Service Policies

Contents

New Clients
Booking Limitations
Registration
Cancellation and Refunds
Rescheduling
Bite History
Unsuitable Dogs for Classes or Day Training Services
Methods
Equipment
Client’s Rights
Service Acknowledgement
Photos and Videos

New Clients

Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to fully understand and change behavior within one assessment. This is the reason why we require all new clients to purchase not only an assessment but also one private training session, The Growly Dog Course, or The Ready Pup Package. Ruff to Ready Dog Trainers will partner with a limited number of clients to ensure good quality training and their clients’ future success.

Booking Limitations

All private sessions must be scheduled within 365 days from the date of purchase. All course material must be reviewed within 1 year of the purchase.

Registration

Upon booking the initial assessment, a non-refundable deposit for the Growly Dog Course and the Ready Pup Package must be made in full to reserve your assessment date/time.

Upon booking, payment must be made in full for the Dog Training Private Sessions in order to reserve your date/time.

The registration form must be filled out including a full history of your dog, as well as your contact information. Depending on the service, you may receive additional service agreements and/or release of liability forms.

Payment must be made during registration process in the form of credit or debit card. NSF payments are subject to a $35 dollar fee.

Cancellation and Refunds

24 hour notice is required to cancel Private Sessions or your session is forfeited. All cancellations are subject to a $20 cancellation fee. Refunds are subject to a $20 service fee.

Deposits for the Growly Dog Course and Ready Pup Package are non-refundable.

Rescheduling

Reschedules can be made up to two times. After two rescheduled sessions, your session is forfeited.

Bite History

Bite history must be disclosed at time of registration. If there are any questions about what constitutes a bite, please contact Ruff to Ready Dog Training.

Unsuitable Dogs for Classes or Day Training Services

Ruff to Ready reserves the right, in the name of safety for everyone, to decide that group classes or day training services are not a fit for your dog if their behavior is not healthy for them or productive for the environment. If this is the case, we will make arrangements for private training and apply a credit towards such from the initial payment made for the class.

Methods

“Many methods of changing behavior in dogs are effective; however, the evidence-based veterinarian or behavior consultant should be concerned not just with what is effective but what does the least harm and produces the best long-term results.”

American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, Position Statement on Humane Dog Training

Behavior modification and training is complex and we utilize a number of different techniques and methods in order to find what works best for you and your dog. We believe in the AVSAB position statement, and we believe animals should not be trained by the use of fear. “Fear” is determined by the body language of the dog and the reaction of the dog. Dogs do not functionally learn if they are under a large amount of stress, especially for a long period of time. Due to this concern, Ruff to Ready Dog Training reserves the right to refer out to a virtual trainer for safety and comfort level of all parties involved. The safety of all animals and humans will always be our number one priority. Due to working on a variety of cases that may be a higher risk than others, Ruff to Ready believes and practices the CCPDT Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. If you have questions about your particular situation, please call or text us. We are happy to discuss any questions, concerns, or frustrations you may be experiencing with your dog’s behavior.

Equipment

Ruff to Ready Dog Training has the right to refuse to work with certain equipment. We believe in the ASVAB position statement, and utilize LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) training and behavior work.

Due to the severity and safety of the public, it would be extremely rare for us to use positive punishment methods such as shock, prong, or choke collars. We have not needed to use these within our training thus far, and do not believe the animal should be punished while showing signs of fear or high states of stress. We will be realistic with expectations within the resources we have available, and we will not use punishment to increase our expectation of time for the animal to learn faster.

Client’s Rights

The client has the right to refuse any part of the functional assessment, training class, and/or behavior change program including any training exercises they feel are inappropriate. It is recommended that the client openly communicates any questions or concerns with Ruff to Ready Dog Training about the behavior change or training program. The client has the right to ask further questions and be clear on all relevant details before consenting to the consulting relationship.

Service Acknowledgement

There are no guarantees with behavior. True behavior change takes time, consistency, and a proactive approach. We use food almost exclusively in behavior modification with animals because it is documented as the most effective and humane method. Safety is our priority for all animals and humans. Ruff to Ready Dog Training believes in order for true behavior change to occur, the welfare of all animals and humans must come before training skills (unless these are emergency skills implemented). We may refer you to see:

• Your veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist depending on the severity of the case. 
• Virtual trainer for safety and comfort level of all parties involved. 
• Another local trainer who may be a better fit for your case, depending on their specialty and fit for your case. See our philosophy on training methods and working with other trainers.

Photos and Videos

Ruff to Ready Dog Training often takes photos and video and may choose to post on social media. You must notify us at the time of registration if you do not want photos and video shared.