Key Facts: One-to-one Training Session

Overview:
A one-hour personalised one-to-one training session with your pet using only reward-based training methods with one of our species training experts. Training sessions are used to teach your animal new behaviours or tricks, or for very young animals developing early-life skills and socialisation. These sessions can also be used to address simple husbandry/management queries, such as how to prepare your home for a new pet. This service is suitable for dogs, cats and parrots.

When:  takes place approximately monthly on dates agreed in advance with you

Where:  in your home, out and about or online

What you need to do to prepare:
□          Consider whether the training issues you would like to work on are actually behaviour issues (see below) – if in doubt ask our staff now;

□          Complete and return the questionnaire at least a week before your appointment;

□          Please have all your pet’s normal items and plenty of their favourite treats ready;

□          Read the safety precautions below.

What we will do:

• We go through all the information you have sent us in advance of our session.
• During our session, we establish some goals you would like to set and coach you through the initial steps of how to get there.
• You receive a variety of training information sheets for your pets relevant to your goals. If you have a dog, you will also receive our dog training manual.
• If you book a block of four sessions in advance, your trainer will be available for optional weekly remote support through WhatsApp text messages and email in between your sessions with us. Please note this is subject to our fair use policy. If we feel that you are contacting us too frequently (e.g. more than three times a week) or correspondence takes longer than 30 minutes, then we may suggest another face-to-face follow-up session, or we may have to charge for our time. Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. We aim to return your messages within five working days. Please bear in mind that support across our current caseload will be prioritised according to the relative risks and animal welfare factors involved in each case, rather than when different correspondence is received, so you may need to wait for longer than five working days to receive a response. Alternatively, you can book in an extra telephone call with your trainer by contacting the office for an extra fee. We reserve the right to block your telephone number or email address if you disregard these terms. If urgent advice is required, please contact your normal vet practice immediately.

Training or behaviour issue? During our session, if we establish that your animal actually needs behaviour support rather than simple training, then we will only verbally provide basic first aid behaviour advice. This will be limited to short-term preventative and prophylactic management advice, which aims to minimise risk and prevent the problem from becoming worse until you can seek a veterinary referral. 

Recording and students: With your permission, the consultation may be recorded for education and training purposes. Also pet behaviour students may quietly sit in on the session, either in person or through online video link, such as Zoom.

Safety for you and your pet:

Please note that if the following precautions are not followed, we reserve the right to not enter the premises/leave the meeting place and either cancel the appointment and retain the fees for the consultation or change the appointment to an online consultation.

• Please shut your pets in another room prior to our arrival for our own personal safety. Once we are settled, at your trainer’s instruction you can bring your animal in. Note if your pet is a dog, then they need to be brought in on the lead (and potentially muzzled if advised).
• Any information regarding the pet’s health and/or existing medical conditions/treatment must be disclosed prior to any consultation, or training, or supply of equipment. Where relevant any health issues regarding you, the handler, should also be disclosed to avoid injury and other issues pertaining to the services/equipment supplied.
• Any information regarding behaviour issues in relation to your pet MUST be freely disclosed for example, fear, aggression, pet’s previous behaviour history etc. Failure to do so could cause serious harm to your pet, you the owner, your trainer, or other members of the public.
• If your pet is showing signs of ill health (such as vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing), or if you have a bitch in season, please advise your trainer as soon as possible in order to rearrange your appointment. This also applies to post-operative recovery periods. Your cancellation clause arrangement will, of course, apply in this case.
• All pets must be free from disease and up-to-date with worming, flea and tick treatment prior to consultation.
• Children, friends, and family members are welcome to attend consultations—this is at your own discretion. All involved must also comply with the Health and Safety recommendations advised herein and take proper, reasonable care during and after the consultation. We accept no liability for the health and safety of those you choose to involve.
• Children must always be supervised when around animals, and you should take proper care to ensure that they do NOT attempt to replicate any training or behavioural modification recommendations on your pet without proper, adult supervision. This applies in all cases, even if the children have been actively involved with behavioural consultations or training sessions with Second Nature Behaviour.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your pet does not harm in the future. You may wish to consider taking out third-party insurance for your pet.
• Second Nature Behaviour does not endorse the use of physical punitive correction. For more information, please see our Animal Welfare Policy at www.secondnature.bio/animal-welfare-policy.pdf
• In emergency situations for your animal, please call your normal practice vet straightaway.

How to get the best results:
It is important for you to follow the animal training advice provided if any improvement is to be seen. Each animal is different, and it may take a long time to work through the training plan, depending upon the individual needs of the animal and your own circumstances. Your animal may need additional ongoing support. Therefore, whilst we will do our very best to assess the animal’s needs and make recommendations, success is not guaranteed, and we cannot be held responsible if the animal’s behaviour does not improve or change.

Cost and payment terms:

All fees quoted include VAT.

Basic fee for a one-to-one training session:  This type of booking is normally secured by a full payment in advance, which can be paid over the phone or online. If the session is going to be held online or if you are within our normal travel zone (which is 10 miles from your designated trainer), the total training fee is £60 per hour. It is recommended that you book four sessions in advance.

Travel costs: There may be additional travel costs, which will be added to the invoiced fees. Travel costs are calculated using the fastest route suggested by Google Maps (maps.google.com) between your post code and your designated trainer (rounded up to the nearest mile). If you are outside our normal travel zone (more than 10 miles away from your designated trainer), then £2 is charged per mile return journey in addition to our normal service fees. The travel costs will be added to your invoice, payable in advance of the session.

Other costs: You may need to incur expenses which are related to your pet’s behaviour treatment plan, but not due to Second Nature Behaviour Ltd, such as to your vet or other animal care professionals, or in terms of equipment that may be helpful, such as leads or harnesses. Second Nature Behaviour Ltd does not receive any benefits or commission by recommending particular equipment or professionals providing related services.

Refunds and cancellations:
Regrettably, we only provide refunds in exceptional circumstances, which unfortunately excludes an animal no longer being in your possession or having passed away. The full fees are required even if you choose not to go ahead with all aspects of the service or disagree with our advice. Training session cancellations within 7 working days of the appointment will result in the retention of the full fee for the training session. Training sessions can be rescheduled a maximum of two times.

If our trainer establishes during a training session that a behaviour consultation would be more appropriate, then any future training appointments you have booked will be cancelled and refunded, but no refunds will be made for the first training session.