Animal Training Academy

Nicole Pfaller-Sadovsky, PhD Bio

As a long-time dog owner (since 1994) and a “Dog Trainer Certified According to Animal Welfare and Protection Legislation” (awarded by the Austrian Ministry of Health and the Messerli Research Institute, VetMed Vienna), Nicole founded her own dog training business in 2008, Happy-Fellow® Coaching & Seminars. Since then, she has worked with clients whose dogs display a wide range of problematic behaviours, such as fear-related behaviour, inter- and intraspecific aggression, or stereotypic behaviours. Additionally, to her work as a behaviourist, Nicole frequently teaches retrieving classes as a fun and stimulating activity for all dogs but also for dog-owner teams participating in retriever-specific competitions. Nicole holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Animal Behaviour from University of Portsmouth (UK) and a MSc degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Queen’s University Belfast (UK). In 2022, Nicole completed her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Behaviour Analysis at Queen’s University Belfast. Currently she conducts research on canine learning, human-dog interactions, and owner training from a behaviour-analytic perspective as a Visiting Scholar affiliated with Queen’s University Belfast.