1. Services Terms & Conditions:

The following Terms and Conditions apply to all services provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd which are set out in this website. The services include both the ‘initial behavioural session’, the ‘additional behavioural session’, the ‘video behavioural session’ and ‘puppy class sessions.’

Please be aware that booking and/or using any service provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd constitutes acceptance of the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

2. Practices and Techniques:

Please note that Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd does not use aversive techniques. The techniques used are designed to be force-free, science-based, humane and fair. This means Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd will not use aversive techniques such as physical force or aversive equipment (including prong collars, choke chains, spray collars and electric shock collars).

3. Booking Process and Payment Process:

In order to book a service with Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd, please complete the form found in the link at the top of the ‘contact’ page or through the three links in the ‘behavioural session’ page or through the link found in the ‘puppy class session’ page of the Website. This helps Abbie’s Dog Academy gather the relevant information needed to process your request. All forms are emailed straight to Abbie Thomson’s business email address (abbiesdogacademy@hotmail.com). Abbie will then aim to view and reply to you within 48 hours (excluding Saturday and Sunday).

Once the date(s), time(s) and location(s) of the service has been mutually agreed upon, the payment options will be emailed. After this email has been received, the full payment must have been received within 72 hours (3 days). If the full payment is not received within 72 hours, then the mutually agreed upon appointment may be offered to another client. The available appointments are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For any course offered by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd, the full payment must be received in advance of joining the class. Failure to make the full payment in a timely fashion may result in the place on the course being given to another client. This means the first, second, third and fourth puppy class session must be paid for before starting the first puppy class session.

It is the client’s responsibility to ensure they attend on the correct date, time and place for the classes according to the Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd’s instructions.

Booking confirms the client’s attendance for the four-week puppy class course. Please make every effort to attend every session. If you are unable to attend, please let your Abbie know as soon as possible.

The payment options are bank transfer or PayPal. Bank transfer is preferred as PayPal takes a commission for using their service. Price advertised at the time of booking applies.

For the sake of clarity – appointment is defined as the mutually agreed upon date, time and location of a service provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd.

To avoid any doubt – course is defined as any services which includes more than one session (e.g. puppy classes which contain four sessions).

4. Cancellations and Refunds For Puppy Classes:

Because we operate our classes using a very low Abbie (instructor): puppy ratio, refunds may not be given for any cancellations unless the place can be filled by another client or unless at least 7 DAYS NOTICE is given. There are no exceptions. We may be able to transfer or defer your place to another Service but this is at the discretion of Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and dependent on the age of the client’s puppy at the start of the next available course. Failure to notify us of a cancellation within this time frame will result in no refund.

Failure to attend a course that you have booked a place on, but not yet paid for, will result in a request for full payment, which you agree to be liable for.

There will be no refund for cancellations due to lack of vaccination or no vaccination card, unless we are notified 14 days in advance of the course commencing. It is your responsibility to have your puppy fully vaccinated and health warranted.

There will be no partial refunds for missed classes. All other cancellation and refund requests are at the discretion of Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and dependent on individual circumstances.

5. Cancellations and Refunds For Initial/Additional Behavioural Sessions:

Appointments which are cancelled with more than two days (48 hours) notice, before the scheduled appointment, will be either be rescheduled or refunded.

Appointments which are cancelled within two days (48 hours) or less before the scheduled appointment will be subject to the full fee.

Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd retains the right to cancel an appointment(s). If an appointment(s) has been cancelled by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd then the client(s) who have had their appointment(s) cancelled will either have their appointment rescheduled or will provided with a full refund.

For the sake of clarity – cancellations are classified as any appointment which cannot be attended at the date, time and location agreed when initially booked.

6. Cancellations and Refunds For Video Behavioural Sessions:

If you are attending online session, it is important that you ensure your technology and internet connection are sufficient for you to be able to attend the session. If your technology fails during a session, it may be possible for Abbie to catch up with you at a time agreeable to you both, but this would be subject to the Abbie’s availability and cannot be guaranteed. If the Abbie’s technology fails and the tutor is unable to run a class, it will be rescheduled to a time to suit attendees. 

7. Weather Conditions:

Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd can cancel appointment(s) in adverse weather conditions (even with very short notice to the client) if travel is deemed unsafe by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd.

If this happens, the client will be phoned (Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd will provide as much notice as possible) and the appointment(s) will be rearranged to another mutually suitable date(s), time(s) and location(s).

8. Health and Safety:

Please keep your dog on lead or contained in home/garden/car when Abbie Thomson first arrives for the arranged appointment.

Depending upon the behavioural issue of the dog, the client may need to take additional steps to ensure safety. It is the client’s own responsibility to ensure the safety of their dog, themselves, other people, animals and dogs. If the client has any concerns about their dog’s behaviour, they should make sure they take all necessary precautions and steps (such as keeping their dog on lead, muzzling their dog, making sure all other pets are in a different room etc.). The client must ensure they are sensible and taking as many safety precautions as they can. Clients who have any concerns about their dog’s behaviour should ensure that they discuss and carefully think through everything, avoiding taking any risks.

Any client who has a dog which has bitten a person and/or animal should notify Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd prior to any service.

If an accident or injury occurs at any time during the service, then please notify Abbie Thomson at the time it occurs.

9. Veterinary Care:

It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that any veterinary checks (or addition checks) are carried out if advised before, during or after an appointment. Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd may advise a client to take their dog to get checked by a veterinarian (or any additional checks), this will be the client’s own responsibility to do so.

10. Family (Children):

All members of the household are welcome to attend the arranged appointment. However, in some cases, discussions within the appointment may not be appropriate for children. The adult(s) should ensure they can provide their full attention to the information and discussions within the appointment. It is the parent(s)/carer(s) responsibility to decide whether allowing a child to attend the appointment would be appropriate.

Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd accepts no responsibility for the safety, wellbeing or care of any children before, during or after the appointment(s).

11. Digital Materials, Video Footage, Recordings, Privacy and Marketing:

Photographs and videos may be captured of both dogs and owners within the appointment/class/session. These may be posted on the Website (Abbie’s Dog Academy) and/or on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok).

Please notify Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd before the appointment(s) if you would not like for any photographs or videos to be captured and/or shared.

View Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd’s Privacy Policy above these Terms and Conditions. When an individual contacts or submits an enquiry form to Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd, they are agreeing to the privacy policy set out by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd. 

All videos are the intellectual property of Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and are not to be recorded or reproduced in any way. It is not appropriate to film tutors, other attendees, their families or their puppies either in classes/session or via our online classes. In light of this, all filming is prohibited. 

In sending any digital materials i.e. photographic images and/or videos to Abbie, you give permission for Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd to use these materials for teaching and marketing purposes.

12. Client Responsibility and Commitments:

In participating in an appointment with Abbie’s Dog Academy, the client(s) is agreeing to the following:

• Being honest with all information they provide
• Ensuring that anything which may be unclear is clarified through asking questions
• Understanding that behavioural issues take time, hard work, consistency and commitment to alter
• Understanding that behavioural issues are difficult to change and there are no ‘quick fixes’
• Keeping an open mind and being optimistic about possible changes, solutions, and techniques
• Using the personalised training plan and support of Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and not (potentially) creating confusion for the dog by using other techniques and methods adopted from books, friends/family, other trainers and/or the television​

13. Puppy Class Session Attendance:

Our courses consist of 4 weekly classes, rather than a roll-on, roll-off programme or random attendance. For optimum results, we hope that the client will attend all the classes and complete the course.

Puppies must be vaccinated. The client’s veterinarian will advise when it is safe for your puppy to attend. If you are unsure about vaccinations, please consult your veterinarian directly. This is for the safety of your puppy and therefore no exceptions can be made. It is your responsibility to have your puppy vaccinated.

Only fully vaccinated puppies under six months of age will be able to attend the puppy class sessions. The puppies must be under six months old before starting their first session.

Occasionally, we may find that a class environment does not suit a puppy or owner. Full discussion concerning the best way to proceed will be undertaken and this may result in us making alternative arrangements to assist you.

We encourage older children to attend our classes as we consider this to be in the best interest of all puppies attending. However, we cannot guarantee their presence at every class.

All children must be under the supervision of a responsible adult who must agree to prevent them from disturbing the process of learning during the class. Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd reserves the right to ask disruptive children not to attend future classes. Children under five years of age may attend only at the discretion of Abbie. Children under eight must have two adults present, one adult will be responsible for the child and one adult will be responsible for the puppy.

Although we make every effort to allow your puppy to play with other suitable puppies in the class for short periods, we cannot guarantee the right mix of puppies on every course for this to be done safely. Consequently, puppy play may not occur in all classes.

We make every effort to ensure safety of both clients and puppies during the classes. By making a booking, you are accepting that participating in an activity with dogs, children and adults poses a risk of injury to yourself, your puppy and your children, and you agree to indemnify Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd for all personal injury and damage to property owned by you while attending the training classes. You also agree to make any person who accompanies you to the class aware that they are also there at their own risk.

Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd method of training relies heavily on rewards with food treats. It is important for the client to bring a supply of tasty, smelly, pea-sized food treats that their puppy will work hard for and is used to eating.

14. Puppy Class Sessions / Premises Rules:

All puppies must remain on lead and kept away from contact with other puppies within the premises unless specifically instructed by the Abbie.

All instances of accident or injury must be reported to the Abbie at the time they occurred.

Well-fitted harnesses are permitted in class at the tutor’s discretion and may need to be removed during puppy play. Please bring a suitable collar so you have an alternative to the harness.

Flexi leads are not permitted in class to avoid injury to others.

Head collars are not permitted in class to avoid injury to the puppy’s neck and to avoid distraction during training.

The following items are NOT PERMITTED in Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd classes under any circumstances: choke chains and/or check chains of any description; electronic training collars including citronella; any other device that causes discomfort, pain or fear to the puppy; prong or pinch collars; any equipment that the Abbie deems unacceptable.

The use of physical force and punishment-based training techniques are not permitted in Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd.

15. Disclaimer

Clients are to understand that attempting to modify a behaviour poses a risk of injury. Clients must take full responsibility for this risk and ensure that they themselves take all necessary precautions in order to prevent the risk of injury to their dog, themselves, other dogs, animals or people. Clients agree to take full responsibility for any damage or loss of property which may occur within the appointment (such as damage to equipment etc).

Clients agree to indemnify and hold Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd unaccountable against any and all losses, deaths, injuries, liabilities, judgments and costs (including both legal fees and expenses) arising out of, or related to, any claim of injury to a human(s), animal(s) or property of any kind, whether before, during or after the service provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and when implementing suggested methods and techniques with a dog.

While Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd aims to make the information in their services and on their website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok as accurate as possible, Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy or adequacy of the contents/information, and explicitly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents/information.

All content within the services provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd and all content within the website, personalised training plans, emails, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok of Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent of the Abbie’s Dog Academy.

If you are not willing to accept these Terms and Conditions you may not use the Website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or any services provided by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd. Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions, and any other Terms and Conditions contained elsewhere on the Website, at any time. It shall be the viewer/clients responsibility to check regularly to ensure that they agree to any such amendments.

COVID-19

Until further notice, Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd will be following the protocols and precautions set out below in order to try and maintain the safety of clients.

1. Location of appointment:

• Appointments will be carried out on a walk or in the client’s garden when possible
• Appointments may be carried out indoors (in the client’s house) if the behaviours mentioned in the form/email(s)/message(s) received from the client occurs indoors.
• Appointments may be carried out indoors (in the client’s house) in order the view the dog in its normal environment and to access routines.

2. Additional protocols and precautions:

• Clients should ensure they maintain social distancing of 2 meters from Abbie
• If children attend (see Family (Children) section of Terms and Conditions) then the adults are responsible for ensuring their children and themselves maintain social distancing of 2 meters from Abbie. Due to this, there should be a minimum of two adults attending the appointment so that one can focus on the children, and one should focus on all the information and discussions within the appointment
• Clients must ensure they wash their hands straight before the appointment. If the client is unable to wash their hands, then they must bring and use their own hand sanitiser right before the appointment begins. Abbie will do this too
• The client must ensure they communicate to Abbie before the appointment if they would like Abbie to wear a mask throughout the appointment. The client should ensure their dog is comfortable with people wearing masks around them. If they are unsure or know their dog isn’t then they should ask Abbie for advice
• The client must ensure they communicate to Abbie if they are in the high-risk category and notify Abbie as to whether or not they would like her to wear a mask

To avoid any doubt – social distancing is where 2 meters’ distance will be maintained between Abbie and the client(s).

3. COVID-19: Cancelations and Refunds:

• If the client needs to cancel their behavioural session appointment due to self-isolation or from contracting COVID-19 within 48 hours of the appointment, then the appointment will be rearranged for a mutually agreed date, time and location. The payment from the cancelled appointment will be kept and used for the rearranged appointment.
• If the client needs to cancel one or more of their puppy class sessions due to self-isolation or from contracting COVID-19 within 48 hours of the appointment, then contact Abbie to discuss options.
• If Abbie needs to cancel an appointment due to self-isolation or from contracting COVID-19, then the appointment will be rescheduled as soon as possible, or the client may request a refund.

4. Further Alterations to Scottish Government Guidelines:

Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd will follow the guidelines set out but the Scottish Government. If at any point the government states that it is not safe to conduct work outdoors, with social distancing measures, then the appointment(s) will be postponed until the Scottish Government states otherwise.

If a client’s appointment is postponed due to changes in the Scottish Government guidelines for COVID-19 then the client can request phone and/or email support until their appointment can be rescheduled. It is recommended by Abbie’s Dog Academy Ltd that the client should still go ahead with the appointment whenever it is able to be rearranged. In order to have an effective training plan, it is important that Abbie is able to assess all factors which may be associated with this unwanted behaviour. This isn’t fully possible without viewing the dog’s behaviours in its natural environment.