When we rebranded from Baltimore Dogworks to Iron Oak Dog Company, I chose a hand drawn logo to represent our shift to a lower volume, more bespoke approach to training dogs and coaching people. As we get older, we value relationships more, and look forward to serving a smaller, highly dedicated client base at a deeper level.
The Greenman, or folate head, is a symbol of rebirth and the cycle of new growth that takes place with the seasons. I can't think of a better representation of what we do with our dogs. Dogmen measure their lives not in years, but in seasons marked by the dogs under their stewardship. The spring of puppyhood, the blazing summer of adolescence, the glorious fall of a dog's prime, and the inevitable sting of winter. Within each dog's life we relive the seasons year after year as we prepare them during training season, campaign them through tests, and then move on to the most important and enriching part... hunting them on wild birds.
And so the logo is a dog version of the Greenman, symbolizing all of the above. The oak leaves are representative of our name. The acorns serve as symbolic reminders that the dogs we work with today help seed our knowledge and understanding for the dogs that come our way tomorrow. The antlers are a nod to the original German standard to which the dogs we keep are bred, as a key differentiator from them and their Americanized counterparts is the preservation of drive to hunt fur, drive large game, and blood track.
— Nate
What’s in a name?
The name "Iron Oak” comes from the oak tree also known as the, "post oak.” It is hardy, durable and utilitarian. It is relatively small with distinctively shaped leaves, adaptable to many environments, and resistant to the elements.
We’ve never been drawn to competitive dog sports and are wildly passionate about hunting with our dogs. Instead of trying to align the stars of the right dog, the right environment, and the right judges, we’ve always been more invested in training as a means to an end, using objective standards to prove our training works, and using training to help develop a dog into more than they would otherwise be on their own. We like utility and variety more than hyper stylized requirements of some dog sport venues. And, if we’re being honest, we don't care for the culture of playing all the approximating games with these dogs over living full, intentional, and enriching lives with them.
Whether companion dogs or hunting dogs, we pride ourselves on our ability to produce repeatable, reliable results, with any dog. The post oak, or “Iron Oak,” is a good representation of what we strive to bring to the dog world: reliability, utility, and consistency.