River Kennel after I researched various Field Bred Springer Breeders in the Midwest.

As an owner of another FSS, I knew what I was looking for in a puppy. Specifically, Ken and his family raise family & hunting dogs that are well socialized with other dogs and humans. Ken also breeds dogs with field champion bloodlines that allows them to excel when in the field.

I should also note that Aspen was retrieving the same day we picked her up at 8 weeks which demonstrates Blue River Kennel's dedication to producing a great gun dog!

Had a great experience getting our field ESS pup from Ken! Moose is developing well at about 4 months old. He is a great family dog, with excellent disposition and incredible smarts! He is relentless and determined in the field. I can't wait to watch him grow more in his hunting. As the BIGGEST boy from Ken's rockstar, Odie and Willow litter... I think this guy is going to be something SPECIAL and chip off the ol block (he already is something special in the house and with the kids)! Thanks Blue River Kennels for a great experience and a very well bred pup!

Isabelle is our 3-month old female puppy. She is a Blue River puppy. Although it is early. She has a great nose. We have not allowed her outside our yard as yet. Just a precaution. But she will sit and watch birds, barking beneath our Spruce. I can't wait to get her in a field filled with game birds. She has great pursuit. I already see a difference with her from earlier experiences. Very distinct. She will hunt with great determination. It's getting the bird away from her that will be more the concern (she has captured one backyard bird already, sorry to say). I seriously doubt chasing her...discouraged her in any way. She nearly swallowed the bird whole. We are excited to be taking these first steps with her. She has a loving home. She is rowdy, and rebellious with a hint of sweetness yet to come. Honestly. Her talents outmatch mine.

We purchased Summit from Blue River Kennel a little over two months ago. At 18 weeks he is showing all the signs of a great hunter. Summit absolutely loves people and has been a great addition to our family. He is very eager to learn and loves to please. He is a very smart dog. I cannot wait until this years hunting season to see how he truly works in the field on live birds.

I did extensive research to find Blue River Kennel's. I spent a lot of time on the phone the with Ken, as I live about 2000 miles away from his kennel. Ken spent the time to guide me through the process of picking the right dog for the personalty traits I was looking for. Thanks Ken!!

Our 20 month old English Springer Spaniel, Soul, has been an awesome addition to our family. We hunted North Dakota twice last fall when he was 8 and 10 months old and he did great. Can't wait to get back out there this season. He is affectionate, well behaved around the house and gets along great with other dogs.

I visited Ken's facility twice in the months before we got Soul. Ken's kennels are spotless and his dogs are well cared for - he rotates them all through his house so they are friendly and well socialized. He welcomed me to tag along with him while he trained so I had a chance to see both his mature finished dogs and his younger dogs work on live birds.

Soul is not even 2 yrs old so I'm not looking for another dog, but if we decided to add a second dog to our house, I would definitely go back to Blue River Kennel.

Rumour was trained up and did exactly as expected when I got him as a 10 month old from Ken. Little guy doesn't know when to quit. My lab friends don't like him because he out hunts the labs during waterfowl season. Very versatile dog. Hunt geese 1 day and hunt chukars the next and then quail after that.

WE PURCHASED ABBEY OUR 14 MONTH OLD FIELD BRED SPRINGER SPANIEL FROM KEN AS A PUPPY. SHE WALKED WITH ME DURING LAST FALL'S PHEASANT AND GROUSE SEASON AND WAS SCENTING AND RUNNING DOWN BIRDS AS NEEDED. A REAL JOY IN THE HOME ALSO. KEN IS EXCELLENT AND A REAL DEDICATED BREEDER OF HIS DOGS. HE FIGURED OUT REAL QUICK WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR AND HAD THE RIGHT PUP FOR US. COULDN'T BE HAPPIER. THANKS KEN !!

I was impressed with this breeder; this being my first field bred Springer Spaniel, i wanted to go as "safe" as possible with a solid background on my dog. I have to admit pups are a bit on the expensive side, but i think they are worth it. Someone once told me that the initial price of the pup is nothing compared to what you can spend in vet bills etc if you get the wrong one, and that is true. The pedigree is obviously there with field champions. But i also liked the fact that Ken does stand behind his dogs, and offers you a network of people to make to make your dog a great hunting companion. His kennel is also very impressive. When i showed up to pick up my pup they were dropping off 100 pheasants to his pen; he also has public land literally steps away from his driveway. I am very happy with my 9 month old pup, she is smart, responsive; has a big running engine, and wants to please at this early age. Can't wait to see whats in store for her. Highly recommend this kennel.

Best dog I have ever had! At the flip of a switch she is the greatest family dog being very lovable and then turns into the greatest hunting dog having high energy and the ability to hunt all day long !

We received our springer pup from Ken in January (2016). Our little "Buddy" has been the best dog a family or hunter could hope for. He is a pup from the Odie/Splash breeding. Everywhere we go we get compliments on what a good looking and well behaved dog we have. Buddy is so fun to have around the house and obedience training has been a breeze. He has had a drive to find birds since the day we brought him home. We brought him in for some formal gun dog training to get him ready for his first hunting season and he was sent home early because he was doing so well. I could not be happier with our little pup and I know he is going to be a great hunting partner for years to come. I would absolutely recommend Ken and Blue River kennels to anyone looking for a Springer Spaniel.

I grew up hunting with Springer Spaniels with my Father. When my Wife and I decided we needed our own hunting pup, we started the search. From many shining references, we found Ken Hanson. Ken is a consummate professional and subject matter expert when it comes to breeding, training, and caring for English Springer Spaniels. We reserved a spring pup in 2010 from a litter of Odie and Lady. We started our training early and often and Ken showed us the way with lots of training guidance. Because of this work, our pup has become one of the best hunting dogs I've ever had the pleasure of working with. His nose is top notch, his hunting drive is insatiable, his temperment is outstanding, and he's a great friend. If you're looking for a Springer Spaniel for hunting, there is no place better than Blue River Kennels in Minnesota.

We received our pup Timberland from Kenny in June. He is from the Odie / Loren Litter this spring. He has taken well to house living and has made fast friends with our Sheltie Mollee. Took him to GameFair 2013 and I must have had 7 or 8 strangers stop me to ask my breeder’s name and remark on how handsome he is. Timber trained easily on the basics. As I am a first time bird dog owner I am looking forward to some advanced bird training as Timber is very eager to please. Kenny has been extremely helpful answering questions from a novice and offers to help all the time.

Bought a pup from Blue River. Great dog. He's smart, obedient and eager to please. The pup couldn't be any better with our small children and their friends. He is progressing nicely in his bird training and we don't go anywhere that someone doesn't comment on how nice looking the dog is. Perfect temperment. Thanks Kenny.

Gauge is from the Indy & Dulce litter this past May (2011). He's a fantastic house pet and progressing well in his hunting training. We are so pleased with what a great fit he is for our family; cuddly when you want him to be and showing signs of excellent pheasant hunting skills. He's adapted well to our older Springer too and is learning some hunting techniques from her.

We have a male pup out of river and odie this may I'm soo thankful what a great pup bentie is very easy to train smart little boy everything come natural to him quarters nice for a pup and what drive he has.he is fun to work with I can't wait for next year to see him work some fields.I will definitely be getting another pup from Ken thank you for a great pup.

I am extremely satisfied with Ken Hanson's Blue River Kennels. Obie Wan Kenobe is a beautiful, gifted puppy out of Lady and Odie's 2011 litter. He is finding, flushing and retrieving naturally at 8 months of age grouse, pheasant, mourning doves; graduated 1st in his puppy obediance class; housebroken by 3 months of age. Such a smart puppy! Ken is very good to work with, assisting us in finding the perfect dog for our family. the Rule family is now complete with a Blue River dog.

After a lot of searching, phone calls, and study I bought a Springer pup from Ken this year. Ken was most forthright and helpful in all aspects of the whole transaction.

The best part was the quality of the pup I received. Smart? you wouldn't believe it! Easy to train, great nose, and a ton of drive, yet polite and easy in the house. This pup is picking up things faster than I can teach him.
Bob

We received our springer pup(Easton) from Blue River Kennel in May of 09. Ken has most supportive and knowledgeable in the traning of Easton. Easton is a very good family dog and a great hunting dog (flusher.) Proof is that, this years opening day of pheaseant , we had our limit. Because of Easton. Having my son and a good hunting dog in the field with me is pricless.
Don Fiebiger

My Dad & I bought a Springer from Loren Lein some 13 years ago. I am sorry to say that I just had to put our Springer down on January 16th of this year, he gave us a great 13 years and 7 month run. I am very happy to see that the Blue River Kennel is still going strong and when I am ready for another I will certainly give them a call. Thanks for the great memories, he was a great dog.

Having owned a blue river springer and spent many years hunting behind this line i would advise anyone who is a decated pheasant hunter to look into there blood lines. These dogs are for the serious hunter who is ready to put birds in the freezer.

I bought a dog from kenny last spring and he is a great Dog with great instincts, also one of the best looking springers I have ever seen.

Kenny is a great with helping training the dogs also. Keep up the great work!!!

Ken Hanson took over the ownership of my Blue River blood line of English Springer Spaniels some year ago and has added some new blood lines to it .I raised and sold pups for over 40 years. During the 40 years my springers have competed in gun trails and all types of hunting upland and water hunting trials. They also have done very well in agility competion. Have won very high honors. Start and keep breeding with the best and the future will take care of the rest. I know that this is what Ken is doing now.