5/5 Stars -- A true puppy genius and an absolute lifesaver! If I could give Amelia Olson ten stars, I still don't think it would be enough. Navigating puppyhood can be an overwhelming journey, but working with Amelia has completely transformed the experience for us. From our very first session, she proved herself to be nothing short of a puppy whisperer. Amelia has been working with our little Maltipoo, Mercedeh, and the progress has been remarkable. What sets Amelia apart isn't just her deep knowledge of dog behavior and training techniques--it's her boundless patience, warmth, and genuine love for canine companions. She doesn't just train the dog; she lovingly guides and empowers the owners every step of the way. She has shown endless patience with all of our questions, always meeting us with encouragement, clear communication, and practical solutions tailored specifically to Mercedeh's personality. Mercedeh absolutely adores her, and we genuinely look forward to every single session on our calendar. You can feel how much Amelia truly cares about the animals she works with; her dedication, heart, and passion shine through in everything she does. I want to voice our deepest and most sincere gratitude to Amelia for all of her hard work, care, and commitment to our family. We will unquestionably continue to train with her, and we cannot recommend her highly enough to any pet parent looking for top-tier, compassionate, and effective training. Amelia is simply the best in the business! read more

We had 5 sessions with Amelia over the past year and working with her has been great. We never had formal training for my dog, Dash, prior to working with Amelia, and the only reason we wanted training for him was because he was struggling with separation anxiety. Amelia gave us really powerful tools to improve Dash's behavior, and overall and tips and tricks for how to get him more comfortable at home. Dash is a lot more attentive to my cues on walks and is a lot less reactive to dogs on walks. He was a well mannered dog to begin with, but is even better now. I really appreciated that Amelia was able to come to my home in San Jose to do the training. Even though Dash primarily lives with my parents in San Bruno, he still spends a fair amount of time in my home in San Jose and getting him trained in a familiar environment has seemed to be beneficial for him. We also went to the Campbell Farmer's Market and Santana Row to expose Dash to a lot of children/other dogs and all were really great outings for Dash. Thanks Amelia for your patience and guidance! read more

We found Amelia through yelp and we're so grateful we used her training services for our rescue dog! We tackled issues such as reactivity, separation anxiety, and walking on a leash. What I appreciate about Amelia is that she's attentive, concise, and never once made us feel stupid. She's very patient and understanding. She gave great advice. We never thought we'd be able to go a whole work day without worrying sick about our anxious baby at home, but slowly but surely, we got there. It takes a lot of honest, hard work but if you put in the work and stick to Amelia's advice, you will see results. I can't recommend her enough. Thank you Amelia for being so patient and encouraging with our little family!!! read more

Amelia is a life changer. When we first started working with her, we were overwhelmed. Our puppy was terrified of walking outside, struggled to go anywhere, and had intense separation anxiety. Amelia showed us kindness, empathy, enthusiasm, and an endless amount of patience. She supported our puppy through his fears and helped us feel more confident and capable as pet parents. We have the best toys, chews, and connected with many puppy classes thanks to her! Thanks to her guidance, our puppy now walks outside joyfully, plays or stays calm around other dogs and kids, and can rest comfortably in his playpen when we step away. We're endlessly grateful for her. Thank you so much! read more

My partner and I adopted a cattle dog/Shepard mix as a puppy and knew that we needed a trainer right away. I contacted a few and decided to go with Amelia because I liked her approach and getting straight to the training on day 1. Amelia spent the entire hour training and in the process she provided effective methods that to this day still work when my puppy needs a little nudge/reminder. She gave us homework to work on and at the beginning of each session we went through it to ensure that we followed through as owners but also to note areas that still needed work. She was also always available and even recommended products that would help us through the training process. I cannot recommend her enough and her love for animals shines through! read more

Smart Paws Private Training - Amelia Olson - Kai sitting in place - Pet Training Near Me

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I wouldn't have been able to solve Dolly's separation anxiety without Amelia's help. I spent over two years trying to solve this problem on my own and you can imagine, it only got worse. She'd bark and howl, disturbing the neighbors, and get destructive, licking the paint off the front door and chewing on the wall of my new condo and furniture. It was awful. I finally sought professional help. It changed my life. I hung on every word that Amelia said and followed her instructions every day, 24/7 and still do. This is not a quick fix but Dolly and I kept with it and continue to every day. I can't say she loves her crate, but she knows this is her place when Mom goes out. I have a camera and keep an eye on her. Dolly is basically a very good girl but Amelia addressed a few additional concerns I had with her behavior. I was always worried she'd run out the front door or car door when it was open. Amelia helped me solve those issues as well as leave it/take it, watch me, and come. All training is positive and with loving care. I speak to my dog in the softest voice possible and she listens. Amelia is just a lovely person and although I have one session saved for any future issues, I miss her. We always had fun together. That's what training should be. In addition, Amelia was also my cheerleader as I'd update her on Dolly's progress. Whenever I asked her a question she responded promptly. Hiring her was a great decision. Thank you Amelia for giving me my life back. read more

Smart Paws Private Training - Amelia Olson - Pet Training Near Me

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After three private training sessions with Amelia of Smart Paws, our female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Mazzy, is no longer an embarrassment to take out on walks. Prior to the sessions, Mazzy was reactive to other dogs while out on walks. She would bark her head off and lunge at the direction of other dogs. Now, she is much more calm about seeing other dogs on walks. Amelia was very easy to work with and flexible in adapting different solutions for our problem to find the one that worked. Highly recommend working with Smart Paws if you're located in an area served by this business. read more

To say that we love Amelia would be an understatement. We came to her with our Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is the sweetest boy but starting to show leash reactivity. Within 5 sessions, our Bo is a different dog - completely unphased by other dogs on our walks. She is so professional and kind. I can tell she is such a dog lover. read more

Amelia is THE dog whisperer. She's trained all 3 of my dogs over the course of the last 10 years. My first dog (Minky) was a 7 year old rescue Minpin who was returned to the shelter for behavior issues. It's true,with Amelia's help, you can teach an old dog new tricks! Not only did Minky overcome her poor potty habits, but she eagerly learned all of the obedience basics. My other 2 dogs were adopted as puppies and Amelia's worked her magic on them as well. I wouldn't go anywhere else to anyone else for training either a new puppy or an older dog. She's 5-star in my book! read more

Smart Paws Private Training - Amelia Olson - THE best behaved pups, thanks to Amelia and Smart Paws! - Pet Training Near Me

Everything. I'm amazed at the knowledge, skill and compassion Amelia possesses. She is dedicated and hardworking. She gets results. I highly recommend her to anyone wanting training and education with their furry family members. read more

Amelia was very professional, kind, and knowledgeable! Her tips on leash training made huge differences for our dog.

I worked with Amelia about 8 years ago for help with training my GSP puppy. She was so knowledgeable, professional, and an excellent dog trainer. Her techniques worked so well to correct certain unwanted behaviors. I've raved about her for years. Highly recommend! read more

Amelia came to my rescue with my 3 mos old GSD mix who had too much sass and attitude. We had 10 sessions together in 2012 and today my GSD Rottie mix is still a great walker, great to run errands with, and of course great with all our friends, both human and canine :) I have shared Amelia's name with many folks. Thank you Amelia! From Andrea and Reba :) read more

Smart Paws Private Training - Amelia Olson - Pet Training Near Me

Amelia is hands down the BEST trainer. First of all shes a huge animal lover and it shows. She helped me train my chihuahua Scooby. He was super stubborn and couldn't master how to lay down with the first method she was teaching me. She was so patient with me when I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. She then showed me a different way to teach him (it was honestly super cool and I've never seen it taught this way in all the training books/videos I have seen). He instantly learned with this method and I was so excited! If you're thinking about having Amelia train you and your pup... I'm telling you run don't walk! read more

Amelia was focused on training success for our puppy AND us! She tailored her instruction to both; was quick to notice weakness/opportunities for improvement in our handling and relationship with our dog; hand-wrote personal reminder notes and homework assignments each session; listened well; offered generous work hours (including weekends); and was just fun to be with! As other reviewers noted, she made it clear she was the alpha kingpin within 5 seconds of meeting our puppy (who submissively rolled onto his back and then followed her instructions thereafter). A great way to begin the delightful journey with our now 3-year-old Dutch Spaniel. read more

Smart Paws Private Training - Amelia Olson - Amelia & our puppy enjoying a relaxing moment before the next training session. - Pet Training Near Me

If there was the ability to leave more than 5 stars for our training with Amelia, I would absolutely do so. As first time puppy parents, we wanted to hire a trainer to help us train our new dog. We scheduled our first session 3 days after bringing our pup home and we are SO glad we started so early. It was huge to have that support from the very beginning. EVERY SINGLE THING Amelia advised and trained on worked perfectly. She is beyond knowledgable and so talented. When we started looking on the internet for technics, training, resources, etc. we were overwhelmed by the amount of information and conflicting concepts. It was a relief to have Amelia as our sole point of truth. Our trust in her is endless and we are so lucky we found her! read more

Finley was an overactive 6 month old English Mastiff who was big, clumsy and naughty! He refused to sit, stay, come and any other commands we gave him. Then we found Amelia Olsen of Smart Paws Private Training. She was a godsend!! She turned our wild boy into a compliant puppy that listened well and behaved nicely which kept him safe and made us less worrisome. We had tried group training at our local Pet Food Store, but it was more of a social event for him. Working one on one with Amelia turned out to be the best investment we could have made for him. I highly recommend Amelia @Smart Paws- she is the best!!! read more

Amelia was recommended through another trainer. I had two stubborn pitbulls that required a little extra help with some basic obedience training. She had the patience to help us get the basics down and so much more. Eventually with her help we gained confidence in our pups capabilities and moved them off with other dogs. We had such a great experience and would highly recommend Amelia to others. read more

Milo is doing betterYou are wonderful at what you do. Thank you. His behavior modifications are useful read more

Wonderful, compassionate and great at tackling training with solid effective ways. As a first time dog owner, Amelia really saved me. Each training session was fun and filled with information that helped not only guide my dog but also me in the right direction. From zero to hero, I felt very confident and a lot more knowledgeable after 5 sessions. Highly recommend her to anyone with a new puppy! read more

When I adopted a Catahoula puppy from the humane society, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I'd always owned dogs of even temperament, generally mild mannered with no major issues. While my new puppy, Lua, was as sweet as could be around me, it quickly became apparent she had some serious fear aggression. She'd growl at people she didn't know, sometimes even snapping if they came too close or looked at her wrong. And other dogs? She turned into Cujo around other dogs - lunging, snapping, snarling, the works. She even bit me a few times in her furor. We tried obedience classes at PetSmart and six weeks later had seen no major results. My family was urging me to give Lua away as she seemed beyond help; her issues were clearly bigger than we knew how to handle and we were at our wits end. This is around the time I found Amelia. I have been nothing less than blown away since the first time we met Amelia. I was worried she couldn't help us (or worse, wouldn't try!) when I first presented Lua and her laundry list of issues, but Amelia was patient, firm, and knowledgeable from the get go. She gives clear instruction and sets firm boundaries, while making sure you're aware where the problem behavior stems from and why it's happening. She's got a whole bag of tricks up her sleeve, and when one method isn't working she'll try another. She is patient while still being assertive, and shows you how to master the same; she is flexible and creative, switching up locations and scenarios so you get the best practice in as many environments as possible. Amelia has helped Lua and I in more ways than I can count. Three months ago I had a puppy that jumped, growled, pulled on a leash, stole food, and didn't have the slightest idea of how to behave around people, dogs or in public. Now I have a dog that walks calmly through busy shopping centers, can sit and stay in the middle of a dog park surrounded by other dogs, walks politely on a leash instead of dragging me down the street, and is generally happier, healthier, and better adjusted than she was before Amelia. As long as there's more to learn, Amelia is who we're going to stick with to teach us. read more

Someone recommended Amelia and I wish had known about her earlier. I have tried every kind of class and trainer - group class, private lessons, private home lessons, "boot camp" where the trainer took my dog into her home for a few hundred dollars and promised to return him as a new dog. One trainer endorsed the pinch collar which I couldn't bear to use. One trainer endorsed throwing bacon all the ground to distract from the bad behavior which was not always practical. Needless to say, the boot camp method did not work either. Dog came back home the same. About Amelia: As a business owner, she responds promptly via text or email. She encourages you to text her with questions outside of the scheduled training time with her. She is encouraging, professional but personable and easy to talk with. As a trainer, she trains the dog owners. She is a good balance of positive rewards and negative consequences only when necessary. She provides customized "homework" sheets after each lesson which has practical exercises to work with your dog. The exercises are do-able and do not involve pinch collars or me trying to act alpha. She recommended us to buy a vest for our dog that says "I need space" and that was golden. Sessions can be in your home or in public or combination, whatever best meets the need. I give Amelia 10 stars if I could. I don't feel like a loser or bad pet owner with her. She leaves me feeling optimistic and excited about dog training. My dog loves her too... unlike other dog trainers who left him afraid of them or not wanting to return. She is also very resourceful in terms of what dog products to buy and where. I can easily text or email her my questions on anything dog related. I really value her opinion and philosophy and approach when it comes to dogs and training. Thank you Amelia for everything! read more

Amelia is a wonderful trainer. I have a year old puggle and we have been working with her since he was around 5 months old. She was always very professional, punctual, and very friendly. She was very flexible in terms of locations; we would meet at my house and various public places. She was willing to change up each session; making it specific to Brody. I felt that she really cared about his success. More than training Brody, she trained me. She was able to quickly and clearly explain Brody's behavior and always bring out the best in him. Patience of a saint. Within the first 15 minutes of our first session, she had him listening and laying down (which we could NOT teach to Brody). I find myself constantly recommending Amelia to others in need! I consider Amelia a friend now and Brody is always looking forward to her next visit. read more

Amelia is working with my family and our new labradoodle puppy. She has been available by phone, in addition to her training sessions. When she comes to our house, she's upbeat and models everything, explains everything, and creates an atmosphere that allows my whole family (kids included) to know how to help our puppy succeed. read more

Amelia exceeded my expectations with her dog training abilities. We have TWO PUPPIES, and they play fight all the time. It was initially very difficult to get them to pay attention to us, but now they are so obedient! She has really touched our lives. Our puppies really stressed us out before but now we finally know what is normal, what is not okay, and what to do about it. She address all kinds of issues: behavioral (for us, biting on hands and feet, chewing on things they weren't supposed to be chewing), basic commands like leave it and stay, and even grooming tips. Best of all I feel like I can call her anytime. She is very thorough at answering questions, and addressing all your concerns!! read more

Amelia is the best trainer for dogs and amazing support and teacher for the owners/parents. The way how sessions and communication is handled is top notch. You get undivided attention and every session will make you bond and understand your furry baby more. Amelia is a seasoned trainer and simply the best. read more

Amelia conducted the AKC Canine Good Citizen test for our dog Mousse and she was very encouraging and supportive given that we held the test in a very busy and public area. After he passed his test Amelia gave us great advice on what we should continue to focus on and additional areas and ideas to keep his development growing. I'm grateful we had the chance to work with her and hope to do so again! read more

Amelia has been the best thing to happen to Toby (my pup) and I! Toby is a rescue-pup who had deep anxiety and fear of humans. With Amelia's gentle encouragement and brilliant tactics (not to mention kindness and patience!) Toby is a well adjusted, confident pup. Every session is like a light bulb going off. 'Oh, right...THIS is why he is acting this way!" And in that moment of offering insight into your dog, she has very real tactics aka homework, for you and your pup to do to get them (and YOU) on the right track. We will continue to work with Amelia for as long as she will have us and HIGHLY recommend for everyone and their pup, no matter where they lay on the behavioral spectrum. Thanks Amelia! read more

Amelia entered my life several years ago as a helper bee in my pet sitting service. I loved her from the moment I met her! She is mature way beyond her years and I have trusted her with my clients with no worries what so ever. I have referred her training services to a large share of my clientele and they all rave about her. As their pet sitter/dog walker, I get to see the results first hand. Many a miracle has been made due to Amelia's abilities. On top of that a finer and more lovely person does not exist! read more

We had a two hour puppy training session with Amelia and she is fantastic. Her positive reviews are well deserved. We needed emergency obedience training on short notice due to our surprise new puppy and impending work commitments and Amelia was able to fit us in. She's professional and clearly a natural with dogs including our disobedient 12 week old puppy. She came to our house and gave us the critical skills we needed for basics to set our pup and us off on the right track. Her techniques are easy to learn, they work(!) and don't involve any cruel treatment or harm, just simple ways to reinforce positive behavior. She gave us homework to help build positive habits until our next session in three weeks. I was a bit hesitant about paying for this kind of thing since there are so many resources now on the internet, YouTube videos, etc, but this was definitely the smart move!! No replacement for onsite, inperson, interactive demonstration with an expert. So glad we found her. Thanks Amelia! read more

We got a puppy, Cocoa, (Brittany and German Shorthaired mix) in summer 2012. We ran into problems like chewing, pulling on leash, and jumping, etc. I found Amelia from Yelp, and started the session the week before Thanksgiving. After just the first session, I gained so much confidence on how to handle each situation. It is great to have a trainer at the house, so she can show you exactly what to do on each problem/situation. We also had walks in the neighborhood to deal with various walking issues/scenarios. Amelia is so patient; she answers all my questions and concerns every time. I take away so much from each session! You don't need to worry forgetting what was taught, she provides you a detailed "homework" sheet on everything covered in the session. I have only done four sessions, but during the Xmas holidays, we are so comfortable to take Cocoa to friends house, have company over; we just recently took Cocoa to a Pet Expo where tons of people and dogs! Family and friends are impressed with how Cocoa behaves so differently in just one month. Thank you so much Amelia! read more

i have personally known amelia going on 4 years now. initially we met at work, and when i wanted to pursue my own career in dog traning, she was my mentor. for a job like this, you must be able to work with humans, not only dogs, and she exceeded my expectations as a teacher and trainer. when she was over and done with whipping my butt into shape, i myself got a lot of wonderful clients who came back time and time again to receive services from me. but i know in my heart that without amelia, i never would have been as good as i was. prior to the training to become a trainer from amelia, she trained my dog from puppy classes to canine good citizen. now, i have an english bulldog that at times can be quite stubborn and extremely goofy...not at all your best student. however, for amelia, it was a piece of cake. she tapped into my dog in a way i never knew was possible, and she taught me how to do the same. she learned so much more than i ever thought a dog could, and still after nearly 3 years, continues to thrive with her learning. what amelia teaches you and your dog is far more than just a lesson learned, but a true relationship with your canine companion. she helps you understand your pet, and for your pet to understand you, and that is a true gift. on top of it all she is EXTREMELY reliable, and perfectly priced. and did i mention she dog walks and dog sits too?! lets just say, she's the complete package. very warm hearted, and treats your dog like her own, (let me tell you, her baby you see in that photo, is sooo spoiled!). in a nutshell: i recommend amelia to anyone and everyone who wants to develop a long lasting and loving relationship with their pet, and for anyone who is looking for that perfect dog sitter or walker whos going to love your pet as much as she loves her own. if i could give her more than five stars...i would! =) read more

I contacted Amelia in serious need of help managing our five dogs. I was extremely stressed out about various behavior problems and I had no idea what my fiancé and I were going to do. Since our training has begun my friends and family have noticed a remarkable change in all of our dogs. I really appreciate Amelia's well rounded approach in not only training but also in creating a well functioning family. Amelia comes once a week and assigns homework for us. It is a very interactive process and I love her energy and dedication. She is highly reliable and organized as well. It will honestly be bittersweet to finally achieve our results and not see Amelia as often but I hope to always know her and continue to use her services! read more

Amelia is simply amazing! We are the proud owners of 3 rescued dogs, which means they all came with their own challenges. But our biggest problem was with our Belgium Shepherd Charlotte. She was anxious, barked constantly and was basically taking us for a walk instead of the other way around. In a matter of a few sessions, Amelia had Charlotte walking along side us, waiting for her food until released and laying down while we ate or opened the door. Not only is she a great dog trainer, she was able to train my husband and me. LOL. My husband and I are so grateful for her help and patience. She is worth EVERY penny and I recommend her every chance I get. read more

For Haley we didn't find Amelia until we had taken our dog to two puppy classes, and some very expensive private training. After all of this training, we had a dog who while a diamond in the rough was quite rough...she is a big dog and to get attention she would paw people, loom over them when she could, was hard to walk and generally wanted attention in inappropriate ways that put visitors to our home off, and in addition, since she is 75 pounds, and I am 130 pounds, she was a bit intimidating. Then we got a miracle in the form of Amelia.....From the minute that Amelia walked in, we could swear she was a dog whisperer because Haley just seemed to understand what Amelia wanted of her and clearly wanted to change. Amelia taught us that Haley is so much happier with boundaries, she just grew and grew and grew into an amazing dog who all who meet her comment on what an amazingly well behaved dog she is. When they say that, if they have a dog, we rave about Amelia and refer people to her. So of course when we just got Haley's 1/2 sister, Comet, we immediately had Amelia out, both to acclimate these two girls to each other, help us with potty training, and general training. We have now had Comet for about 7 weeks, she is fully potty trained, sleeping through the night, she sits, comes, doesn't bark or jump, but rather sits politely, when food is prepared (as she when we first got her she would get hysterical when food was prepared), and now Amelia is helping us socialize her as she has some fear of people. Amelia teaches us how to work with our dogs, as most of the training is of us. She is kind to all, however, she teaches us over and over how to have a happy household with our furry members of our family, and happy dogs. read more

I recommend Amelia to literally every dog owner I know, I cannot thank her enough for all the great changes she's done to for our dog's behavior. Our dog, Pi used to be super high strung, when he was younger and we sent him to a board and train for 3 weeks which did nothing for him, and his old trainer didn't even teach us how to continually correct and practice his training. After Amelia, Pi is so much calmer and happier! She uses positive reinforcement is very calm and in control the whole time. She formulates a program to suit your dog personally, and teaches the owner how to practice with the dog through a series of "homework" excercises. Just hour with Amelia makes a world of difference when it comes to behavior! Pi now heels perfectly, doesn't run out the front door (even if we throw his favorite toy out the door!), he is much more calmer when interacting with groups of people (see photo), and even if we are in front of a dog park he will hold his stay and heel! He's now (in my unbiased opinion) the best dog in the world, and everybody loves him! Thanks Amelia! read more

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Amelia, you are awesome. You say it like it is and enforce a very clear owner - pet boundary. I've taken all of your advice to heart and truly appreciate your motive to find methods that work for a dog's specific personality. I still have a somewhat long way to go with Milo, but I definitely feel like he's making progress read more

Amelia is a wonderful dog trainer. Our daughter, husband and dog moved in with us for a couple of months. Their dog was well trained except for going on walks. Amelia helped us to be able to go on pleasant long walks with the dog, without pulling on the leash, or meltdowns when we saw another dog. Thank you Amelia! You are the best! read more

OMG!! After reading all of Ameilias reviews I realized I never posted one for her. Amelia is amazing! In just a single session she was able to train our puppy, at the time, black Labrador so quickly. We ended up purchasing a 5 session pack and after 3 of the 5 Brody was so well behaved. Brody is now 3 and we still get compliments on how well behaved he is. I refer Amelia to all of my friends, family and co-workers. You will not be disappointed with Amelia. Her positive reinforcement and tricks to training are simply genius. read more

Amelia has been perfect for both my 8 year old rescue dog, Joe, and also for me! She listens carefully and offers her opinion without an agenda or "one size fits all" approach. I so appreciate her sensitivity to both my dogs needs and my temperament..stretching us both without disregarding our individuality. She explains what she is doing and the rational for each action and consistently asks me what my priorities are and has LOTS of options to achieve them. She is organized and punctual and a natural teacher, both for canines and for adult humans! I am totally delighted that we found her the dogs she works with are lucky we to have her in their "pack." read more