Canine Comprehensive Oakland, California

We've been lucky enough to be working with Tobey and Canine Comprehensive from the very beginning of our dog training journey. When I say beginning, I mean the VERY beginning. We did a consultation with Tobey and she helped us narrow down what breed of dog we could look into based on our wants and lifestyle. We ended up adopting Gus, a labrador retriever, and immediately signed up for training sessions. As prepared as we thought we were, we weren't ready for some of the issues we ran into with puppyhood. Tobey helped us navigate those waters with techniques and exercises that not only provided immediate results, but built foundations that set him up to be a rockstar when he matured. Tobey and her team have been there every step of the way for us and really appreciate the level of support we get from Canine Comprehensive. The Canine Comprehensive facility is awesome and we felt so secure leaving Gus there for boarding when we had to take a trip this past September. Gus had some bad separation anxiety the first night and Tobey went above and beyond to get him through it. We didn't know the severity of his separation anxiety and were just relieved that he was in good hands while we were far away from him. Gus recently completed a 5 week board and train course and came home a confident and well mannered pup! The results were more than we could have imagined. He now knows that being home means being chilled out and relaxed instead of running around and chewing on things you're not supposed to. He now has off leash recall which has basically opened up a whole new world for us to take him into. Tobey puts a ton of work into the dogs she trains and just as much work in educating and supporting their owners. She explains the reasoning behind the training, presents alternatives to things we're on the fence about, and always has answers and recommendations for us for anything dog-related. We can't recommend Tobey and her team at Canine Comprehensive enough.

TLDR: Training with Tobey and Canine Comprehensive far exceeded our expectations and I could not recommend them enough. If you're on the fence, just do it. We adopted our sweet 3-year-old pittie mix Baloo back in 2020 and soon after realized she needed some training. She is so strong and walking her at the beginning was so frustrating, not to mention hard on my body. She could easily pull me across the street and if she saw another dog or a squirrel all bets were off. She demonstrated some resource guarding, plays a bit too hard with other dogs, and while she never tried to actively run away, her recall was on her terms only. Tobey has experience working with staffies and had worked wonders with another friend's dog, so we chose them. And we chose right. Tobey is an incredible dog whisperer. We did 1:1 sessions with Tobey and now Baloo walks right by my side and is a pleasure to walk with. Her resource guarding has markedly improved, she listens to her commands (even if she's pouty about it), and her manners are much better. One of the best parts is Baloo's recall. She is a champ. She recalls out of play, out of barking at the mail person, away from food, on a hike with lots of distractions. It's honestly incredible and I'm so proud of her. Also, Tobey helped us get Baloo healthier. She lost excess weight that she had from when we got her which gave her a much shinier coat and much more energy! It's fun to see Baloo in her finest form. Our goal with Baloo was to have a very good canine citizen because of the stigma against her breed and now we have that! We couldn't have done it without Tobey and Canine Comprehensive. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tobey and her crew are extremely dedicated, intelligent and doting dog trainers. Tobey began working with my difficult puppy—who was too smart for his own good and resource guarded a lot. She showed not only showed tremendous psychological insight into his behaviors but also provided me with varied resources and training plans. She was honest about the challenges ahead, but also incredibly thorough in her planning. There is always a way, in her eyes, even if it requires time. It is clear she deeply loves dogs. It’s hard work training your dog, but Tobey is exceptional at what she does, she transformed my relationship with my dog and provided the tools to have my furry companion thrive alongside me.

Tobey is very experienced with dogs and it shows in every interaction she has had with my dog. All of the walkers I've had have been high quality and professional especially through all COVID-19 changes. My dog is always so excited go on his walks I cannot recommend CanineComprehensive enough.

I reached out to Canine Comprehensive shortly after rescuing a dog with a lot of fear and anxiety. I hadn't worked with a trainer before so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Tobey arrived for our initial assessment on time, and from the get go was very professional and it was quite obvious she knew what she was doing. Her assessment was very thorough, she asked me a lot of questions about Athena, what our set up was, what our schedule looked like etc. There was no feeling of being rushed which really helped me feel like we mattered as clients. After our assessment she emailed me her honest thoughts and feedback about what my goals were for Athena, and she gave me a realistic outlook. She recommended a package of training sessions and was very clear about what to expect, meaning she didn't just tell me what I wanted to hear and that progress wouldn't magically happen overnight. I appreciate clear and honest communication with regard to expectations. Tobey arrived to every session with a set agenda and we got right to work after checking in. I love efficient use of time and from the moment she arrives we worked and I appreciate that so much. Tobey gave us very clear homework, checklists, and objectives to work on daily in between sessions. She provided research and examples for why we were doing any of the drills and skills chosen. Knowing the why behind something is really important and helps to give it value. She responded promptly to any questions I had through email in between sessions and celebrated all of Athena's successes with us as if she was her own. You can tell she loves what she does, and she's really good at it. We have met and exceeded our first set of goals for Athena, and have now set new goals for our next package. I am so impressed with Tobey's training skills because I get to see an example of them everyday as I watch our amazing dog bloom into a confident little lady. We couldn't be happier with Canine Comprehensive.

We would give the Canine Comprehensive a million stars if that was possible. We were completely at a loss when we adopted our pup who seemed fined when we he was still with his foster but immediately upon returning home showed signs of extreme fear, separation anxiety (from his brother), and dog reactivity. That's when Tobey came in and changed out lives. It was a very slow process to gain our pup's trust and to go at his pace but has paid dividends! He is now in three pack walks a week living his best life with his dog pals! Canine Comprehensive changed the way we thought about our pup, his needs, what we are able to give him, and how we can all live in calm harmony.

Tobey saved our dog and turned him into the best pooch in the city! Ok, so Albany is a small city but this is still impressive! We had adopted Scooby from a shelter, just before the pandemic. He is a sweet and loving dog, but things started to go south after a few months. He was waking us and the neighbors up at 6 am. Then 5 am. Then 4am. He was tense all of the time. He couldn't tolerate being away from us for more than a few minutes. On walks he would pull constantly to the point where we both started to have back problems. And it was getting worse. We talked to a trainer, but they said that he had more separation issues than they were trained to handle. We were at our wits end. Enter Tobey, the owner and primary trainer of Canine comprehensive. She had all of her systems in place. Booking on calendly, clear pricing, specific recommendations on what gear was (and was not) useful including reasons and assessments of the quality of the products. She assessed Scooby and our home environment (working within Covid protocols). She offered multiple courses of training. We opted for the more intensive board and train, which includes careful prep and included follow up. From the packing list to the updates, to the follow up, Tobey was on top of it. She didn't just train our pup. She helped us understand how to get the most out of her training. And now? Our neighbors are happy and sleeping in. We are sleeping in. He can hang out in the yard with our family Covid pod members without getting overwhelmed. He is a pleasure to walk with. In the last week I have heard him described as princely and perfect. And we can love him again without that nagging background frustration. Without Canine Comprehensive we might well have had to re-home our boy. It would have broken my daughter's heart and she would have gone years feeling like we might send away a family member. Tobey really is more than a dog trainer. She cares deeply about our dog and helping him be happy in his environment long term. Oh and did I mention her follow up? Responsive is an understatement. I more than give Canine Comprehensive 5 stars. I wholeheartedly and with gratitude recommend them. Anyone who loves their dog and wants to get expert help from someone who truly cares should talk to Tobey.

Canine Comprehensive has been walking our dog for more than a year... they're great communicators, super responsible on health/safety, and Baxter loves them. They're also just audaciously good dog photographers so many of our favorite photos of Bax come from them :)

I'm happy to recommend Canine Comprehensive. We've been working with them for 3-4 months now to train our puppy. She's a mix including herding breed(s) so had a tendency to try to herd/nip at our young children which we clearly were not comfortable with. She also showed some resource guarding tendencies and also a wild response to people walking by and other dogs. I am happy to say that after a few in home training sessions and a board-and-train, we feel much better about our puppy being a part of a healthy, happy home. She's learned her commands (though can still be a stubborn puppy), is more controllable, is calmer and genereally more able to control her energy. Best of all, we feel much better about her being around our children which was of the utmost importance to use. Tobey, the lead trainer has been reliable and always gives us really good, practical tips and a plan that we have found works well with our puppy. (We also use them for regular walks too, which has also been good).

Booked a 5 week board and train for our rescue 1 y/o lab retriever. Our dog is now much calmer, easier to walk, able to be alone without whining, and has solid recall. Would definitely recommend Canine Comprehensive, as they delivered lasting training results.

Tobey and her crew have been a god send! When we learned our dog's (Dakota) daycare center was going to be closing we were panic'd. They referred us to Canine Comprehensive as a potential alternative and it worked out great! Dakota is an anxious and shy dog so she doesn't adapt easily to new situations or people. We had never worked with a dog walker before but thought it might fit the bill since Dakota needs a lot of activity. It was a challenge at first, because Dakota was so freaked out she refused to get in the car with her walker and the other dogs. But Tobey and her team were so great about working with Dakota (and with us!). They knew exactly what to do to help Dakota gain the confidence she needed to join their packs. Through a lot of hard work and perseverance, they got Dakota were she needed to be. She loves her walks with Canine Comprehensive and happily jumps in the car now! I really can't thank Tobey and her crew enough. They are so much more then dog walkers!

Our dog Gus has been a regular with the Canine Comprehensive crew for over 2 years. When we rescued our dog, he came with some severe behavioral issues and Tobey coached us along, giving us solid feedback and training along the way. When we all acknowledged that his problems were severe, we signed him up for Canine Comprehensive’s board and train program. It was the best money we ever spent on him. He came out of it with less anxiety around food and toys, a whole bunch of commands he follows, and a happier disposition. We’re so lucky they do regular pack walks to practice his good boy skills and they also dog sit when we’re on vacation. Before finding Tobey, I would stress about leaving Gus when we would go out of town. Now I know he’s getting lots of attention and spending it with someone who understands his complex behavior. We love the whole team so much and we know they love Gus like their own!!!

If I could dream up the perfect dog walking service, Canine Comprehensive would still exceed my wildest dreams. Tobey and all of the walkers are nothing short of amazing. When we first hired them, our rescue dog Luna was so fearful and stressed out that she didn’t want even want to walk around the block with us most days. Tobey patiently and expertly eased Luna into walking with her pack of dogs and gave us some training sessions as well on how to walk her with more confidence. Luna completely transformed into a confident, happy dog who looks forward to her daily pack walks with smiles and tail wags. Elisabeth has been Luna’s main regular dog walker for years now and she is extremely reliable, caring, friendly, and communicative. We are sad to be moving out of the state and hope we can find someone even half as good as Elisabeth, Tobey & everyone at Canine Comprehensive. Did I mention that they send a daily doggie pic of the pack walks? We’re talking adorable pet photographer quality photos here with artful arranging and backgrounds —they made a gorgeous calendar from the photos! Canine Comprehensive is simply THE BEST.

Tobey Grey is a dog whisperer who worked magic from the moment she met my very anxious rescue dog. She is well-versed in the technique (art?) of rehabilitating more challenging dogs. I can't think of anyone I would trust more. Her psychology background enables her to work similar magic with her human clients. :-)

My dog was unable to read other dog's signals and unable to settle herself. My young grandchildren were scared to be around her and more importantly she was always hyped up. I enrolled Riley (2 year old Golden Retriever) in the 4 week program and now have a dog that can settle herself, obeys, and no longer jumps on people. It is not cheap; however, the program is 4 weeks long, 24 hours a day training. I would do again for the results we received from the program. Tobey is very pleasant to work with and understands dog behaviour.

We have loved all of our experiences with Canine Comprehensive. To 1:1 training sessions, to the board and train, to the daily pack walks, we have done it all, and each experience has been awesome! This is a quality organization with super respectful, talented, and engaged trainers. Our dog Roux looks forward to her pack walk every day, and loves her training sessions. What else can dog owners ask for? It's truly is a great company!

It is hard to overstate how extraordinary Tobey Grey and Canine Comprehensive is. After an extensive search we began working with them about five years ago. Time after time they have proven to be gifted in handling our animals, reliable in a world where so much is uncertain, and completely trustworthy. Whether it is dog-training, walking, or housesitting, once you place your trust in Tobey and her staff, you will never have another concern about your pets. No finer trainer, no one lovelier to work with. Use them and relax--you have the best!

Tobey is the best!! Really knows her stuff and works with you to find the best training plan for your dogs needs. The whole team has been extremely accommodating and thoughtful.

TL;DR - You won't regret going with Tobey and Canine Comprehensive. She recognizes that dog training is not one-size-fits-all and that's key for success. For context, we adopted our dog Toro from Taiwan where he was raised by a factory for the first couple months of his life. When we got him, he was a bundle of joy but had a lot of anxiety issues. Online recommendations, friends, and family had different advice to give on how to train an anxious dog. They seemed to be conflicting advice at times. We needed someone to help train us to train or dog. My partner and I decide to go with Canine Comprehensive based off of a friend's positive experience with them. After the initial consult, we decided to go with the 7 session training package. What I love most about Tobey is her passion, empathy, and willingness to meet your dog where they're at. Meaning, these 7 sessions weren't rigid in terms of training. There were some weeks where we did some more advanced training and others where we needed to dial it back a bit. Even after the initial consult, we saw major change with Toro. Throughout each training session thereafter, she would teach us techniques to work with Toro and build up his confidence and foundation. She even does great sessions over Zoom. We're still building up Toro's confidence and foundation each day (it'll be an ongoing journey with him) but we couldn't have done it without Tobey. He's grown so much since our time with her. One last thing: It's important to note that for successful dog training, you need to not only train your dog, but train yourselves as well. So for my partner and I, this meant understanding to read Toro and his behaviors and learning how to train him on our own. Tobey will teach you how to fish, not solely give you fish.

i've had Canine Comprehensive take my dog Sophie on pack walks for over two years and could not be happier! Tobey and her team are such dog loving professionals. I have also had training sessions to better manager foster dogs and have had one of their dogsitters stay at mine during a business trip. Would recommend for anyone looking for walks, training or sitting. PS: my dog is the smiley bull terrier in the middle - I would say she's happy with her pack pals!

Tobey is amazing! Professional, knowledgeable and fantastic with dogs and their people. She has been invaluable to our family as a first time dog owner and has helped Milo (our rescue pit bull) to learn some amazing skills. We have been truly thankful that she was recommended to us when he was a puppy. Thanks Tobey!

Tobey is an amazing partner in helping your dog along to their best doggie self. We recommend her highly. …

I am so impressed with the training and overall pet care that I've received from Tobey. Four months ago, I adopted Moose, a 3 year old large yellow lab and realized pretty soon after that I would need some help in training him. I could not have been happier with the results that Moose and I attained in working with Tobey and her customized training package for us. He was initially very anxious and leash reactive and now he has settled in so well. My friends and family and even my vet (who was so impressed that in our last visit asked for the name and contact of my trainer) comment on how much better he is with his calmer energy. Tobey has such a special way with dogs, it was obvious right away that this is what she is meant to do. Just as important for me is that she is great with people. She is amazing in how she worked with me; providing feedback and education in a very positive and encouraging way. I really can't say enough about how happy I am with this training with Tobey. I have also used their pet sitting services twice and was really happy with this experience. Very professional with a meet and greet with the dog sitter Joanna, Tobey, Moose, and myself at my house to go over the routine before I left. Joanna took great care of Moose and I loved getting the daily pictures with updates and coming home to a cute card with a short overview of their time together. I know they also do dog walking services and am looking into getting Moose set up with that in the next few months. Overall, highly recommend!