The Pet Professor

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The Pet Professor

Dr. Nettle has 10+ years of experience in the animal behavior field. She understands the joys and frustrations of living with pets with behavior problems.
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She looks forward to working with you and your cat or dog towards a safer and happier relationship. Dr. Leah Nettle earned her PhD. in Biology from SUNY Binghamton University focusing on animal behavior, ecology and evolution. She studied the vocal communication of American Crows deciphering the contexts and functions of two crow calls. Prior to Binghamton University, Dr. Nettle worked in a compan

ion animal veterinary clinic as a veterinary assistant. From 2014 until 2018, she worked with and learned from a leading expert in the fields of animal shelter and companion animal behavior, attending to a variety of cat and dog behavior problems at appointments in the clients’ homes and in an office setting. She has also taught college-level classes on animal behavior, evolution and introductory biology. Dr. Nettle currently co-teaches online courses on shelter animal behavior for the University of Florida and lecture together internationally on the subject. Dr. Nettle also sees appointments and teaches classes for dogs and cats with behavior problems in Western New York. Dr. Nettle is a certified Family Dog Mediator, having completed the L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation course. She can help you bridge the gap between understanding the science behind your dog's behavior and how to live with them using practical solutions. Dr. Nettle is also a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator with expertise on incorporating the family dog in preparing families for a new baby, and then for toddlerhood. She is a certified dog parkour instructor with the International Dog Parkour Association and her dog, Zinnia, has multiple dog parkour titles. Additionally, she is a certified AKC CGC and Trick Dog evaluator. Dr. Nettle is also canine and feline CPR certified through Pet Emergency Education, LLC. She is ultimately working towards becoming a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society. Dr. Nettle is excited to utilize her years of education and experience in animal behavior and to continue working with the dogs and cats (and most importantly, humans) of Western New York! In her free time, Dr. Nettle loves yoga, gardening, hiking and spending time with her husband, sons, dog and cat.

01/12/2024

New Year's Resoultion: work on your dog's reactivity

Have you been struggling with your dog's reactive behavior on leash this year? Tired of the lunging, barking, growling and in need to help? Join Leah on Sundays at 6:00pm starting January 5th for Reactive Rehab!

Register online at supernovadogs.com 🐾

25/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I am grateful for your support and for the relationships that I've made and sustained this year.

I'll be spending time with my family this week and won't be holding classes, lessons, or consultations until 12/2.
I will only be answering emergent calls, texts and emails.

Have a warm and relaxing holiday 🦃

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Grateful for my little hotdog 🌭 who can't help but make me smile 👻

01/10/2024

Congrats to our most recent reactive rehab grads!

🌟They are all super stars 🌟

We wish you the best - whether it be living it up on the couch or in one our upcoming sports classes. You now have the tools to keep on working towards a happier life. You got this! 🎉

(Not pictured: PUMBAA!)

24/09/2024

📣📣Scent students! 📣📣
Lori (Do Over Dog Training) is in need of trial volunteers! I'll be there Monday Sept 30th. Volunteering is a great way to learn how trials run and to see advanced scent work in action.
She's specifically looking for Sept 29/30 but volunteering at any trial would be super helpful!

https://www.dooverdogtraining.com/trials
Each trial has a spot to sign-up to volunteer.

Do Over Dog Training supports the local Nose Work community by hosting both NACSW trials and ORTs.

21/09/2024

They did it! Woo hoo! 🎉

We are beyond proud of our scent work teams for completing their ORT or adding on some legs towards completion.

Team Daisy ✅✅✅ (passed all three on her first try, got her ORT)
Team Luna ✅✅✅ (passed birch today, got her ORT)
Team Hera ✅✅✅ (passed anise today, got her ORT)
Team Frankie ✅✅ (added anise today)
Team Vandal ✅✅ (added anise today)
Team Harley ✅✅ (passed birch and anise today)

Best of all they had fun and spent quality time with their dogs- look at all of those happy faces! 😀

Thanks to for most of the photos 📸

16/09/2024

What a wonderful job these pups and their humans did in their adolescent a*hole class! They took their lessons to heart and all improved in 4 short weeks. Hooray for Mia, Olive, Ringo, and Korra!

Mia is an adoptable dog through - she's a stunning dog who loves to work for food! Reach out to the rescue for more info on this special girl.

Our next Adolescent A*hole class starts next week on Thursday Sept 26 at 5pm. You can register at supernovadogs.com.

10/09/2024

EMERGENCY!!! These 8 three-week-old French Bulldog puppies were stolen during a home invasion on Lasalle Avenue in Buffalo today. The puppies' mother was stolen also but jumped out of one of the invader's arms in the yard when they were returning to their white van that had its' license plate taken off. These puppies will NOT have long to live.

The invaders will end up with 8 dead puppies, serious felony charges, and no money. We will follow any and all leads to hold these perpetrators accountable... UNLESS...
These puppies are returned. If they are, we PROMISE
1. A reward of $1,000
2. NO Questions asked.
3. No police contact whatsoever.

If they are NOT returned, we offer $1,000 to any information that will lead to the arrest of the burglars.

It's that simple.
These puppies are on borrowed time and I want all of Buffalo to know we are looking for them. Please share to media so that these puppies have a chance of returning home.

28/08/2024

There are a couple of spots left in this Saturday's barkour walk at Niawanda Park.
Snag a spot while you still can!

Register here: https://www.supernovadogs.com/upcoming-classes-registration

13/08/2024

Chelsea is the best!

22/07/2024

We still have a few spots left in our barkour adventure walk this Saturday 7/27 at 9:30 in the Outer Harbor.

Come explore Gallagher Beach and Buffalo Harbor State park with your two and four-legged friends!

Register at supernovadogs.com/upcoming-classes-registration

Reach out with any questions!

18/06/2024

I spend so much time working with people and their reactive or aggressive dogs, learning how to help them and work with them, but I also try to show people with NON reactive dogs learn how they can help them too. I have both kinds, dogs who take things too personally (like eye contact from 100 yards away - ahem, Aslan) and dogs who think everyone needs a hug and a slobber (ahem, Andy). I truly believe if we work together as a collaborative society of dog lovers we can help every dog live their best life. Here are some things I try to teach every human and dog team, and I’ve actually found these are good preventative tools too.

1. Stop letting your dog have on leash greetings with other dogs. Even if they are friendly. Teach your dog when they are on leash you are the best thing they can focus on! This will minimize their conditioned excitement every time they see another dog and help them not pull, lunge or move towards a reactive dog who doesn’t want an interaction. Also, the more you do let your dog meet dogs on leash, the more frustrated and aroused your dog can get when they see them and then reactivity can develop. NO leash greetings all around is a much healthier way to teach your dog(s) that the world out there is great but you’re even better to focus on!

2. Silence your dogs tags. I started doing this a few years ago when we started camping. I realized that the jingling of my dogs tags walking was a huge trigger for many of the dogs in their campsite, and as a result, they would bark and scream profanity at my dogs walking. This made their walk stressful too. By minimizing the noise, I’ve greatly improved my dogs walks and I know I’ve also helped a lot of reactive dogs not get triggered for the umpteenth time that day.

3. Work on a bombproof recall. And then work on it some more. And then some more.

4. Only let your dog off leash in places that are allowed. Even if you think no one is there. Even if it’s just for a second. Just. Don’t. Do it. It’s not fair and it sets so many dogs and humans up to fail. Want a place to let your dog run? Look at Sniffspot.com

5. Respect muzzles, give me space vests, and people saying “no” It is super hard to take a reactive dog out in public and have confidence. The more we give space and respect the better these teams will do! Don’t make judgements or stare or insist on saying hello because you hope to be the exception. Just tell them they are doing a great job and keep going.

6. Don’t let your dog stare. This is a BIG one we work on in all our classes. We teach humans how to position their dogs so they don’t stare at other dogs. I work hard on teaching my dogs to not stare at other dogs on leash and you can too. This is more subtle than not leash greeting but it can be just as helpful. Teach your dog to acknowledge there’s a dog there, but then move on, or turn around and not face them. For many reactive dogs there is nothing more triggering than a goofy adolescent dog staring at them across the road. I swear they scream back “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!”

7. Confine and safely manage your dog in the car. Dogs hanging out of windows, barking and lunging in the backseat, or moving back and forth in the car are problematic because 1. It’s not safe and 2. It’s teaching THEM terrible behavior and 3. It’s very stressful for reactive dogs trying to walk down the road. My dogs are crated in the car; or tethered or use a calming cap to reduce their own stress and the stress of dogs that may walk past.

8. Offer to help. Ask the person what you can do to make it easier or help them? More space? Or moving back and forth? Or just continuing on your way. Some people struggle to find others with NON reactive dogs to practice with, so having help makes a big difference. Speak up if you see someone putting them down. Warn someone with an off leash dog that there’s a dog there that needs space. Help them the same at YOU would like it if it was you and your dog.

Reactive dogs are not broken: and they aren’t abnormal either. Reactivity honestly is now becoming more normal than NON reactive dogs, so we have to all work through this together. And it boils down to respect, understanding, courtesy and lots of reward based training.

We can do it gang.

-Helen St. Pierre

17/06/2024

Our weekend and barkour walk season was off to a great start on Saturday! Six dogs, their people, and I headed out to Walton Woods to play some parkour and enjoy the company of friends.

Outer Harbor is up next on July 27! Will you join us? SUPERNOVADOGS.com for more info and to register!

08/06/2024

Congrats to all our sniffing teams tonight on crushing their first ORT and nose work trial experience! Team Luna, Team Hera, Team Vandal and Team Frankie all scored at least one leg towards their odor recognition test. Team Rhody passed all three odors and got his ORT! So proud of everyone for getting out there and having fun with their dogs 🐾

01/06/2024

We are collaborating with Kat Colony to offer a low cost spay/neuter clinic at our resource center…..

Niagara County and Southern Erie County residents were has some good news….. as our original clinic filled up quickly we were able to secure another date for a second clinic. Buffalo C.A.R.E.S Animal Rescue has graciously offered their assistance and resource center to hold this and future clinic ❤️ Together we will be able to help so many community members get the pets spayed/neutered.
These clinics are for owned cats. We will be opening up spots for dogs in the future, please be patient and we find our comfort zone with holding these clinics. As there are limited spots available you are required to register and prepay. This clinic will be he’s on Saturday June 29, 2024 location is 2565 Elmwood Ave, Kenmore NY. (Buffalo CARES Resource Center)
Please remember when calling we are all volunteers if unable to answer please leave a message and/or text. Someone will get back to you.

04/05/2024

Does your dog bark, lunge, or growl at other dogs or people while on leash? This behavior can be challenging, frustrating, and even embarrassing for us humans. For your dog, it is a sign that they are having a hard time emotionally. Our Reactive Rehab class can help!

New sessions are available on Sundays at 5:00pm and Thursdays at 8:00pm. Register online at supernovadogs.com 🐾

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We still have a few spots left in our barkour adventure walk this Saturday 7/27 at 9:30 in the Outer Harbor. Come explore Gallagher Beach and Buffalo Harbor State park with your two and four-legged friends! Register at supernovadogs.com/upcoming-classes-registration Reach out with any questions!

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Leah Nettle PhD

Dr. Leah Nettle earned her PhD. in Biology from SUNY Binghamton University focusing on animal behavior, ecology and evolution. She studied the vocal communication of American Crows deciphering the contexts and functions of two crow calls.

Prior to Binghamton University, Dr. Nettle worked in a companion animal veterinary clinic as a veterinary assistant. From 2014 until 2018, she worked with and learned from Dr. Amy Marder, CAAB, a leading expert in the fields of animal shelter and companion animal behavior, attending to a variety of cat and dog behavior problems at appointments in the clients’ homes and in an office setting. She has also taught college-level classes on animal behavior, evolution and introductory biology.

Dr. Nettle currently co-teaches an online course on shelter animal behavior for the University of Florida with Dr. Marder. She also teaches dog classes and sees appointments for dogs and cats with behavior problems in Buffalo, NY.

Dr. Nettle is a certified AKC CGC and Trick Dog evaluator and she is currently enrolled in the Family Paws Foundation Course to become a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator (https://www.familypaws.com/dog-education-for-families-with-dogs/). She is ultimately working towards becoming a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist through the Animal Behavior Society (http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/applied-behavior-caab.php).