Located on James Island, South Carolina. Serving all of Charleston County. Au Pair for Paws is dedicated to serving both ends of the leash and cultivating the best relationship between owners and their dogs. We use a balanced training approach and truly believe that every dog is different and that not all dogs can be trained in the same way.
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11 customer reviews
Ross Collins
Meagan and her staff are the best! 10/10 highly recommend!
Reviewed on Facebook
Molly Gersbach
Meagan has been such a guiding light for me and my 1 year old springer spaniel, Pippa! She is a wealth of knowledge and has helped me so much in the daunting task of raising and training a high energy puppy to be confident, well-mannered, and well-adjusted. Pippa started off with private 1:1 lessons at around 6 months old, but last month I decided to invest in a 3 week board & train to give her some more consistency in training. I am not one to leave my dogs with just anyone - seriously, I'm a helicopter mom - but after working with Meagan throughout the year I felt confident Pippa was in great hands. She updated me with lots of pictures and videos (even with a broken phone, she whipped out her old iPad to video her progress so that I was kept updated, lol). Pippa is home and I'm SO IMPRESSED by her new skills and overall behavior. She is still her spunky self, has all those fun and silly personality traits of being a working breed, but after training with Meagan she now knows how to behave and what is expected of her. I feel super supported now, too, as I'm learning to reinforce all her new skills into my home and life - she is always responsive to my texts and willing to help me work through whatever it is I'm struggling with!! Worth the investment, ten-fold. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Alexis Troxell
Meagan was exactly what we needed for our golden retriever Winston. She offered private lessons and came to our home which was a huge plus. Winston is a different dog now - used to pull and throw temper tantrums and now can be walked confidently, responds well to commands, and trusted in public. I would hire her 10x over, worth the investment!! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Ashley Allen
Meagan has been wonderful to work with for our 1.5 year old Old English Sheepdog! His understanding of basic commands and leash etiquette drastically improved over the course of a few weeks of working with her. And she made the training fun for him (and us). We now feel comfortable taking him with us on out to eat, to the beach etc. 5/5 stars! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Ashlyn Riesdorph
Meagan did an amazing job teaching me how to train my two golden retrievers through her private training! I can now walk them confidently without a worry of being pulled everywhere. I would highly recommend anyone to go to Au Pair For Paws for any of their training needs! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Henry D. Robinson
Meagan's training for our yellow lab puppy was invaluable. He went from being a complete terror to a happy and well-behaved dog over the course of two months. The transformation was incredible. Thanks Meagan for not giving up on Raja! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Katie Kinsey
Meagan is truly amazing and has a way with dogs! When I came to Meagan I had a 5 month old sassy little golden retriever puppy. She had a really terrible resource guarding issue that I could tell was only going to escalate as she got older. My puppy is a very dominant dog and I was really struggling getting her to respect and listen to me. Literally after just the first session I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many of the times we spent the session teaching me more than my puppy, lol. Meagan does an amazing job explaining what you, as the owner is doing wrong and why the dog isn’t responding. I swear I’m convinced she can read their minds! We just finished our time with Meagan and at 8 months old my puppy knows all her commands, can be off leash with great recall and is no longer resource guarding for the most part. If she starts to fall back into it over something new, she immediately responds to “No” and snaps out of it. I can bring my puppy anywhere with me and am confident she will be well behaved - which is exactly what I was looking for. If you need a dog trainer, seriously Meagan is the best. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Brad Frost
Look no further. Meagan is the best. If she has room for your dog I would jump on it. Meagan came highly recommended to us by a couple of friends who had used her for their dogs. We started out doing hour long lessons with her for our standard schnauzer puppy. We soon realized we were in over our heads. He would chase squirrels and just take off. He chased shadows. He knew what to do when asked, but doing it was another matter. We decided to send him off to boarding school with her and he came back a model citizen. We see a squirrel on a walk and he stays in a heel. No more chasing shadows. He listens better than our kids! He has gained confidence and structure. I can take him on Lowes trips and he just follows me around and patiently sits while I try and make up my mind on something. We are continually working with him and building on the foundation that Meagan created. She really has a way with dogs and gains their trust. In my opinion that builds their confidence and creates a well balanced dog. Thank you Meagan! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Piper Templeton
We initially contacted Megan for training sessions with our newly adopted hound, Copper. Once we met with Megan, we were confident she would give our new family member a strong foundation for success so we decided to do a board and train instead! We were so pleased when Copper’s training was complete: he had manners, confidence, and a strong skillset. Since the board and train, Megan has worked with us in our home and also recently helped us work with Copper at the beach, a previously triggering spot for him. Megan has also been available for questions post-board and train. She is patient, knowledgeable and genuinely loves her furry clients. I cannot recommend her enough whether you are working through reactivity issues or if your pup just needs a little extra structure so that they can live their best lives. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Peyton Murray
Meagan was SO amazing with us and our dog! She has given us the knowledge and confidence to work with him in the ways that suit him best. She is so easy to work with, a great communicator, and clearly incredibly well-versed in the dog world. We would recommend her to any and everyone! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Chris Irwin
We used Au Pair for Paws to train our 3 year old Belgian Malinois and our 6 year old Dutch shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix who started getting in to awful fights with each other due to the Dutch’s high anxiety and the Belgians reactivity. We called Au Pair for Paws desperate for help and could not have had a better experience! Our Belgian could not pass another dog on a walk without ending up on her hind legs barking and growling. Our Dutch wouldn’t stop following my wife around and could not stop irritating our Belgian by sticking her nose where it didn’t belong (literally!) To say we were at our wits end with them was an understatement. Meagan came in like the super trainer she is and turned our girls around for the better! After both dogs went (separately) for the four week board and train program our Belgian can successfully walk by another dog without a reaction, we can also trim her nails without having to give her sedatives for the vet to do it, She’s crate trained, muzzle trained, knows place, and is successfully e-collar trained. Our Dutch had the exact same successes and she gained enough confidence to stay on place and not follow my wife everywhere. It is beyond a night and day difference in our dogs. We owe everything to Meagan at Au Pair for Paws More...
Reviewed on Facebook
What do you love most about your job?
I love helping people with the issues they’re having with their dogs. It is so rewarding to watch a bond form between and owner and a dog during the training process.
What inspired you to start your own business?
While I was fostering my current dog Chase 7 years ago I ended up adopting him. He started showing serious behavioral issues such as aggression, resource guarding, male dominant aggression towards dogs and would not listen to a thing I said. After biting someone I sought out a professional trainer. Through working with her (Lead the Pack dog Training, NY) I learned so much about behavior. I started to get to know my dog and found a passion in working with dogs at the shelter. Especially ones with behavioral problems. I ended up apprenticing with Lead The Pack Dog Training while setting up a dog walking pet sitting business to get myself acclimated to doffeeent types of dogs and personalities. After about a year I started taking on my own clients. Moving down to South Carolina and in my seventh year of business this has been amazing and I can’t wait to help more people with their dogs. I absolutely love my job and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Why should our clients choose you?
I am someone who is passionate about helping people resolve the issues they are having with their pet. I am also honest and real about training. I come from a place where being honest works. I never want to mislead an owner and I will always put the best interest of the owner and dog first before anything.
Private sessions
I come to you. If you take a look at my website under services. All prices and packages are listed for you.
Board and Train Service
Board and trains are a service conducted in an in home environment with the trainer. It provides the immediate structure, support and guidance the dog might need.
We provide an in home environment to replicate what would be helpful going back to your home.
