About

Total Dog! was created by Brice Cavanaugh in the Phoenix Valley.  Brice began professional dog training as a United States Marine in 1992, where he served until 2001.  Immediately after leaving the Marine Corps, Brice became a law enforcement officer, but was drawn back to K9s, working as an explosives detection canine specialist in the Washington DC area at several government facilities.  Brice has been featured nationally on WGN News, with his dog Monk, and gives presentations around the world on topics from dog behavior to detection work.  Brice also contributes to various publications, both online and in print, and is finishing up the first in a series of books, due out in the spring of 2010.

Total Dog! is the next generation of dog training, offering dog obedience training all over the Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and surrounding Phoenix areas.  The concept of Total Dog is simple:  We look at the Training, Psychology, Health, Diet, Grooming, Socialization and more when we develop a plan to help you get the most out of your relationship with your dog!  But…why all of that?

Dog Training is often limited in that it is held in a “sterile” environment, where most dogs can learn quickly, but then the transition out of that environment can make the dog look like they hadn’t learned anything!  How often have you heard “My dog is good at home”, or “My dog does great in class, but…”?  We address that, and our secret is two-fold.  First, we train in multiple environments so that the dog “generalizes” the desired behavior.  Sometimes the change is simply adding distraction, other times we are in a completely different location altogether.  Second, we do not rely on any one method or any one particular tool.

Dogs fall into one of FIVE different personality types, with each having a different approach to effectively and efficiently get the most out of your dog, maximizing reliability without sacrificing the dog’s spirit!  We identify the most appropriate way to build a balanced relationship built on clear communication!  No more “one size fits all” training that simply does not work for some dogs!  Our methods have been featured on WGN, Fox News and others because of the safe, humane and easy to understand approach.  The psychology is very important when training a dog, as we often see human psychology being applied to dogs, which not only shortchanges the dog, but usually causes frustration and misunderstanding with the human.

Health can be so very important, as we have seen many dogs that are not acting what is normal for them, and come to find out that they have an underlying medical issue that your local vet can diagnose and address with you.  For this reason, we work closely with veterinarians to make sure that this very important aspect is covered by those trained specifically for that!

Diet is also important in many ways.  Imagine walking around all day with an upset stomach.  Are you going to be the most amicable person?  What if your hair was falling out more than normal?  Your teeth rotting?  You get the picture.  We have helped solve many behavioral problems by getting dogs off of “junk food” and onto a balanced diet.  While there is sometimes more cost involved, the benefits can be immeasurable!

We have also worked with dogs that needed help in the grooming area, from the obvious matted coats to the not so obvious ear infection.  Each breed has a coat designed for specific purposes, and if we do not keep them up as intended, we can actually cause more harm than good.  We will sit down with you and help you find a groomer if you so desire!

Socialization.  While many times this falls in the training category, it is an innate part of the dog that, regardless of formal training or not, needs to be considered.  Dogs are social, pack animals.  Sure, there are those that are more aloof, but many times it is inexperience rather than a dog’s lack of desire to run with like animals.  We have classes that are specific to socialization, to help dogs overcome fear, aggression, rough play, focus, etc.  An anti-social dog begins to put limitations on how and where you can take your dog, and in some cases, has cost some dog lovers their homeowners’ insurance!

From the inside out, we want to help balance the Total Dog!  Each piece is important, and in many cases, there is a sequence that optimizes the turnaround that we are looking for.  By building the appropriate foundation, we can build a strong relationship that enriches your life, your dog’s life, and those that you come in contact with!

If you live in the Phoenix area, contact us today so we can meet YOUR Total Dog!