1) Mark Spivak- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Inc. – Best Overall Dog Trainer
No dog trainer in Atlanta matches Mark’s background of competition training, pet dog training, behavior modification experience, education, and canine neuroscience research. Mark has won multiple titles in AKC obedience, ASCA obedience, and Schutzhund, where he won a regional title and was a national level competitor. He has also coached many Atlanta students to high-level obedience competition titles, as well as titles in conformation, rally, agility, tracking, and schutzhund. He has either trained or directed the training of over 50,000 dogs- and over 50 cats. Mark is well known for his knowledge and innovation in addressing a diverse array of behavior modification issues.
Moreover, he was one of the co-founders of the Emory University Canine Cognitive Neuroscience team that became the first research team to train dogs to take MRIs without the use of sedation or restraints. Subsequently, he has co-authored peer reviewed papers on canine cognition, delivered a worldwide webinar on canine neuroscience, spoken at major conferences, and filed a provisional patent for use of awake MRI for gustatory testing in the pet food industry. In addition, Mark has been a court approved expert witness in more than 25 civil and criminal cases around the country, where legal issues involved canine behavior or training. Certainly, Mark’s resume is unmatched in the Atlanta area, which makes him Atlanta’s top overall dog trainer.
2) Patricia King- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Best Service Dog Trainer
Patricia has trained pets professionally for over 20 years and trained service animals for over 14 years. She has achieved a competition title with her Labrador Retriever, Bailey and trained thousands of pets and pet owners in group class, private instruction, and board training. Nevertheless, Patricia is best known in Atlanta for her successes in the service dog field. For more than a decade Patricia has operated puppy raiser classes for the Atlanta chapter of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). Concurrently, Patricia has trained numerous service dogs for CPT. Patricia-trained dogs have successfully assisted clients suffering from a myriad of disabilities, including psychiatric, hearing, narcolepsy, autism, epilepsy, POTS, stroke, carotid dissection, Parkinson’s, paralysis, cognitive impairment, and brain injury. Furthermore, she continues to expand her education to improve her abilities to meet client needs. Patricia is undoubtedly Atlanta’s top service dog trainer.
3) Karen Smalley- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Inc.- Best Competition Dog Trainer
Karen has trained pet dogs for over 20 years, where she has an outstanding reputation. Yet, where she really stands out in Atlanta is in the competition training field. Karen has titled every dog she has ever owned as an adult, has multiple Utility Dog (UD) titles, the AKC’s highest level, and has achieved numerous blue ribbons with every dog at every level. Karen is also a phenomenal tricks and flyball trainer. Whereas few pet trainers also excel in the competition realm and few competition trainers also exhibit proficiency addressing pet problems and communicating with pet owners, Karen can do it all- and do it to the highest level! Her combination of excellence puts her atop the pedestal as Atlanta’s top competition dog trainer.
4) Lisa Carrol- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Inc.- Best Dog Trainer for Board Training
Lisa has trained dogs and horses as a hobbyist for close to 30 years and trained dogs professionally for over 20 years. She has titled dogs in AKC obedience, including winning a prestigious Dog World Award, and schutzhund, where she has won titles and placements. Lisa and her husband also trained a working police dog that seized over $500,000 in narcotics. Yet, nowadays, Lisa focuses on pet dog and service dog training for Atlanta clients. Her extensive experience, her exposure to world and national caliber trainers, her natural gifts for communicating with animals, and her charm when communicating with people enable Lisa to capably address the needs of any pet owner, any breed or temperament of dog, and any problem or goal. Lisa’s implements her dog training craft outside of Atlanta in the city of Cumming, where we believe she is the Atlanta area’s top dog trainer for board training services.
5) Alexandra (Alex) Collier- Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Inc.- Best Dog Trainer for Private Lessons
Alex has a degree in biology from UGA. After UGA she worked at the GA Aquarium in downtown Atlanta, where she became a certified aquarist. While at the Aquarium, Alex focused on developing and implementing conditioning and behavior shaping techniques that coaxed aquatic animals small and large, including manta rays and sharks, to cooperatively enter a water-sling and subsequently remain stationary for veterinary care. And if Alex can train a manta ray and shark to be friendly and cooperative it is no wonder that she is a master at training dogs. Alex’s forte is private instruction and in-home private instruction. Her combination of patience with dogs and people, human-dog and human-human communication skills, likeability, and talent make Alex Atlanta’s top private and in-home private dog trainer.
(Atlanta, GA)
(Sandy Springs, GA)
(Cumming, GA)
Unleash Your Pup’s Potential and Contact Us Today!
Love Meaghan our trainer. So much fun and we learned so much. Thank you Meaghan! And CPT!!!
read moreread less
rachel lichtenwalter
4/02/2024
Mark quickly zoned in on our issues and made great improvements with Pippa in just an hour. We will definitely be back for more lessons. It made such a difference already.
read moreread less
Jim Meade
3/26/2024
CPT has excellent dog training. Also has connections with individuals for boarding your dog in a family friendly and caring environment. Our dog goes to weekly training and we have boarded her when we go on trips. Highly rated.
read moreread less
Susan Frenzel
3/19/2024
Patricia was wonderful with our new rescue Lexi. She worked with us on how to greet people at the door since Lexi has issues with strangers. She also helped us significantly by modeling how to get Lexi walking on a leash without pulling. Patricia was very helpful. We look forward to doing more training.
read moreread less
Megaciph
3/19/2024
Comprehensive Pet Therapy is a wonderful place to train your furry friend. I have seen my pup grow into a confident happy dog from taking these group classes. The trainings are based in real world scenarios and group settings; so your pup gets to observe the other pups learning and being corrected. I highly recommend this service. A trained dog is a happy dog.... And makes a happy parent.
read moreread less
Ocie Anderson
3/16/2024
We’ve been using CPT in Sandy Springs and have seen great improvement in behavior and obedience. Our trainer Robin is fantastic and really takes individual time with pets and owners who need it. I highly recommend!
read moreread less
Veronica McDaniel
3/16/2024
Mark is incredible! He put our whole family’s minds at ease by giving simple Tricks for all aspects of our dogs bad and anxious behavior. This in turn calmed the 4 of us down so in a way he’s a family therapist too ;))) we really appreciate working with him in our home!! And I have loved our one on one trainings at the office. Very effective and very useful information and tips for our dog!! I’d recommend him to anyone!!
read moreread less
Jacque Moss
3/16/2024
We have taken classes here since 2015. Wonderful instructors and great classes!
read moreread less
Moni Patel
2/16/2024
The therapy dog class was great. Affordable and got me and my pup Sadie ready to take the therapy dog exam for a program. Melissa was very nice and helpful in showing us how to help our dogs with new behaviors. I would definitely recommend CPT for any dog looking for any type of training.
read moreread less
Bruce Leslie
2/16/2024
Professional and knowledgeable.
read moreread less
Anna Dancu
2/16/2024
Wonderful, experienced and caring instructors have made this experience joyful and fun. We are planning to take more classes this spring to get my puppy ready for therapy work.
read moreread less
John Fleming
2/16/2024
Great people and very on top of their business ...
read moreread less
Joseph Scibelli
1/16/2024
Mark Spivak is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced trainers and animal behaviorist, I had ever had the pleasure of working with. I retained Mark as an expert for a case involving a serve Pit Bull mauling. There were issues with the case regarding notice of the dogs' aggression and dangerous propensity because North Carolina requires that the owner of a non-dangerous breed (despite popular believe, in NC, Pit Bulls are not a dangerous breed) have notice that the animal is aggressive, dangerous, etc... When Mark got on the case, I knew we had a real shot. Mark thoroughly provided multiple peer-reviewed sources (so of which were his own), dived deep into the evidence, and provided an excellent and detailed expert report. The other side was getting prepared to offer my client little to nothing for arguably the worst day of her entire life. However, Mark and his expertise forced them to triple their last offer, getting my client a six-figure settlement. Mark is excellent to work with, he was timely, thorough, and credible. I hope that no one ever has to go through the horrible incident my client experienced. However, if I find myself in a situation where I am representing someone with a similar incident, Mark will be the first person I call.
read moreread less
Gill Carmody
12/16/2023
CPT is the absolute best when it comes to dog training. Mark was able to correct our dog’s unwanted behavior in just 2 lessons and it has made the world of difference. We highly recommend them for training, and for boarding if you need a trusted sitter.
read moreread less
Abby Carder
12/16/2023
CPT has been amazing with training our dog. They are very professional, helpful and our dog has learned so much! I highly recommend them.
read moreread less
Theresa berry
12/16/2023
Mark and his team are passionate about training each dog, assessing their individual needs and coming up with a strategy to meet training goals.
read moreread less
Nicole Highsmith
12/16/2023
Had a fantastic time with Marc and his good direction with my husband and myself on how to work with our dog who was reactive to other dogs. I didn’t think it was possible for our dog to be around other dogs, but after incorporating Marc’s techniques , we have found a new “leash” on life.
read moreread less
Joe Wilson
11/16/2023
Excellent professional guidance in training our 3y/o dog.
read moreread less
Penny Berk
11/16/2023
Melissa introduced my 10 month old puppy & me to Agility Training. Melissa was patient with the puppy’s attempts to master the exercises, and encouraged us to practice at home.
read moreread less
Jamel Rindik
10/16/2023
Comprehensive Pet Therapy has been and continues to be a wonderful program for our rescue dog, Louie. We started with in home training, then moved on to a board/train and now we are enrolled in behavioral classes at the facility. All of these things and every trainer has tremendously helped our dog. Not only with basic training, but working on his anxiety and becoming socialized around other dogs and groups of people. We are so thankful to have them as a resource and will continue to utilize the classes that they have available.
read moreread less
Andrew Persaud
10/16/2023
CPT (Comprehensive Pet Therapy) has been a great resource for my 9-month-old pup and myself. We utilized a couple in-home visits and are wrapping up a beginner obedience class. The staff we’ve primarily worked with (Meghan for on-site and Melissa for in-home) have been a wealth of knowledge, professional and fun! I continue to learn a lot from the lessons, advice and training in order to address behavioral issues and strengthen the relationship with my pup. I certainly have more work to do on my end but highly recommend, greatly appreciate and trust CPT as a resource.
read moreread less
L Taylor
10/16/2023
I can't say enough about CPT Trainer, Megan J., and how much she will always mean to my family. We had a family emergency and a new rescue in the family -- Sheila, as a less than 1 year old lab mix. Sheila is so sweet but had had no real training. I found CPT through a referral from our veterinarian and am so grateful that we were introduced to Megan. She was so calm and compassionate with Sheila when we introduced them and I knew this was going to be a great experience! Not only is Megan a miracle worker in 3 weeks, but she also was so kind and empathetic with our family emergency. I always think of Dogs being angels on Earth. Well, Megan is an angel too! Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving Sheila the tools to be a wonderful companion dog. So much love and gratitude to CPT and Megan!
read moreread less
Kelvo Devon
8/16/2023
Very warm and welcoming place for pets and owners, she really teaches with love and patience. Family atmosphere and you can really tell she cares. If your ever in town come check this place out.
read moreread less
Lindsay Crowe
7/16/2023
Ellie did an amazing job training my dog Lyla. I adopted lyla when she was 9 months old and she came with a lot of bad habits such as: jumping, barking, chewing up kid toys, pulling in the leash, etc. I finally decided to get her trained when she was 1.5 years old. Lyla stayed with Ellie for 17 days (I wish I would have done the full 21 days) and 95% of these issues are gone! I’m still working with lyla to reinforce everything she learned with Ellie, but I’m so happy! I also love that Ellie still provides support even though we are home now. I have texted Ellie a few times and she gives get feedback and is very encouraging!
read moreread less
Dr. Hudson Garrett Jr
6/16/2023
Megan Jefferson and CPT were recommended to me by a close friend and to say that Megan exceeded my expectations would be an understatement of a lifetime. She took a brand new, scared lab rescue to new heights in just three weeks. The transformation with my lab pup was truly remarkable. Not only was Megan extremely patient with our lab, but she developed a personalized training program around his needs. I couldn't believe my eyes when I picked up my pup at how big the change was. His confidence was difference, and he was freely interacting with the world around him for the first time without terrible fear. I cannot begin to thank Megan enough for what she has done for Kevin in giving him the confidence he needed to succeed. I will be eternally thankful :)