Meet Our Team
Lauren, Founder and trainer
Lauren was born and raised in Oregon. She grew up part-time in Bend and became a permanent resident later in life. After over a decade of professional dog training experience, Lauren decided to start her own business and founded Paw 2 Paw in 2020. Prior to finding her passion for dog training, Lauren grew up working with horses.
Throughout her tenure, Lauren has successfully trained thousands of dogs - from mild obedience to the most severe aggression cases. The most rewarding aspect of training is seeing how much happier owners are when the bond between dog and handler is strengthened and the overall relationship grows to be more symbiotic.
Earlier in her career, Lauren was a purely positive reinforcement-only trainer. After realizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the most conducive method, she transitioned to balanced training methods. With this unique background and a strong belief that no two dogs are the same, she keeps all training methods on the table and personalizes a training plan that will best fit the dog.
She also stays up to date on the ever-evolving training philosophies of world-class dog trainers.
Joyann, Trainer
Joyann is originally from a small town in the mountains of western Washington. In 2015, she moved to Central Oregon and has been loving it ever since.
Joyann met Lauren at a group training walk for shepherd breeds - that’s when they got to talking and realized they had the same values and approaches to dog training. Prior to Paw 2 Paw, Joyann was a professional horse trainer and instructor. After Joyann’s program owner moved away and the horse barn closed, she reached out to Lauren for work opportunities. In 2022, Joyann joined Paw 2 Paw to follow her passion for training animals and started her career working with dogs professionally.
Joyann loves helping others deepen their connection with their dog. She also finds it incredibly rewarding because training allows our dogs more freedom and therefore, the ability for owners and dogs to enjoy more of their lives together.
Joyann is our point person for pack hikes and is also available for regular boarding and board and trains clients.
During her time at Paw 2 Paw, Joyann has worked with many different cases, including aggression and reactivity, obedience, leash etiquette, recall, and off-leash training. Joyann is also experienced with e-collar conditioning and training.
Maya, Trainer
Maya has always had a love for animals and that love has only grown after adopting her first personal dog, Nova, in 2017. She has been by Maya’s side ever since as her pack has quickly grown. She now has four personal dogs - Hoover the American Bully, Nova the terrier, Delaney the border collie, and Rodeo the cattle dog.
Maya’s interest in dog training began soon after adopting Nova as she navigated her dog-reactivity and high drive. The more involved in training she got, the more of her life it consumed. It has become her favorite activity and a way for she and her dogs to connect and have fun together. Maya has been lucky enough to learn under the supervision of many trainers throughout the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, and Utah. She has studied positive reinforcement and balanced training methods, high level obedience, sport and working dogs. Over the past 5 years, she has gained experience navigating a variety of breeds and temperaments, along with boarding, nutrition, and running an animal care business. Her love for training and caring for dogs has never waned.
After moving to the Bend, Oregon area in July 2023, Maya soon connected with Lauren of Paw 2 Paw. She looks forward to growth and learning as she continues her current position as a trainer and handler at Paw 2 Paw.