Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Thomas.
Hi Melissa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have animals my entire life and I developed a strong passion, love, and bond for them from a very young age. Everywhere I went, there was an animal of some sort and I always gravitated toward them. I had a special place in my heart for each and every one.
Fast forward to high school and we had two cats and a small dog at the time. We took a family trip out to the West Desert one weekend, and on that trip, we found 7 Great Pyrenees puppies abandoned in the middle of nowhere. There were empty food and water bowls, but no people and no mom dog around. We had been searching for latitude and longitude markers all day and had covered the area pretty thoroughly, so we loaded all of them up, took them home, and to our vet. After checking them out, he said it was common for local sheepherders to take the puppies away from mom because they wanted the mom to pay attention to the sheep, not the puppies, so he figured that’s what had happened to these puppies. They were only 4 weeks old.
This was a time when the no-kill movement in shelters wasn’t very well known, so rather than chance a shelter, my grandparents kept the puppies at their house. They took care of them until they could find homes for each, except one. We kept Taz. Unfortunately, because he had been abandoned at such an early age and didn’t get the proper time with mom or his siblings, he developed some pretty significant reactivity issues later on in life. We went to several trainers, all who used choke chains and shock collars, and his reactivity got worse with each one. We finally learned to keep him away from everybody, but family (he was fine with us) as much as possible, and he lived a long life with us, but it wasn’t a very enriching or full life because of his behavioral issues.
During that time, I became interested in dog training, but I was fiercely against using punitive methods based on hurting the dog or causing fear and pain. I was looking at it from the dog’s point of view, and if I didn’t want to have a choke chain or a shock collar on me, I didn’t want it on Taz. At that point in time, there was a training method called Positive Reinforcement that was gaining a larger following. It focused on rewarding and teaching the dog through positive associations rather than punishing the dog when he did something wrong. I watched television shows and learned more about them over the next several years. We lost Taz before I was able to use these methods, unfortunately, but I was drawn to them going forward.
I came of age and went to college in the late 90’s and there really were no pet/animal career opportunities outside of vet school available at that time. I knew I didn’t want to be a vet, but none of the schools around me offered any kind of dog training programs and I didn’t think about it as an option for a career, so I went to college, studied graphic design and marketing, and began a career in those fields. My passion for animals continued however, and over the next decade or so, I volunteered in shelters and with animal rescues in various capacities.
As time went by, I always found myself wanting to learn more about dog training and eventually one of the trainers I had followed on tv created an academy for aspiring dog trainers. It was just a dream at first. I really had no intention of attending, but the stars aligned and in 2018, I signed up, went through their program, and became certified. Since then, I have been running my own business on the side (I still work full-time), with the intention of spreading awareness of positive reinforcement and humanity in not only dog training, but the animal and pet industry as a whole. My goal is to improve animals’ lives by teaching positive training techniques and continuing to spread the knowledge that all dogs can learn without fear or pain, regardless if it is basic obedience, reactivity, or specialty area like avoiding rattlesnakes on the trails.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Parts of my journey have been smooth sailing and parts have been an uphill battle. Like almost anything, there are obstacles in the form of time and money, especially only being a part-time trainer. I’d like to expand more quickly and offer more classes than I am able to time-wise, but that will come. Being a locally, woman-owned, small business, it can be an uphill battle in a saturated, big-city like ours, especially trying to teach about positive techniques. Positive reinforcement is still very much up and coming, but it is growing and gaining momentum and has made a great deal of progress in the last decade. There is still a great deal of awareness that is needed, but through time, you will see more education and a bigger shift to using these techniques. There is also a large, nationwide community that serves as a support for positive reinforcement trainers and pet owners alike, and most of the people I have encountered have been supportive of me and my business.
As you know, we’re big fans of Training to a T. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Outside of what we’ve already covered, Training to a T came about in honor of Taz, our Great Pyrenees and also of my animals growing up. Each one of them was named with the letter “T”, which is where the name of the business came from.
I specialize in training not only dogs, but their owners as well. Most of dog training comes down to people training, so I focus on building trust and deepening the bond between owners and their dogs, one team at a time. I teach private lessons, along with group classes and workshops in various dog training areas. These include puppy classes, adult dog training classes, and rattlesnake safety. My most popular class is my rattlesnake class because of the beautiful mountains and outdoor community we have here in Utah. There aren’t very many trainers nationwide that teach rattlesnake avoidance using positive reinforcement techniques, so I am happy we have that option here in Salt Lake.
We are an up and coming small business and have some exciting things in store for Spring, so I would say to your readers, keep in touch with us via our social media channels to be the first in the know. I also focus on general canine education in addition to dog training, so if you follow us on social media, there is a lot of good content teaching about dogs in general. We do training challenges and tips, along with fun facts, important articles and announcements to be aware of such as blue/green algae, pet dangers and more. And of course, discounts!
What makes you happy?
Animals! Of course, my answer would be that! But seriously, dogs, cats, bunnies, wildlife, and all of the cute critters of the world (including snakes!). There’s just something about animals that can’t be achieved with human-to-human relationships! Animals can connect and communicate with us in such a special way, and I truly believe we as humans don’t have the ability to understand just how much dogs in particular can connect with us. My animals have been my constant companions, my best friends, and my family. They are irreplaceable and each and every one of them becomes a part of my heart. Animals make me whole, just like so many other pet owners. That bond is something so, so special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trainingtoat.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/training2at/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Training2aT
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Training2aT
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@training2at
Image Credits
Main photo -The Photo Box Photography
