Meet Your Trainer

Phillip Alva's love for the outdoors and dogs has been a defining part of his life since childhood. Growing up, he spent countless hours hunting and bonding with his canine companions, but it wasn’t until Koa, his loyal dog, came into his life that everything changed. Koa wasn’t just a pet; he became the catalyst for Phillip’s entry into the world of gundog training. Inspired by his father, who began exploring this specialized training field as a hobby, Phillip quickly developed a deep passion for it. His journey took a pivotal turn when he was able to work for one of the biggest British Labrador Kennels in the U.S., Southern Oak Kennels (Great Lakes branch). He was able to train and learn from many different dogs, including many different personalities and ages. He has been successful training dogs not only as gundogs and family dogs, but he also trained most of the hunt tests dogs at that kennel and have taken many dogs through different titles through the UKC Hunt Tests. Koa may have started the journey, but the skills Phillip has gained along the way have transformed his passion into a lifelong pursuit of excellence in gundog training.