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Austin Metro 512-580-3364
San Antonio Metro 210.722.9919
Professional Dog Trainer
Melinda’s passion for training began at 9 years of age with her family dog, Hershey. Since then, Melinda has enjoyed training her own dogs for fun in agility, skills, hunting, tricks, and service dog work. In 2017, Melinda medically retired from law enforcement and began a new journey where she could turn her passion for dogs into a career. Melinda attended Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage in 2020 where she earned her Canine Massage Therapy license. Since then, she has found a true passion for helping owners build the best relationship possible with their dogs. During her free time, Melinda trains and competes in dog sports and continues their never-ending journey of canine education.
Melinda has experience in:
Melinda’s Certifications:
Extras:
Scheduling
I am the eldest sibling of 3 beautiful ladies. I was hired to my first job the same month of my College Graduation. I finished my degree in Bachelor of Arts in English Language, with modesty aside, bringing the awards as Excellence in Speech and Communication and Best Thesis Award. My entire work life is generally Customer Service Assistance and Executive Assistance. I became confident in dealing with people and helping them with their concerns and issues. I’ve worked in corporate industries but with Online Freelancing, that was when I began to be in a work from home setup and I was able to help clients whether in a project based or research based basis. Now with Total Dog, everything is awesome as a Virtual Receptionist, I get to help dog owners as I myself is a dog owner too. So many things to share about me but one thing for sure, I love to engage or get along.
Administrator
Haley has always had a love for animals and helping others. She currently has two dogs named Roscoe and Duke as well as two daughters Raynee and Emilia. She strives to continue growing in everything she does. As an administrator Haley enjoys making one on one connections with clients and providing the best information for their training needs. Haley enjoys spending time at the lake with friends and family. Today, her goal is to help as many clients as possible and to empower her team by being a positive role model.
Dog Trainer/Media Manager
Haidy’s passion for animals was prominent at a very young age. She grew up surrounded by animals but it wasn’t until she was gifted her current dog, Duncan, that her drive to learn potty training and basic obedience skills became important. She began working for a doggy daycare in San Antonio, Texas where she learned, shadowed, and eventually taught her own training classes. She is a basic obedience and enrichment based trainer who joined the Total Dog team to continue to learn and grow in the dog training industry. She also manages and builds content for the Total Dog social media accounts. She continues to educate herself on media marketing and strives to showcase the amazing work all the trainers do within the community. Haidy’s mission is to help both owners and their pets gain confidence and understanding through balanced training.
Professional Dog Trainer
Cassandra started working with dogs as a young girl when her family decided to open a rescue right out of her home after losing their family dog to breed discrimination.
Always passionate about working with animals, she continued her rescue efforts throughout her life by volunteering in shelters and learning from experts in the field about the handling and training of dogs and cats. After several years of apprenticeships in dog training, working for dog training companies, and serving as the operations and training director of a large scale pit bull rescue for over four years, she joined the Total Dog Team. Today, her mission is to empower owners with the confidence to improve the relationship with their dogs through education, training, and behavior modification.
Professional Dog Trainer
I grew up living with a wide variety of different dog breeds, from Chihuahuas to English Mastiffs and all sizes in between.
I began training dogs professionally right out of high school, working with top professionals in Atlanta, GA; Memphis, TN; and now Austin, TX. I’ve helped over 1000 dogs and owners with behavior modification. I specialize and have had formal training in basic obedience, off-leash obedience, reactive training and management, puppy/house training, and socialization. I have continued to educate myself by way of different psychology courses offered through universities and I am in the process of familiarizing myself with various training methods used within the “working dog” (service work, scent detection, protection, etc.) side of this industry in order to expand the services I am capable of offering in the future.
Professional Dog Trainer
Dog training became a passion of mine early in life when I started my family dog in therapy training. It showed me how much a dog could help people and soon I transitioned that into working with service dogs. Throughout college, I worked with service dogs for a variety of disabilities, including diabetes, PTSD, and mobility impairment. I learned so much about how a service dog can improve the life of its handler. While working with service dogs, I was also given the opportunity to volunteer with therapy horses to continue to strengthen my understanding of animal behavior and my calling to help others. After graduating, I took up a career in dog training and began seeking out mentors to learn from. I have continued to gain experience in advanced obedience, behavioral and reactive cases, and a broader variety of service dogs. My goal in dog training is to always keep learning so that I can help others to have the best communication and relationship with their dog.
Owner, Total Dog!
Sgt Brice Cavanaugh currently owns Total Dog! and is on the Board of Directors for the National Tactical Police Dog Association, Operation Overwatch and The Pink Berets. He is a Professional Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and is an Evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen multi-tiered program.
Brice’s unique perspectives come from decades of experience, from the tactical training and deployment of Military Working Dogs and Police Service Dogs to the instruction of deployment teams working in theater in some of the harshest conditions in the world.
Here is a look at his early tactical work:
As an instructor in the tactical field, constant reading of journals and LE updates is a must.
Not listed are dozens of courses that cover everything from Counterterrorism Tactics to Radiological Scanning Devices.
Professional Dog Trainer
Rhiannon started her dog training journey by fostering rescued pups for several years and in that time she became proficient in handling many different types of breeds and personalities. Rhiannon went on to create her own dog boarding business and developed a stellar reputation amongst her community as the “go-to boarding lady”. Rhiannon took her love for dogs a step further and became one of our Basic Obedience Trainers in which she learned and applied the Total Dog! training methods. Her care, attention to detail and enthusiasm make her an integral part of the Total Dog! Team!
Director of Operations
Tyler (Ty) Staley is Total Dog Vegas’ Director of Operations. Ty is responsible for Total Dog Vegas’ client relations, business management, trainer support, and business development. Ty has over twenty years of business experience starting as a young adult. Ty has been working at Total Dog Vegas since the beginning of 2020. Ty is a professional who cares about all of Total Dog’s clients and employees.
Ty has had a respect for dogs since he was a young child. Ty has always enjoyed learning about wolves and later learned how connected dogs are to them. Ty ended up getting a wolf mix of his own when he was seventeen named ‘Willie”. Ty appreciates the strength and athletic abilities of dogs. Ty currently owns a Presa Canario that weighs 120 pounds at ten months old. Ty enjoys the bond that can be built between dogs and humans. He takes their training and care to heart.
This is were we take your dog out for an all day excursion with other dogs, handled by our skilled trainers. It is an all day event, so Fido comes home tired after having spent time with his canine buddies at various locations, from the lakes and rivers around us to trails, hills and parks. Think doggy daycare the way Mother Nature intended!
Here we provide lessons in the comfort of your home, and wherever life takes you and your furry friend! We meet weekly for about an hour to systematically reach the goals that are put in place from our consultation!
Learn the 12 basic commands in and around your home! We also work on behavior modification as discussed in the initial evaluation.
Off leash reliability is the goal here! The 12 basic commands, in the world that you live in! Visits to the Vet, pet stores, park, etc, wherever your life takes you and your dog!
We can train either the The Basics! skill set or the Total Dog! skill set. Time that the dog is off to boot camp depends on your dog as well as which program your dog is signed up for.
Learn the 12 basic commands in and around your home! We also work on behavior modification as discussed in the initial evaluation.
Off leash reliability is the goal here! The 12 basic commands, in the world that you live in! Visits to the Vet, pet stores, park, etc, wherever your life takes you and your dog!
Invest in your dog’s behavior with 2 weeks of Board & Train services as well as private, in-depth home training with one of our skilled dog trainers.
Learn the 12 basic commands and instructions that will be relevant in and around your home! We also focus on behavior modification as determined in the initial evaluation.
Our goal with this training is off-leash reliability! The same 12 basic commands will be included in this training set! We’ll also take your pet on visits to the Vet, pet stores, park, and wherever else life tends to take you and your dog!
Here, we provide six training to prepare your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test that we administer! We can help your dog prepare for the examination! Once they pass, you get an AKC certificate and the ability to order “dog tags” and accessories for your Canine Good Citizen!
Our trainers show you how the fundamentals of the 12 basic commands and you follow through to success!
Co-owner and Executive Assistant
Melissa Kitts is co-owner and executive assistant at Total Dog Vegas. Melissa has over ten years of customer service experience as well as an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. Melissa is responsible for the daily interaction with potential, current, and future Total Dog Vegas clients. Melissa is in charge of scheduling all training appointments and making sure Total Dog is giving their clients the best service available. Melissa is also Total Dog Vegas’ professional photographer and snaps photographs of all our clients dogs at the monthly Out and Abouts.
When you call Total Dog you will always be greeted by Melissa’s cheerful voice. She takes customer satisfaction very seriously and wants what is best for the client. Melissa’s professionalism is out of this world! You will not be disappointed when you call to set up your free in-home consultation.
Owner, Total Dog! Vegas
Justin Kitts has always loved dogs. So it’s no surprise that Justin-the-kid, who was always fascinated with animals—from iguanas, to birds, to the ocean-dwelling creatures he studied at the Mystic Aquarium as a high-school student volunteer—would grow up to make that passion his life’s work.
With 15 years of professional dog-handling under his belt, Justin has trained more than 1,000 dogs across the country. His experience runs the gamut of dog breeds, canine personalities, and behavioral problems. There’s no dog too big or too small, too young or too senior. Justin has trained working police dogs and hunting dogs (like German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois), to a range of puppies and older house dogs (like a 5-pound Chihuahua and a 150-pound Mastiff giant).
Justin’s professional work with dogs and his military service has, on occasion, put him in the national spotlight. You might’ve seen him on a recent episode of A&E’s hit show “Wahlburgers,” or read about his combat deployment with K-9 partner Dyngo in Smithsonian magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times best-selling book War Dogs.
It was right after high-school graduation that Justin made the decision to serve his country and enlist in the Air Force. During his 18-year career in the military, 11 of those years have been devoted to military working dogs to include six K-9 partners and three deployments. After returning from their combat deployment in Afghanistan in 2011, Justin and MWD Dyngo were awarded the Bronze Star. In 2012, he was a lead instructor at a highly specialized and intensive pre-deployment training course at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona where he prepared dog teams from all military branches for their upcoming combat deployments. He’s also served on POTUS protection details for presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. In addition to his military (and police) experience with dual-purpose detection dogs, Justin has also been training dogs privately since 2012 in personal protection and patrol work.
Fellow dog handlers and former clients have often observed that Justin’s connection to dogs is unique—that he has an innate ability to communicate with them. He understands dogs and they respond to him with ease. Through his quiet, confident manner and practiced patience, Justin refines his dog-training approach with each and every dog he trains.
In addition to his years of experience as a military dog handler, Justin is a graduate of Animal Behavior College. Through the merging of his professional, military, and private training experience, Justin has honed not only his skilled methods for evaluating individual dogs and their behavioral issues—leash pulling, jumping, barking, and potty issues—but his approach to resolving them.
Justin’s breadth of knowledge and experience includes Puppy Training, Basic Obedience, Advanced Obedience behavior modification, aggression rehabilitation, Detection, and Protection.
At Total Dog! Vegas, we operate under the philosophy that there are no “bad” dogs. All dogs have potential if you give them the right chance.
We also believe that dogs are individuals and as such there is no one cookie-cutter method to dog training that fits every single animal.
Whether it’s potty-training overly rambunctious puppies or acclimating an older adopted dog to your home, we will work with you to determine the best approach for your situation and design a specialized training program to fit your dog’s needs.