Dana Giovannello
Cabot, AR
Background
Dana's been training and hunting with dogs for about 30 years. He kicked off in New Hampshire chasing pheasants, woodcocks, grouse, and ducks with his Brittney spaniel, Maize. They upped stumps to Alaska, hung about for 6 years, then to Idaho for 3 years, before finally settling down in Arkansas. Maize was right there with Dana, fetching whatever game Dana pointed him at.
Dana's been training and competing with retrievers for more than 17 years, having coached a bunch of retrievers to their Hunting Retriever (HR), Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH), Upland Hunter (UH), Grand Hunting Retriever Champion (GRHRCH) and Master Hunter (MH) titles. He had a crack at the Super Retriever Series qualifier in March 2003 and came in 2nd, which got him a spot in the 2003 ESPN Great Outdoor Games. At the GOG in Reno, Windy and Dana set the all-time lowest single round record in a GOG event with just 2 points, ending up 8th. They came 7th in the Super Retriever Series in Middleburg, Virginia just recently and had a go at the World Retriever Championship in Oxford, Mississippi, making it through to the sixth series. He's been on the judging panel as a UKC licensed judge since 1992 and also judged the 2004 Great Outdoor Games in Madison, Wisconsin and a couple of Super Retriever Series events.
Why I Use SportDOG Brand
There's an old saying, “Don’t bag it until you’ve given it a burl.” I didn’t reckon any electronic collar could stack up against the gear I’d used before, especially when it comes to cost, quality, and reliability. A mate of mine was using the SD-400S and I gave it a go. I was gobsmacked by how compact the collar and transmitter were and the power it had. For the average bloke who's keen to train one, 10 or a heap of dogs, SportDOG's got a top-notch collar for your needs without costing an arm and a leg, and their customer service is top-notch.
Favourite Products
For everyday training I like the FieldTrainer400S and WetlandHunter® 1825. I also like the Deluxe Bark Collar (SBC-18). I've got a dog on my trailer who reckons every mark should be his and the SBC-18 keeps him quiet and relaxed.
Other Senior Prostaff
Chris Yielding
Chris owns and runs Backwater Cypress Retrievers in North-Central Arkansas. After starting back in 2016 with just a couple of dogs, he's built his business up to training heaps of dogs from many different states.
Mike Wieben
I've been a waterfowl hunter since I was a young bloke. Grew up on a farm in south central Minnesota with our family yellow lab. Started out hunting on small ponds and now I'm out on the big water chasing those diver ducks. Right after high school, I joined the Dokken Family at Oak Ridge Kennels in Northfield...
Ed Gover
Owner of Real Deal Retrievers, a kennel that offers basic and advanced dog training, Ed's been training for over 10 years and has been a pro trainer for the last 5. Ed enjoys training hunting dogs as well as running UKC hunt tests. He's an avid outdoorsman from...
