Meet The Trainer
Lauren Railsback
Owner & Trainer | Mauka To Makai Dog Training LLC
For Lauren Railsback, dog training has been a lifelong passion that began more than 20 years ago with an Australian Shepherd named Boomer.
Lauren's introduction to training began in middle school through a Dog 4-H club, where she and Boomer learned the foundations of obedience, agility, and handling together. The pair went on to compete at the Indiana State Fair, earning Reserve Grand Champion. This experience sparked an interest not only in training, but in the world of dog sports.
Throughout high school and college, Lauren continued training and competing with Boomer in agility and obedience. While attending Western Kentucky University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, she also worked for a professional dog trainer. There, she gained hands on experience training dogs in basic obedience and assisting with FEMA certified search and rescue dogs.
While attending Western Kentucky University with an Animal Science major, she enjoyed coursework gaining knowledge in animal behavior, animal nutrition, and animal evaluation.
More Than 20 Years in Dog Performance Sports
Dog sports have remained an important part of Lauren's life and have greatly influenced her approach to training.
Over the years, she has trained and participated in a wide variety of dog performance events including; agility, Scent Work, Obecience, Rally, Herding, Barn Hunt, Fast CAT, CAT, and Tricks.
Lauren has also taught introductory agility and puppy sport foundation classes in Indiana and Hawaii, building her passion for teaching dogs and handlers. She has also been involved in helping introduce and grow opportunities for dog sports in Hawaii.
Training Philosophy
Lauren believes great training should be something both ends of the leash can enjoy.
Rather than focusing only on obedience and commands, her training emphasizes teaching dogs how to learn. Games, play, food, movement, and other rewards are used to create dogs who are active participants in the training process rather than simply going through the motions.
A major focus is developing drive, motivation, handler engagement, and connection. Creating a team between handler and dog.
Just as importantly, Lauren believes dog training isn't only about training the dog, it's about teaching the person on the other end of the leash. Handlers should understand why something works, how to communicate clearly with their dog, how to reward effectively, and how to continue building skills long after the program ends.
Training is tailored to the individual dog. Different dogs have different personalities, motivations, sensitivities, drives, and needs. Lauren does not believe that every dog should be trained using the same formula.
Training tools may be incorporated when appropriate for the individual dog, situation, and training goal. When a tool is used, the emphasis is on thoughtful selection, proper intruduction, and correct use while making sure the handler understands how and why it is used. No single tool is automatically used simply because a dog enters a training program.
The goal is not to rely on equipment to create obedience. The goal is to build understanding, motivation, communication, and a strong relationship between dog and handler while giving each team the skills they need to succeed together.
Understanding the Individual Dog
Through decades of working with dogs of different breeds, temperaments, drives, and learning styles, she has developed a strong understanding of how dramatically training needs can vary from one dog to another.
A Passion for Puppies
Puppy development is one of Lauren's particular areas of interest.
Through raising litters and years of studying canine deveopment, she has developed a strong passion for ethical breeding and throughful puppy raising. She beleives the experiences puppies receive during their earliest weeks and months can have a lasting influence on the dogs they become.
Her approach emphasizes appropriate socialization, positive environmental exposure,confidence building, problem solving, and fun foundations that give puppies opportunities to safely experience the work and set them up for success that lasts a lifetime.
Life With Dogs
Lauren currently shares her life with 5 working and performance Australian Shepherds and a Whippet/Italian Greyhound.
Her own dogs continue to keep her involved in training, dog sports, and the never ending process of learning from the dogs themselves.
From raising puppies and developing future sport dogs to helping family companions learn how navigate every day life, Lauren's goal remains the same:
Help each dog become the most confident, capable version of themselves while helping their person build a relationship they can enjoy for years to come.
