Terms
Any questions or comments? Please send them to me on WhatsApp – that is where I answer everything.
These are my terms, which set out how I work and what we should expect from each other, so that there are no misunderstandings later on.
SESSIONS
Training sessions are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and are an hour long. I will offer you the session slots that I have available. I try to be flexible where I can, but the slots have to work geographically, and so I expect a reasonable amount of flexibility from you. Most people use a lunch hour or start/end early on training days, if they have a ‘9-5’ pattern.
SESSION DAYS
I will message you in the morning on the day of all sessions, including the assessment, to confirm the day’s session. Please keep an eye on WhatsApp in the morning of the days that we have sessions, so that you are able to confirm in good time. If I cannot contact you, I will assume you are unavailable for the session and will not travel to you.
ILLNESS AND EXTREME WEATHER
When I message you to confirm our session(s), I will ask you to confirm that nobody in your household has any cold/flu symptoms – if they do, we will have to defer that session (which is never a bad thing – more time to practice is always good!). A member of my household is immunocompromised, and so I hugely appreciate your cooperation in keeping them safe. In addition, I reserve the right to defer sessions on days that are too hot to ask dogs to be active.
PAYMENT
⚠️ Payment is due on receipt. Because my calendar fills quickly, and a number of weeks in advance – and because I do not enjoy chasing for payment – my policy is that all assessment and training slots are provisional and reusable, without notice, until payment is made (or I am at least made aware of an issue with payment).
During the assessment, I will let you know how many sessions I think I will need in order to teach you – the human(s) – what you need to know to achieve your goals with your dog(s). I won’t ask you to commit during the assessment – feel free to think about and discuss it after I’ve left. Assuming you want to go ahead with training, you pay for sessions as we book them. When we agree a set of slots, I’ll send you a payment link covering just those – so you’re never paying for sessions that aren’t in the diary. We can book them all at once or a few at a time, whichever suits you.
COMMUNICATION
I ask all students to keep me updated between sessions (progress updates, short videos, questions, etc.). This helps to ensure that you are making constant progress, and lets me help you before the next session if you are not.
I will always reply to WhatsApp messages, but it will usually not be until the next morning (or until Monday, if sent over the weekend) – I get a lot of messages, and so I set aside some time in the morning to reply to them. Please don’t worry about ‘disturbing’ me with very late/early messages – I check them in batches, when I’m at my desk, and I don’t have notifications turned on.
Please don’t try to call me on WhatsApp (calls will usually interrupt a session or other work, and so I do not answer them even if I see them). Text messages and (short) videos and voice notes are always welcomed.
🤝 Our mutual understanding
I will assume, when you pay for your assessment, that all of the above is acceptable to you. Assuming it is, I look forward to working with you! If it is not, I’ll ask you to let me know via WhatsApp, and then find someone else to work with.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
James | Founder
Owner Trainer & Sussex Dogs
Be your dog’s best trainer