Terms and Conditions

By booking a service you are deemed to have read, understood and accepted our terms and conditions. Completion of the booking process and acceptance of the terms and conditions forms your contract with Darwin Dog Training.

Definitions

Trainer - Jen Makin of Darwin Dog Training.
Course fee - agreed upon price for service booked, as displayed on the website at the time of booking.
Session - 45 minutes from the agreed start time.
Dog - the Client's dog, legally owned by the Client.

Bookings and Payments

Places are first-come, first-served.
Your place is not confirmed until the course fee for the service has been received.
Payment of the course fee should be made within 12 hours of booking. Failure to do so will result in your booking being cancelled.
In the case that a late payment means your place has already been confirmed by another client, a refund or alternative date/service will be offered.
Prices at the time of booking apply.

Classes and One to One Services

You must clear up after your dog if they toilet at the training venue and should avoid allowing your dog to urinate on training equipment (but please let the trainer know if this does occur!).
Your dog must be microchipped and wearing an ID tag (Control of Dogs Order 1992).
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times.
Please aim to arrive approx. 5 minutes before the start of your session to ensure you do not miss the beginning of your session.
You must get prior approval from the Trainer if more than two people will be attending with your dog.
Children under four years old may attend only with prior Trainer approval.
Supervised children are welcome, however, disruptive children may be asked to leave and may be refused future attendance.

Health, Pain and Behaviour

It is your responsibility to ensure your dog is fit and healthy enough to attend class.
Your dog must be fully vaccinated and not suffering from any infectious disease that may be transmitted to other dogs. Please consult a veterinarian if you have any concerns about your dog’s health.
You must disclose any behavioural issues, including fearful or aggressive behaviour towards people or dogs, before attending any training services.
You must inform the trainer if your bitch is in season, and you may not be able to attend dependent on the trainer’s discretion.
Puppies or dogs showing aggression or reactivity may be asked to leave for safety and wellbeing reasons.
Behaviour and learning can be affected by pain or illness. The trainer may request veterinary or behavioural investigations (physical exam, pain trials, physiotherapy, blood tests, stool samples) before continuing training. If investigations are not carried out, training may be stopped without refund.

Safety Rules and Training Equipment

Dogs should be kept on leads, unless otherwise instructed by the Trainer.
You must follow instructions at all times, including safety instructions.
Training is based on positive reinforcement, rewards-based methods and harsh handling such as physical corrections will not be tolerated. The Trainer reserves the right to request anyone being abusive towards people or dogs leave the training premises and no refund will be due in this circumstance.
Dogs should be brought to training in a well-fitted harness on a 4-6ft lead. In line with our training ethos, equipment such as prong collars, ecollars, head haltis, slip leads and extendible leads may not be allowed in class. However, we are here to support guardians looking for help and guidance - if you are currently using any of this equipment, please discuss this directly with the Trainer before attending to discuss alternatives and/or how we can implement a training plan to swap to more suitable equipment.
Any accidents/incidents involving a person or dog must be immediately reported to the Trainer.
Cars are parked at their owner’s risk. We do not accept any responsibility for theft or damage to cars or property whilst at training.

Cancellations and Refunds

Payment of course fees should be made within 12 hours of booking. Failure to do so will result in the booking being cancelled.
There are no replacement sessions or refunds offered for missed sessions. Please let us know if you cannot attend a session.
Sessions are non-transferable to other people or dogs once the course has begun.
If a session is cancelled due to extreme weather, illness or other circumstances beyond our control, we will attempt to reschedule; refunds are not automatic.
Under the Consumer Rights Act, you may cancel your purchase within a period of 14 working days beginning the moment you place your order. However, there is no right of cancellation where the course or one to one session begins within this 14-day period. By agreeing to the Terms and Conditions, you agree to waiver your right to cancel if the course starts within 14 days of making the booking.
There is no right to cancel or receive a refund once your service has commenced.
Other refund requests are at the Trainer's discretion.
Once you have booked a course, the dates are fixed. We will accommodate requests to transfer to an alternative, equivalent course where possible – however, this may not be possible within 14 days of your selected course’s start date and transfers are subject to availability.
Cancellations or transfer requests must be made via email.

Force Majeure

The Trainer is not liable for delays or failure to perform due to events outside reasonable control, including illness, extreme weather or government restrictions.

Digital Materials, Recording and Photo Release

All Darwin Dog Training materials and videos are intellectual property; copying, sharing, or recording is prohibited.
Filming trainers, clients or other dogs in class is not allowed.
By agreeing to the Terms and Conditions, you give Darwin Dog Training permission to publish in print, electronic or video format the likeness or image of you and/or your dog. You release all claims against Darwin Dog Training with respect to privacy rights, publicity rights, copyright ownership and publication, including any claim for compensation related to use of the materials.

Liability and Indemnity

Participation is at your own risk.
You agree to indemnify the Trainer/Darwin Dog Training for any injury, damage or loss caused by your dog during training.
Accompanying persons attend at their own risk.
The Trainer may terminate a place if a dog is dangerous or terms are breached.
Darwin Dog Training does not guarantee specific behavioural outcomes.

Risk Acknowledgement

Working with animals carries inherent risks.
By attending, you assume all risks associated with your dog’s training, including injury to dog, Client or third parties.

Data Protection

Personal data is processed in line with UK GDPR.
Information will be used solely for delivering training and not shared without consent, except where legally required.

Governing Law

This agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Disputes fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Insurance

Darwin Dog Training is insured with Pet Business Insurance as a Dog Trainer – policy number: ACE034204

Entire Agreement

This documents is the full agreement between Client and Trainer.
No verbal agreements are binding unless confirmed in writing.