Meet Your Trainer
|
Nicole Gianotto, VSA-CDT
Certified Professional Dog Trainer & Canine Behavior Consultant
Founder, Fancy Pawz Pet Sitting, LLC & K9 Learning Solutions, LLC
Originally from North Carolina, Nicole Gianotto relocated to New Jersey in 2009, where she worked in transportation safety consulting for several years before transitioning to her lifelong passion—working with animals.
Nicole’s professional experience began in the veterinary field as a receptionist and technician, where she developed a strong foundation in animal health, behavior, and client education. During this time, she rescued her pit bull, Storm, and a black cat, Binx. Over the past two decades, she has volunteered, fostered, and supported rescue organizations across several states, helping countless animals build trust, stability, and successfully transition into loving homes.
In 2022, Nicole founded Fancy Pawz Pet Sitting, LLC, combining years of hands-on experience with dogs, cats, and small animals with her commitment to compassionate, individualized care. Shortly after, she expanded into professional training and behavior consulting through K9 Learning Solutions, LLC after recognizing a critical gap in the largely unregulated dog training industry—the need for qualified professionals who truly understand canine behavior and the science behind it.
Through her extensive work with rescue dogs and complex behavioral cases, Nicole saw firsthand how aversive-based training methods often suppress behavior without addressing the underlying emotional state, increasing stress, confusion, and risk. These experiences helped shape her training philosophy, rooted in positive reinforcement, fear-free, science-based methods with a strong focus on understanding the “why” behind behavior.
For the past four years, Nicole has also served as a trainer, volunteer, and foster mom for Trina & Friends K9 Rescue, where she consults on behavioral cases, supports new adoptions, and helps foster families navigate decompression and transitional training needs. Her rescue work has provided extensive hands-on experience with fearful, undersocialized, and behaviorally complex dogs, further strengthening her understanding of canine behavior and individualized behavior support.
Nicole specializes in helping dogs and their families navigate fear, anxiety, reactivity, and environmental challenges by addressing emotional responses, communication, and learning history—not just obedience. She emphasizes practical, structured training plans that build confidence, clarity, and resilience for both dogs and their families.
Her work is also shaped by her own lifelong experiences with dogs she has loved and cared for, many of whom presented with complex behavioral challenges. These experiences deepened her interest in canine behavior, particularly in understanding fear, trauma-related responses, and the thoughtful problem-solving required to support lasting change.
A graduate of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior, Nicole is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT) and an active member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is committed to continuing education and professional development, actively pursuing advanced credentials and continually expanding her knowledge in canine behavior, learning theory, and animal welfare to provide ethical, effective, and up-to-date guidance.
Nicole is based in Columbus, New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, a retired police officer, their rescued dogs, and two beloved lovebirds. She proudly serves families throughout New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and New York.
Ready to get started?
Nicole offers personalized training, behavior consultations, and ongoing support designed to meet you and your dog where you are—every step of the way.
Certified Professional Dog Trainer & Canine Behavior Consultant
Founder, Fancy Pawz Pet Sitting, LLC & K9 Learning Solutions, LLC
Originally from North Carolina, Nicole Gianotto relocated to New Jersey in 2009, where she worked in transportation safety consulting for several years before transitioning to her lifelong passion—working with animals.
Nicole’s professional experience began in the veterinary field as a receptionist and technician, where she developed a strong foundation in animal health, behavior, and client education. During this time, she rescued her pit bull, Storm, and a black cat, Binx. Over the past two decades, she has volunteered, fostered, and supported rescue organizations across several states, helping countless animals build trust, stability, and successfully transition into loving homes.
In 2022, Nicole founded Fancy Pawz Pet Sitting, LLC, combining years of hands-on experience with dogs, cats, and small animals with her commitment to compassionate, individualized care. Shortly after, she expanded into professional training and behavior consulting through K9 Learning Solutions, LLC after recognizing a critical gap in the largely unregulated dog training industry—the need for qualified professionals who truly understand canine behavior and the science behind it.
Through her extensive work with rescue dogs and complex behavioral cases, Nicole saw firsthand how aversive-based training methods often suppress behavior without addressing the underlying emotional state, increasing stress, confusion, and risk. These experiences helped shape her training philosophy, rooted in positive reinforcement, fear-free, science-based methods with a strong focus on understanding the “why” behind behavior.
For the past four years, Nicole has also served as a trainer, volunteer, and foster mom for Trina & Friends K9 Rescue, where she consults on behavioral cases, supports new adoptions, and helps foster families navigate decompression and transitional training needs. Her rescue work has provided extensive hands-on experience with fearful, undersocialized, and behaviorally complex dogs, further strengthening her understanding of canine behavior and individualized behavior support.
Nicole specializes in helping dogs and their families navigate fear, anxiety, reactivity, and environmental challenges by addressing emotional responses, communication, and learning history—not just obedience. She emphasizes practical, structured training plans that build confidence, clarity, and resilience for both dogs and their families.
Her work is also shaped by her own lifelong experiences with dogs she has loved and cared for, many of whom presented with complex behavioral challenges. These experiences deepened her interest in canine behavior, particularly in understanding fear, trauma-related responses, and the thoughtful problem-solving required to support lasting change.
A graduate of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior, Nicole is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT) and an active member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is committed to continuing education and professional development, actively pursuing advanced credentials and continually expanding her knowledge in canine behavior, learning theory, and animal welfare to provide ethical, effective, and up-to-date guidance.
Nicole is based in Columbus, New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, a retired police officer, their rescued dogs, and two beloved lovebirds. She proudly serves families throughout New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and New York.
Ready to get started?
Nicole offers personalized training, behavior consultations, and ongoing support designed to meet you and your dog where you are—every step of the way.
Certifications and Continued Education
|
|