What would you choose to do if you were given only one year to live? And you had given birth to your first child three days before? And, you were a single mom and owner of a new small business?
This was the scenario local dog trainer Lauren Henderson faced in January 2023. Her first child, daughter Kennedy, was born on January 18, 2023. Three days later, Lauren was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She had just founded her dog training business in Bend, Paw 2 Paw, in June 2020.
“Having my daughter, that was my motivation,” reflects Henderson. “She was my first child and the transition to being a new mom is hard enough, but to add cancer and treatments starting when she was three days old was a challenge. I honestly don’t know how I made it through, but having my daughter gave me a reason.”
“I wanted to keep my business open, to keep a roof over our head during treatment,” notes Henderson. “I didn’t have anything to leave for her as a single parent, so I told myself I was going to push through this and leave her with whatever I could… because they gave me one year to live. So, I had this timeline.”
A lifelong connection and love for animals, from horses to dogs, fueled Henderson’s drive to work with animals. “I graduated from OSU Cascades in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology,” she says. “I remember taking an entomology class my senior year and just realizing how much I loved studying about every single creature, even the smallest.”
“My mom always said I had this natural ability with animals and that I should go into animal training. I just didn’t believe her,” Henderson admits. “I knew I loved animals and that I could train them easier than other people. But I didn’t know anyone who trained animals as a profession. It was a passion, but I wasn’t sure if I could use my passion to feed myself.”
Henderson’s cancer diagnosis was not the first health challenge she had faced in her life. In November 2019, after graduating from college, she suffered kidney failure. After surgery and treatment at OHSU, Henderson returned home to Bend. She had worked as a nanny and server throughout college and been a wildland firefighter for 10 years, from 2010 – 2019. But, she knew she had to find a new job. “I just started brainstorming at my kitchen counter wondering what the heck I was going to do next. I was looking for a way to pay my bills. I was really stressed, I was scared. I needed to be pushed, and I was.” That is when Paw 2 Paw was born.
When she was younger, Henderson spent a lot of time at a local ranch. “When I was 14, I trained my first horse, a mustang from Warm Springs named Allie. She was so naughty, but taught me so much,” Henderson laughs. It was not until much later that she realized the extent of what she learned working on the ranch and the true value of it.
Henderson admits she knew little about entrepreneurship or business management before starting her business. However, one of her college professors had a huge impact on her life. “When I would get really confused or did not understand the material, he would say, ‘Keep working the problem and you will find a solution. I don’t care if you do it wrong, just keep working the problem.’ That’s helped me tremendously in life, and in dog training.”
While a student at OSU Cascades, Henderson got her first dog, a husky mix named Sasha. “Working with Sasha was how I decompressed from school,” says Henderson. “With Sasha, I learned how to do everything wrong. So, I signed up for classes and learned positive reinforcement, which I used exclusively for the first few years of Sasha’s life. Until I saw her get hit by a car for the second time.”
It was then that Henderson realized that positive reinforcement training was only getting them so far. “I started to research, specifically, championship dogs,” she notes. “What are they doing differently?” Henderson began to research, study, and mentor with other trainers. And discovered balanced training.
“Sasha was a fantastic teacher. My goal was to protect her and give her the best quality of life, meet her needs,” Henderson notes. “I knew that when I called my dog, she needed to turn on a dime and come to me.” Sasha was the inspiration behind what Henderson does now. “The photo of my hand with Sasha’s paw is the one we use on our website and the one that inspired the name of my business, Paw 2 Paw.”
Balanced training is based on neuroscience… and engages both sides of the dog’s brain. Positive reinforcement only uses one side. Her favorite dogs to work with are those with aggression issues or bite history. “I am passionate about balanced training because I know it works. We have seen dogs on euthanasia lists for bite history completely rehabilitated with this training method.”
During her serious health struggles, Henderson admits that her business saved her. “Animals are therapy, they take away stress, there is an energy exchange. I also knew keeping my business open would push me to walk and push me to get out of my bed to show up for clients,” explains Henderson. “There were days that I thought I might go to bed and my heart could stop. But my community really showed up for me with meals, to help with Kennedy, and so much more. My first employee, Joyann, kept things running for me and made it possible for us to stay open while I was going through treatment.”
Her prognosis? Henderson is currently cancer free. “I had surgery and chemo. I just got my chemo port removed. My oncologist wanted to go past remission to ‘curative remission.’ I just had my six month checkup and everything looks good.”
Paw 2 Paw, IACP certified, continues to grow. “Up until the end of 2022 when I hired Joyann, it was just me. I wanted to have a small company and be able to offer a personalized approach, be hands on with my clients all the time,” states Henderson. That is still the goal of Paw 2 Paw. “This past summer we started growing steadily. We just hired our third trainer, Maya, in July.” Along with Henderson and the two trainers, Paw 2 Paw has three additional employees.
“We believe in training the dog in front of us,” Henderson states. “That just means that each client, dog and handler together, receive a customized training plan to meet their needs. We recognize that every dog is different, with different motivators, sensitivities, drives and responses.” Even within a breed, each dog is different and requires a different training method.
“I took a chance on something I loved. I had a lot pushing me,” notes Henderson. “Things are going so well. I love animals. I also love medicine and healing people. Maybe healing dogs and people just go hand in hand.”
Paw2PawDogTraining.com
A Day in the Life of a Paw 2 Paw Dog Trainer
- 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. – Day begins. Dogs go outside for potty break/exercise. Dogs are fed. Dogs coming in for the day are dropped off.
- 8:30 a.m. – Pick up dogs coming along for the daily pack hike and dogs whose owners were not able to bring them for the day.
- 9:30 a.m. – Pack Hike begins at designated spot.
- 11:30 a.m. – Pack Hike ends. Dogs along for the hike are dropped off.
- 12:30 p.m. – Arrive home and get dogs settled.
- 1:00 p.m. – Private lessons, evaluations for incoming dogs and/or administrative tasks.
- 5:00 p.m. (fall/winter) and 7:00 p.m. (spring/summer) - work with clients ends.
- Evenings – extra board and train sessions, administrative tasks or just hang out with board and train dogs.
Paw 2 Paw Services Offered
- Board and Train: Dogs are kept in the trainer’s home for several weeks, the final week is training with dog and owner. Training includes areas where each dog struggles, including home and out in the community. Customizable program; pricing varies.
- Private Sessions: Both in-person and virtual sessions. Pricing varies.
- Pack Hikes: Offered almost daily in the summer and on certain days during the winter, a great way to make sure your dog gets regular exercise and safe socialization. Pick up and drop off available. Dog must have solid recall. $40 per hike.
- Boarding: Many options for boarding, structured as if your dog is part of the family. $75 per calendar day.
