Pawsitopia Dog Training & Walking

Private training begins with a required 60 to 90 minute new client consult covering your goals, package options, management strategies, and the core foundations of dog behavior.

Day Training pairs one-on-one work with your dog and a weekly coaching session where Samantha shows you exactly what she and your dog have been working on, backed by written and video resources and follow-up support for a month after the program ends. Coaching sessions teach you to train your own dog, covering technique, timing, and mechanics.

Specialties include out-in-the-world training for young and adolescent dogs, training walks, impulse control, leash manners, relaxation training, recall, and core behaviors.

Walking options are solo neighborhood walks for dogs who do better one-on-one, off-leash group adventure walks capped at four dogs with pick-up and drop-off, and private decompression hikes in quiet areas for dogs who are leash reactive or easily overstimulated. Daytime drop-in visits are available for pets that do not need overnight care.

Pricing Summary

New client consult: $195 for 60 to 90 minutes, required before private training.
Day Training: $1,600 for 12 sessions of roughly 60 minutes each.
Coaching: $150 per session, $840 for 6 sessions, or $1,350 for 10 sessions.
Solo neighborhood walks: $40 for 30 minutes, $70 for 60 minutes.
Group adventure walks: $55 for a one-hour minimum outing, with a required $50 meet and greet that is applied to your first walk.
Decompression walks and hikes: $95 for 60 minutes.
Drop-in visits: from $35 for 30 minutes.

Holiday fees apply to all services.

Policies

Pawsitopia uses only force-free, positive reinforcement methods and does not use or condone prong, choke, or shock collars.

Group adventure walk dogs must be at least 6 months old, 75 pounds or under, up to date on DHPP and rabies vaccines, licensed, and on flea and tick prevention. Solo walk candidates must weigh under 80 pounds, and a weight limit may apply for private training depending on the dog’s behavior.

Most group walks are off-leash. Walks run rain or shine except in extreme storms, heat, or smoke, and Samantha reserves the right to cancel when conditions are unsafe for driving or walking.

Pet sitting must be arranged at least one week in advance. Overnight pet sitting and boarding are not offered.

Pawsitopia is a certified force-free dog training and dog walking business serving Truckee and North Lake Tahoe. Samantha Albert founded it in 2014 and runs it herself, offering private training, day training, coaching, solo neighborhood walks, off-leash group adventure walks, decompression hikes, and daytime drop-in visits.

Training is reward-based and rooted in modern behavior science. Pawsitopia does not use or condone prong, choke, or shock collars, working instead with food, praise, and play, plus anti-pull harnesses and gentle leader head halters for heavy pullers. Samantha is a certified Family Dog Mediator, so plans start by asking why a behavior is happening before deciding how to address it.

Sessions run in your home, on the trail, or at local Truckee spots so the training holds up where you actually live: snowy trails, wildlife scents, off-leash dogs, and busy summer crowds around Donner Lake, Tahoe Donner, and the Legacy and Martis Valley trails. Common focus areas include recall, leash manners, impulse control, relaxation, reactivity, and building confidence in young and adolescent dogs.

Every training and management plan is built around your dog and what is realistic for your schedule. Pawsitopia is woman-owned, licensed, and insured.

Accomplishments

Samantha Albert founded Pawsitopia in 2014 and has worked professionally with animals for more than 20 years.

She is a Certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant through the Dog Training Internship Academy, a graduate of the Marin Humane Society Canine Behavior Academy, and a certified Family Dog Mediator through the L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology course. She has completed the Dog*Biz Dog Walking Academy and is certified in Pet First Aid and CPR.

Her animal welfare background includes Marin Humane Society, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Alameda Animal Shelter, Tahoe Truckee Humane Society, Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, and Hopalong Animal Rescue. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from California State University, Chico, and is licensed and insured.

Pawsitopia is a member of the Pet Professional Guild and a supporting member of the IAABC.

How to Get Started!

Reach out through the contact page at pawsitopia.com/contact-us or call (415) 939-8096. New private training clients start with a 60 to 90 minute consult; group adventure walk clients start with a meet and greet. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.