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Terms & Conditions

Here you will find our general terms and conditions.

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There are additional T&Cs for:

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Reactivity Training Walks 

Separation Anxiety training

Dog Walking Service

Dog Disposition and Health

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  • Dogs with a bite history are not accepted for in-person training. These dogs will require referral to a clinical animal behaviourist due to their complex emotional needs. Please visit https://www.apbc.org.uk/find-an-apbc-member/

  • If you have a nervous dog who shows aggression towards people, please contact us to discuss before booking.

  • Bitches in season will not be worked with in public places.

  • Please do not come to a session if your dog is unwell or contagious.

  • Please make us aware of any current or previous health conditions / mobility issues at the time of booking

 

Training Methods

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  • Dogs will be required to remain on lead at all times during in-person training sessions (unless specified otherwise by your trainer).

  • Positive, force- and fear-free methods only will be used. A rewards-based training approach is used for all exercises. No aversive training methods will be tolerated (eg slip leads, choke chains, sprays, verbal or physical abuse of the animal). Aversive training methods are any which cause fear, intimidation, discomfort or anxiety to the dog.

  • Please ensure that you come to training with a fixed length lead and your dog wearing a flat collar or back fastening harness (no retractable leads). In the event of using a long line, your dog must be wearing a back fastening harness to attach it to, to avoid neck and throat injury.

  • Please ensure that you bring plenty of your own treats to feed to your dog during your training sessions, these may require several different ‘values’ of treats depending on the activities involved

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Venues and Sessions

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  • Venues are booked by the trainer. 1:1s are held at Hannington Village Hall, Reactivity Training Walks can be held from client home locations (within Swindon, UK) or at Lydiard Park

  • Lydiard Park incurs parking charges, there is coin and card payment options, please see this link for current parking conditions:  https://www.swindon.gov.uk/directory_record/22947/lydiard_country_park 

  • Please ensure that you are on time for your sessions as they are booked back-to-back with other clients so there is no time to overrun at the end

 

Payment and Cancellations:

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  • Payment for services is due, in full, at the time of booking to secure your chosen service, times and dates. Sessions will not be reserved to await payment. Service fees are not negotiable.

  • Cancellations or rescheduling requests for any sessions require a minimum of 7 working days notice. Any cancellation or rescheduling request within the 7 working day notice period will result in forfeiture of that booked session and no refund or reschedule will be given.

  • Please understand that this is a small business and cancellation of sessions at short notice results in us being unable to re-fill that training space and significant loss of income.

  • You are free to terminate training at any time, however refunds cannot be given once a training plan has been started.

  • Rescheduling a session will be permitted outside of the 7 working day notice period and a mutually convenient time for the replacement session will be sought. A maximum of 1 rescheduled session will be permitted in any set training plan as each replacement session affects availability for other clients and usually results in a loss of income and venue expenditure. Any further reschedule requests will be denied and the inconvenient session forfeited.

  • Please ensure that you are able to commit to all your chosen sessions at the time of booking.

 

Cancellations by us

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  • In the very rare event of Bespoke Behaviours needing to reschedule a session due to unforeseen circumstances such as staff sickness, extreme weather, power cuts, pandemics etc, a replacement session will be provided to you at the earliest, mutually convenient opportunity.

 

Marketing

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  • Any photographs, videos, recordings or other media content taken during any sessions, will be obtained with the full knowledge and clear consent of the participants. If you do not wish for media content of you and / or your dog to be used on our website, social media or other promotional sources, please make this clear at the start of the activity.

  • Media content becomes the intellectual property of Bespoke Behaviours for marketing use. You will not be paid or reimbursed for media content used.  It will not be used in any manner which could be reasonably considered to be offensive or derogatory.

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Disclaimer

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  • Bespoke Behaviours accepts no responsibility for misinterpretation of advice or for any detrimental effects as a result of incorrectly applied training. There are numerous external factors which influence the behaviour of a dog and we cannot guarantee our training advice will be effective without controlling for all of these factors. We will do our best to ensure that you have an awareness of external factors so that you can learn how to handle many potential situations.

  • Dogs are sentient beings and their behaviours are affected by everything from their genetics, gestation period, maternal care at birth, early life experiences, social exposure, living environments, learned behaviours, environmental triggers and associations etc through to breed traits and individual ‘quirks’. We can never guarantee any training will be 100% effective as all of these factors play a part in the learning style and capability of the individual dog. You can have two puppies from the same litter who are polar opposites in every way. We will help you to assess your dog and create realistic expectations of their strengths and limitations and how to work to enhance these to their optimal levels whilst staying compassionate, patient and emotionally connected to your pet.

  • It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of people and other animals with regards to behaviours from your dog. We will provide safety advice and suggestions, it is your responsibility to action these. We accept no responsibility for behaviours outside of our training session and we will terminate a programme of support with clients who do not follow safety advice during training sessions, including providing and using appropriate equipment. No refund will be provided for unused sessions in this circumstance

  • Adults take full responsibility for the behaviour and conduct of any children attending sessions

  • Children are welcome when aged 9 years old + and are attentive, calm and quiet

  • Children who are distracting or disruptive to the dog's learning will be asked to leave and no refund will be given for the session

 

Duty of Care

 

Reactivity Training Walks

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  • Please always book a free consultation call to discuss your dog’s behaviours prior to booking the Reactivity Training Walks as some behaviours we can help with, others we would refer to other specialised professionals.

  • These training walks utilise the principles of gradual desensitisation and counter conditioning. They are suitable only for dogs who have a general aggressive / fearful reaction towards unfamiliar dogs on walks. Reactivity training walks are not suitable for dogs who have any bite history or are having a problem with aggression towards specific, familiar dogs.

  • These training walks will be done either through meeting on your local walk (within Swindon) or at a public park such as Lydiard Park.

  • The cost of the session includes a 60 minute, 1:1 training walk plus all associated business costs – travel time, fuel etc.

  • Handler – we will require the person who walks the dog the most often to attend the sessions, ideally, all the people who have responsibility for walking the dog will attend, as consistency is key to your dog’s training and progression.

  • In the event of adverse weather conditions (very heavy rain, heavy snow, heatwaves etc), a rescheduled session will be offered.

  • A full and honest history of a dog’s behaviours is required in the consultation to ensure that your dog is getting the level of support that they need. In the event of an owner failing to disclose relevant information which alters the risk that the dog may pose to others (people or animals), training will be terminated and no refund offered.

  • If, after the first training walk and a full and honest disclosure from the owner during consultation, the dog is assessed as requiring more specialised support from a canine behaviourist, referral details will be given and refund of any following booked sessions will be supplied.

Separation Anxiety Training

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  • Training sessions timing is booked in UK, GMT 

  • SA training is done entirely online so that the dog’s behaviours can be monitored remotely whilst the owner briefly leaves the premises. This requires you to set up cameras to be used to live stream during training sessions and to record sessions you in your own time. Trainer access will be required to be able to see via the cameras during live sessions and recordings will need to be sent to us to be reviewed and stored for the provision of your training plans.

  • Please ensure that the live training sessions are booked for times when there will be the least household disruption. Please also be aware of anything incidental that could be in the background of the setup and visible / audible to the trainer which may compromise your privacy or cause disruption or embarrassment.

  • SA training includes up to 4 recording reviews and new plans in addition to your live training session  each week. This is based on submission of recordings and app updates by the client as to the progress of each session. Any unused reviews or plans will be forfeited. You will not be chased for submissions.

  • No recordings or plans will be reviewed or provided on the trainer’s 2 days off work per week or if they go on annual leave. You will be advised of their days off in your consultation session. In the event of annual leave, the trainer will endeavour to provide training plans in advance to cover their leave period.

  • SA training can be a slow process and requires dedicated owner training 4-5 times per week. It also requires that the dog is not left alone (without a human) at any time during the training period. Please understand at the time of booking that, as with any dog training and behavioural problems, this programme will require significant owner commitment.

   Dog Walking Service:

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  • The client’s dog will be walked locally, starting and ending at the home address.

  • The client’s dog will be walked on a 1:1 basis (unless the client has requested a second resident dog to be walked at the same time. No more than two cohabiting dogs will be walked at once).

  • The dog walking time will include kitting up and returning the dog to the home.

  • The dog will be walked using only kind and gentle handling methods and equipment.

  • The client is responsible for ensuring that their dog is fit and healthy for the walk. Any injury or illness must be reported to Bespoke Behaviours as early as possible prior to the walk.

  • The dog is microchipped and vaccinated.

  • The client agrees to notify Bespoke Behaviours if their dog is in season.

  • Any aggressive behaviours demonstrated by the dog, or involvement in aggressive incidents, will be disclosed in full by the client to Bespoke Behaviours as soon as is practicable after the incident.

  • The client is solely responsible for any and all harm or damage caused by their dog while it is under the care of Bespoke Behaviours, and agrees to indemnify Bespoke Behaviours in full against any liability arising from such harm or damage to third parties.

  • If the weather is bad (too hot / wet or icy underfoot), suitable alternative enrichment activities will be offered at the home address.

  • Water will be carried by the walker for the dog in warm weather.

  • Treats will be provided by Bespoke Behaviours (if permitted). Alternatively, the client will provide treats.

  • If the dog becomes wet or muddy, they will be towel dried before replacing within the home. The client is to please leave a towel at the point of access to the home.

  • The dog will be kept securely on a lead / long line at all times during their walk.

  • House keys will be provided by the client (where necessary) and will be stored securely by Bespoke Behaviours and returned to the client on any final visit.

  • The client provides a suitable harness, flat collar, ID tag (and clothing / muzzle / headcollar – if applicable) for their dog. No responsibility will be taken by Bespoke Behaviours for damage incurred to these items.  Spare leads will always be carried by staff members in case of emergency use.

  • The client provides permission for Bespoke Behaviours to access the home to collect and return the dog. No liability will be taken by Bespoke Behaviours for any loss or damage to the property or contents.

  • Walks are to be invoiced and paid for in advance.

  • The client provides 48 hours notice of any need to cancel a walk. With a minimum of 48 hours notice, the payment will roll over to the next walk. Cancellation at less than 48 hours notice will regrettably incur loss of the payment for that session.

  • In the rare event that Bespoke Behaviours need to cancel a walk, as much notice as possible will be given and an alternative time and date will be offered.

  • The client is responsible for the full cost of any emergency treatment of any injuries or illness that their dog receives whilst under the care of Bespoke Behaviours, together with any associated costs (eg call out charges).  The client authorises Bespoke Behaviours staff to seek such veterinary advice and / or treatment as they deem necessary; where possible this will be carried out by the client’s vet but this cannot be guaranteed and the client accepts that Bespoke Behaviours may use any registered vet. The client agrees to pay all such costs immediately upon collection of their dog, or by agreement with the proprietor.

  • Photographs, videos and bodycam footage may be recorded by Bespoke Behaviours to provide to the client and for evidential use in case of an incident. The media remains the property of Bespoke Behaviours. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the client consents to photographs and video of their dog on walks being used for marketing purposes by Bespoke Behaviours.

  • Biodegradable poo bags are provided by Bespoke Behaviours and disposed of responsibly.

  • In all cases, Bespoke Behaviours will endeavour to provide the utmost service to clients, protecting the mental and physical welfare of the dog and their property.

  • Unless instigated by a breach of terms / conditions (in which case services can be cancelled with immediate notice from either party), a notice period of one week will be given to cancel regular dog walking services.

  • Bespoke Behaviours staff are each fully insured for dog walking and will hold a current DBS check and canine first aid certificate.

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