By making a booking with DogWorks, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and fully accept the Terms and Conditions, as detailed below

Bookings for Courses, 1-2-1s, & Behavioural Work

• Bookings only occur once DogWorks has received full payment and not on receipt of the application form alone.

• You will be emailed confirmation of your booking. This will confirm receipt of payment, dates, and give other information pertinent to your booking.

• It is the client’s responsibility to ensure they attend on the correct date, time, and place, according to the tutor’s instructions.

• Booking confirms your attendance. If you are unable to attend a session, please let your tutor know as soon as possible.

  Fees and Prices for Courses, 1-2-1s & Behavioural Work

• The full fee must be paid in advance. Failure to pay in a timely fashion may result in your place on a course being given to another client or the agreed time of a behavioural consult being assigned to someone else.

• Price advertised at time of booking applies.

  Vaccinations for Courses

• Puppies attending Puppy Preschool must have received their 1st vaccination at least 7 full days before attending class.

• Puppies attending Puppy Preschool which have not received their 2nd vaccination, must be carried into/out of the training premises.

• Puppies attending the Puppy Foundation Award classes must have received their 1st vaccination at least 7 full days before attending class.

• All older dogs must have been vaccinated in their lifetime. (NB: We do not require annual booster vaccinations.)

• ‘Vaccination’ here refers to conventional vaccines: DogWorks does not consider homeopathic nosodes an acceptable alternative to conventional vaccines.

  Hygiene & Disease Prevention at Classes

• Before each Puppy Preschool class, the floor is mopped with a powerful disinfectant which is effective against all known canine viruses and diseases.

• Every effort is made to prevent the contraction of diseases or viruses at class.

• To date (since 2006), DogWorks has had NO known instances of a puppy or dog contracting a disease at any DogWorks class.

• Vomiting & diarrhoea: If you are unsure whether to attend class given your dog’s symptoms, please be guided by vet advice. Your tutor cannot advise you.

• Coughing: Please do not bring your dog to class if they have started coughing. This may be an early sign of kennel cough, which is highly contagious (although not usually serious). Please see your vet if the cough continues.

• In the event of an outbreak of serious disease, DogWorks classes will be suspended until further notice. No refunds will be given, and classes will be rescheduled.

• Any dog initially imported from outside of the UK and Channel Islands must undertake serological testing for the presence of canine brucellosis, and the negative test results/certificate must be presented before a booking will be accepted.

  Progression through Courses

• Only dogs which have passed the APDT Puppy and Foundation Awards will be accepted into the APDT Improver Award.

• Only dogs which have passed APDT Improver Award will be accepted into our Hound About Town and/or APDT Intermediate Award.

• Rescued or re-homed dogs must have been owned for at least 1 month before enrolling at a class.

• Very rarely, a tutor may find that the class environment does not suit a dog once the dog has begun a course. DogWorks reserves the right to ask you to stop attending class if the tutor deems your attendance to be unhelpful for your dog or for other dogs in the class. In such circumstances, we will have a conversation about how best to help your dog and alternative ways forward.

• All dogs attending Spaniel Sundays must have completed an induction lesson.

Children on Training Courses

• In Puppy Preschool and the Puppy and Foundation Awards, school-age children are encouraged to attend, as we consider the socialisation they offer to be in the best interests of all puppies attending.

• For all other classes: We cover a lot of material in class and it can be difficult to concentrate when supervising young children. If you are finding it hard to concentrate or pay attention, we would suggest that you consider leaving young children at home if possible. Children can be involved in dog training, but it is best to learn yourself, first - and then to teach the child how to do it at home.

• All children at class must be under the supervision of a responsible adult, who must agree to prevent them from disturbing the process of learning.

• Tutors reserve the right to ask children who behave in ways that are disruptive not to attend class.

• Children under 5 years of age may attend only at the discretion of the tutor.

Off-lead Interactions on Training Courses

• Although we make every effort in Puppy Preschool & the Puppy and Foundation Awards classes to allow your puppy to socialise with other suitable puppies during playtime, we cannot guarantee the right mix of puppies on every course, to provide this safely, for every puppy. Occasionally, it may be best for a puppy not to participate in puppy play, rather than to participate in an unhelpful or counterproductive sort of play. Whether your puppy engages in puppy play or not is at your tutor’s discretion.

Training Methods & Equipment for Courses, 1-2-1s & Behaviour Consults

• The use of (physical or verbal) positive punishment is not permitted in DogWorks classes. This includes: Scruff-shakes; lead-jerks/ checks/ corrections; pushing dogs into sit/ down; strong verbal reprimands (‘NO!’); growling or barking at the dog; alpha-rolls; intimidating behaviour towards the dog; forced closing of the muzzle; kicking, kneeing, striking or jabbing the dog; citronella collars; e-collars; and any other behaviour deemed to be a physical or verbal punishment by your tutor.

• Should your tutor see you using punishment, you will be shown another method for solving the problem you’re experiencing. Should you persist in using punishment and refuse to accept your tutor’s advice, you will be asked not to attend class. No refund will be given.

• Head-collars have the potential to be an aversive training method. They are not permitted in class. We typically find that a front-fastening harness gives you sufficient control, instead. Occasionally, with extremely strong or large dogs, a Dogmatic head collar may be used at your tutor’s discretion – please get in touch before coming to class with one.

• Half-checks are not permitted in class. Half-checks cause discomfort to the dog and are ineffective in terms of fixing pulling problems. Very rarely, some breeds of dog may slip out of a flat collar. DogWorks would recommend the use of a harness as a first choice in this instance.

• The following items are NOT PERMITTED in DogWorks training, under any circumstances: Choke chains and/or check chains of any description; electronic training collars including citronella; any other devices that cause discomfort, pain or fear to the dog; prong or pinch collars; any equipment that the tutor deems unacceptable.

• Flexi-leads are not permitted in class. (Flexi-leads are problematic tools - please use a 5-10m long-line instead!)

• Most dogs attending DogWorks classes use harnesses and you are recommended to do likewise.

• If you have a dog who is brachycephalic, short-faced, a noisy breather, has many skin folds or “ropes” around the face and neck (e.g. Pug, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Shih Tzu, Mastiff) and/ or dog with a Body Condition Score of 7 or above, they MUST wear a harness to attach the lead to, not a collar. This is a welfare issue and is non-negotiable.

Training Results for Training Courses, 1-2-1s & Behavioural Work

• Dog Works uses the most scientifically up-to-date training methods available, and we are confident that these are effective for all dogs. There are many variables outside the control of your tutor: Your understanding of the techniques demonstrated; the amount of time you spend training between classes; your particular dog’s motivation levels, intelligence and breed; previous training/learning experiences your dog may have had. Consequently, we cannot predict or guarantee a dog’s progress, nor have responsibility for progress.

• The single greatest cause of training not having the desired effect, is the owner’s failure to consistently carry out the tutor’s instructions. In making this booking, you accept that you have a significant part to play in the success of any training.

Venues for Training Courses

• All dogs must remain on lead within the premises unless specifically instructed by the tutor.

• All dog faeces must be picked up by the owner immediately. Please see your tutor for a poo bag if necessary. Any faeces which cannot be cleaned up totally must be reported to your tutor.

• All instances of accident or injury must be reported to the tutor at the time they occur.

Risks for Courses, 1-2-1s & Behaviour Consults

• We make every effort to ensure safety for both clients and dogs during all work undertaken.

• By making a booking, you are accepting that participating in a class, 1-2-1 or behavioural consultation, poses a risk of injury to yourself and your dog, and you agree to indemnify DogWorks and Anneke Cummings for all personal injury and damage to property owned by you. Owners are advised to ensure they have adequate pet insurance cover for liability, in the unlikely event of damage or injury caused by their dog to property or to a third party. (NB 3rd party only insurance is available for free if you sign up to the Companion Club of the Dogs Trust, at £25/year, or £12.50 if you’re over 60.) (Dogs Trust, 2022)

• Link: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/support-us/membership

• DogWorks and Anneke Cummings do not accept any responsibility for injuries or losses sustained by any party during any work undertaken.

Refunds, Cancellations & Misc

• Before a training course start-date: When you book a place on a course, you have booked that place for the entire course and other dogs are often turned away due to your booking. Refunds may not be given for any cancellations unless the place can be filled by another client OR at least 7 DAYS NOTICE is given before the first class of a course. There are no exceptions. We may be able to transfer or defer your place to another course, but this is at the discretion of the tutor. Failure to notify us of a cancellation within this time frame will result in no refund.

• There are no partial refunds for missed classes.

• Missed classes cannot usually be taken by joining another course run by the tutor on another date/time as there may not be spare places and it is disruptive to the other group to have an unfamiliar dog join part-way through the course.

• All other cancellation and refund requests are at the discretion of the tutor.

• Dogs in season: Female dogs in season/heat are not permitted at class for the middle week of their heat cycle (days 8-14) if there are any male dogs enrolled on that course or subsequent courses the same evening (whether those male dogs are intact or not).

• Weather - Indoor classes: Classes will go usually ahead in all weather conditions, including snow. In making a booking, you accept that it is your responsibility to check your email/text messages to find out if a class has been cancelled. If you do not receive a phone call, text message or email from your tutor, your class is going ahead as usual. In making a booking, you agree that you are not eligible for refunds or complimentary replacement classes if you have missed classes due to weather conditions when these classes did take place. If the class itself has been cancelled due to weather, every effort will be made to offer a replacement time/date - but this may not always be possible. No refunds will be available in these circumstances.

• Weather - Outdoor classes: Classes will take place in most weather conditions, including drizzle and rain. Storms, heavy wind, or snow will probably result in the cancellation of a class. Cancellation will be determined by safety issues, not comfort(!). The cancellation of an outdoor class due to weather will be at our discretion and the decision will be made no later than 1 hour before the class starts. You will be notified by phone, email or text message of a cancellation due to adverse weather. In making a booking, you accept that it is your responsibility to check your email/text messages to find out if a class has been cancelled due to adverse weather. In making a booking, you agree that you are not eligible for refunds or complimentary replacement classes if you have missed classes due to weather conditions when these classes did take place. In the event of an outdoor class being cancelled due to weather, it may not be possible to offer a replacement time/ date. No refunds will be available in these circumstances.

Gundog School & Spaniel Sundays Refunds & Cancellations

• Payment for these schemes is by monthly subscription, due at the start of each month. Payment by standing order is encouraged, to reduce admin at class.

• The fee remains the same, regardless of the number of weeks/ classes in a month. There will be no reduction in the fee if you attend for less than the maximum number of sessions.

• It is not possible to frequently come and go from the class: I.e.: Attending for a month, then taking a couple of months off, then returning for a month. We require commitment and regular attendance, at these classes. The tutor reserves the right to ask clients to leave if they are not attending regularly. Indoor & outdoor ‘theory’ classes may be scheduled (no-dogs).

• Breaks will be scheduled at Christmas and Easter. Any month where classes are cancelled, a discount on the monthly fee will be offered.

• In the event of a class being cancelled due to weather, there will be no refunds or replacement classes offered.

Behavioural Work & 1-2-1 Training, Refunds and Cancellations

• When you book a behavioural consult or 1-2-1, you have booked your tutor’s time for specific dates/ hours and other dogs are often turned away due to your booking. If cancellations occur within 48 hours of our scheduled appointment, the full charge will be invoiced to you.

• Should a behavioural consultation or 1-2-1 be cancelled by either party due to extreme adverse weather (snow, storm etc), another convenient date for both parties will be agreed and the consultation or one-to-one rescheduled at no extra cost.