Hi There! I'm Samantha Albert, CTBC, FDM, founder and owner of Pawsitopia. Animals have always been a major part of my life. Not all that surprisingly, my first word was "Dog," and I truly believe that even then, I knew that I was meant to be a canine ambassador. I've been working professionally with animals for more than 15 years, from working as the assistant summer camp director at Marin Humane Society to volunteering at Guide Dogs for the Blind, to working tirelessly in animal rescue at Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation and Hopalong Animal Rescue, where I helped rescue and find homes for hundreds of cats and dogs. I graduated from the Marin Humane Society Canine Behavior Academy, I’m a Certified Trainer and Behavior Consultant through the Dog Training Internship Academy and a certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM) through the L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation Professional Course. I have a B.A. in Journalism from California State University Chico. I am a graduate of the Dog*Biz Dog Walking Academy, I’m certified in Pet First Aid and Pet CPR, as well as licensed and insured.

My Philosophy

I believe our job as pet care givers is creating a relationship with our pets based on respect and kindness. The techniques I apply to dog training, as well as dog walking are modern science-based, ethical and humane methods. I’m dedicated to helping dogs and their families live a happy and stress-free life together based on a relationship of honesty, kindness and understanding.

What it means to be a Family Dog Mediator

To truly understand our dogs and help them change their behavior, we must understand why the behavior is happening in the first place before we can even start to figure out how to address their needs with management and training.

The modern world is a challenge for many dogs, who find themselves in circumstances and environments foreign to what they originally were bred for. We put them in home environments and expect them to adapt to our lives, but this expectation often leads to confusion from your dog as to how they fit in, which leads to behavior problems such as barking and lunging, fear and anxiety and even aggression.

Family Dog Mediation addresses the dog’s behavior based on their L.E.G.S. or Learning history, environment, genetics and self to figure out who your dog is, what their needs are and how best we can meet those needs.