Biography
For more than two decades, Nicole Skeehan has helped families, shelters, and animal welfare organizations navigate some of the most complex behavior challenges dogs can present. Known for her practical, compassionate approach to behavior modification, Nicole specializes in aggression, family safety, shelter behavior, and helping owners make informed decisions about challenging canine behavior.
In recent years, Nicole has developed a particular expertise in counseling families as they prepare to welcome a new baby. She helps parents understand what behaviors are normal, what may indicate a safety concern, and how to create realistic management and training plans that support both children and dogs. Her goal is to help families navigate this major life transition safely and confidently while preserving the human-animal bond whenever possible.
Nicole is also frequently consulted by families facing difficult decisions about a dog’s future. Drawing on more than twenty years of experience in behavior modification, shelter behavior, and risk assessment, she helps owners evaluate behavior concerns through a practical and compassionate lens. Her consultations often include discussions about bite history, safety planning, quality of life, behavior modification options, and the realities of living with a challenging dog. Whether a family is considering long-term management, rehoming, or behavioral euthanasia, Nicole’s goal is to provide honest, judgment-free guidance that helps owners make informed decisions for both their family and their dog.
As the founder and owner of Philly Unleashed, Nicole balances behavior consultations with leading the company’s operations and training programs. She works closely with the Philly Unleashed team to mentor trainers, develop services, and ensure families throughout the Philadelphia region receive practical, effective support tailored to their individual needs.
Prior to founding Philly Unleashed, Nicole held leadership roles with several prominent animal welfare organizations, including the Pennsylvania SPCA, Animal Friends, and New Leash on Life USA. She also taught the Shelter Behavior Residency Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine for ten years and remains active in animal welfare as a consultant to shelters and rescue organizations.
Nicole is the author of The Kid Your Dog Didn’t Ask For and The Teaching Dog: Partnering with Dogs for Instruction, Socialization, and Demonstration in Your Training Practice. She is a sought-after speaker and educator whose work has been featured by organizations and media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Dodo, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and Animal Cops: Philadelphia.
Nicole lives on a small farm in South Jersey with her husband, son, Labradors Triceratops and T-Rex, and a menagerie of horses, donkeys, goats, cattle, chickens, and other farm animals. When she’s not working, Nicole can usually be found tending the farm, enjoying a martini, or training and competing in dressage with her Norwegian Fjord horse, Hilde, and her Oldenburg, Delaney—sometimes all at once, because moderation has never been her strong suit.
