Total Dog! Vegas Frequently Asked Questions

Meet Hannah, she is our newest office assistant. Hannah is an upcoming graduate at UNLV for her BA in Psychology and then she is starting her MA in Criminal Justice fall 2021. Don’t mind her cat tattoos, she’s quite a dog lover as well! Hannah enjoys staying active, and that usually includes one of her two boxers joining her for a hike! Although Hannah may be one of the younger members of the Total Dog! family, she has over 4 years of customer service experience under her belt. She will greet you with a smile and optimism when setting up your training appointment!

Juliena is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, with a Bachelor of Science. She moved to Las Vegas from upstate New York in April 2020 with her boyfriend and their two-year-old Lab-mix, Trixie!

Juliena loves all things outdoors as well as spending time with her loved ones, and pup! She has been around animals for as long as she can remember and has loved every second of it.

Juliena has been in the customer service industry for almost seven years, and her goal is to bring a smile to every customer’s face.

Lexi has been grooming for 9 years. She started her career as a bather and fell in love. This is where she decided to pursue her love of grooming. She can be heard saying, “It’s definitely a lot of fun!” over and over again. Lexi decided to move to Las Vegas from Sacramento, CA with her family. She has 3 kids and 2 dogs, a Goldendoodle named McKenzie and a 15-year-old Chihuahua named Gavin. She has told us it was the best move! Joining the Total Dog Vegas team has been a fun adventure and she glad she joined the team! She is excited to see where her Total Dog journey takes her. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, water parks, playing with her dogs, and traveling.

Meet Thomas!
Thomas has been a dog lover his entire life, growing up with everything from a Pug to a Great Dane, he has extensive knowledge with numerous breeds from growing with them to conducting research for his own personal growth.
Thomas was stationed in Las Vegas 6 years ago and worked hand in hand with Military Working Dog handlers as part of the Security Forces Unit. He was honorably separated from the military and immediately began working for Total Dog as a Sales Consultant. Tom uses his knowledge and love for dogs to find the perfect training program to fit you and your dog’s lifestyle!

Matthew Templet started his dog training career in the United States Air Force as a Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler. Matt is a graduate of both the Department of Defense MWD Handler School as well as the MWD Trainer and Kennel Master School. Matt has numerous deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt accompanied by his Explosive Detection Dog. Matt was awarded the Bronze Star alongside his MWD Basco for their life saving actions taken in Afghanistan in 2011. Matt and his MWD are featured in the hit book, Hero Dogs: Secret Missions and Selfless Service.

Matt honorably discharged from the Air Force in 2018 and started working for Total Dog shortly after. Matt is a Total Dog Master Trainer, responsible for the oversight and quality control of our clients dogs. Matt believes in a balanced approach to dog training, using many different methods and tools to get the desired behavior from the dog. Matt uses these methods to eliminate bad behaviors and ultimately create the Total Dog! Matt believes that every dog has potential if you give them a chance. There are no bad dogs, he says. Matt will design a special training program to fit you and your dogs needs. No dog is too out of control!

Matthew Templet started his dog training career in the United States Air Force as a Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler. Matt is a graduate of both the Department of Defense MWD Handler School as well as the MWD Trainer and Kennel Master School. Matt has numerous deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt accompanied by his Explosive Detection Dog. Matt was awarded the Bronze Star alongside his MWD Basco for their life saving actions taken in Afghanistan in 2011. Matt and his MWD are featured in the hit book, Hero Dogs: Secret Missions and Selfless Service.

Matt honorably discharged from the Air Force in 2018 and started working for Total Dog shortly after. Matt is a Total Dog Master Trainer, responsible for the oversight and quality control of our clients dogs. Matt believes in a balanced approach to dog training, using many different methods and tools to get the desired behavior from the dog. Matt uses these methods to eliminate bad behaviors and ultimately create the Total Dog! Matt believes that every dog has potential if you give them a chance. There are no bad dogs, he says. Matt will design a special training program to fit you and your dogs needs. No dog is too out of control!

Ani is born and raised in Nevada. Currently attending College of Southern Nevada to earn a degree in teaching. Being the daughter of a retired K-9 Officer, she has been around dogs all her life. She is currently enjoying her new baby girl Koa, who is a 3-month-old German Shepard, Springer Spaniel mix. Ani has always been an outdoors kind of person and has always enjoyed and admired nature’s beauty. Growing up Ani had a passion for rodeo. She competed and learned how to love and and appreciate all types of animals.

Abby is the youngest member of the Total Dog Team and the daughter of owners, Justin and Melissa.  Abby plays a vital role in the day-to-day operations as Total Dog’s, volunteer specialist.  Abby’s love for dogs started at an incredibly young when she would watch her Dad train police dogs for the military.  Abby also has her own dog, a Bichon Poodle Mix named Fleury.  Abby has a natural ability to connect with dogs that struggle with low confidence.  Abby volunteers her time at the Total Dog Pet Resort while maintaining her school grades at the honor roll level.  

TD is the Total Dog!  TD plays a vital role in bringing smiles to Total Dog clients and even their dogs.  TD is born and raised in Las Vegas and is a huge Golden Knights and Raiders fan.  He can be found hanging out at our monthly Out and Abouts and other group events.  Next time you see TD, makes sure to get a picture with him, post it on social media, and tag TotalDogVegas.

My name is Brianna, I was born in Las Vegas and I am currently in my second year of college with the intent of getting my bachelor’s degree in nursing. I have grown up around animals my whole life; I was raised on a hobby farm and have taken care of every animal, big or small! In my free time, I tend to try and keep an active lifestyle by hiking with my puppy, Penny, continuing my love for wildlife photography, and exploring new locations inside and outside of Las Vegas.  The main goal I have is to further my knowledge and spread my own to others. 

Meet Serra Stephens! She is a dog lover through and through. She grew up with dogs and even attempted to train her current doggies, though they do not always listen to her. As a child, her dream was to become a veterinarian. Now, she is a junior in high school, ready to go to college and pursue her dream of music. She considers Total Dog! a dream job, excited that she gets to play with dogs all day and gets to earn a wage!

Katie was born in Reno, Nevada but moved to Las Vegas shortly after where she was raised. She has a 4-year-old Pit Bull named Kaiya and a 3-year-old Pit Bull Tank. Aside from loving and being around dogs her whole life, Katie has 2 years prior experience managing a dog daycare, boarding and grooming facility. Katie has also volunteered in various shelters when she was in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society while attending College of Southern Nevada. When she’s not working, you can find her hiking with her pups, at the gym or out with friends!

Brent Olson has been working with and training dogs his entire life starting at a young age. His passion for dogs started with his hunting dogs and later progressed to the police dogs he trained for the military. Brent served ten years in the United States Air Force before being medically retired in 2014. Brent is a graduate of the Department of Defense Military Working Dog (MWD) School as well as the MWD Trainer/Kennel Master School. Brent has multiple deployments serving aside his Explosive Detection Dog. His actions in Afghanistan earned him the Purple Heart. Brent is featured in the hit book, Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes.

Brent is Total Dog Vegas’ Board and Train Manager. He is responsible for ensuring all of TDV’s Board and Trains are trained to the correct standard. Brent enjoys empowering dog owners and making their lives easier by creating a Total Dog. Brent has a special bond with the dogs he trains and takes their safety, training, and health to heart. Brent truly is one of the best in the business.

Will is originally from South Louisiana and joined the United States Air Force after high school and served seven years as a jet engine mechanic on F15 aircraft. After that he working in the aerospace industry for defense contractors, including 13 years working for NASA on the space shuttle program.

In 2020 Will moved to Las Vegas and began an internship program with Total Dog! Vegas. Will helps with the daily training of all our board & train dogs and was recently promoted to be our Kennel Manager.

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.

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.

Expertise

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.

Personal Mission Statement / Philosophy:

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.

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.