Protocols and Policies

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Updated 1/6/2024

Canine Respiratory Illness 

We require all dogs to be up to date on their bordetella vaccination. This is a yearly vaccination. 
 
We recommend dogs be vaccinated for canine influenza when participating in a group setting or day training. 
We encourage owners to discuss vaccinations with their veterinarians and decide what is best in terms of additional vaccines like canine influenza and parainfluenza. 
 
If your dog is sick or displaying symptoms – coughing/hacking, runny nose/runny eyes, sneezing – they should remain home. Seek veterinary care immediately before symptoms worsen. 
 
Please follow our SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES for dogs when entering and exiting a group class setting/training environment or building. This means dogs should refrain from following too close to each other and any contact of nose to nose or nose to butt on leash should be avoided. Social distancing means 6ft apart. 
 

Dog Vaccination Policy

We follow the guidelines for socialization put out by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior – please view their statement here. Proof of vaccinations can be emailed to us at trainers@pawsitivelyobedient.com.

We require the following for puppies (8-18 weeks) starting group classes or day training:

  • At least one vaccination for distemper and parvo virus 7 days prior to starting.
  • We require the Bordetella vaccination 7 days prior to starting.  
  • We recommend the canine influenza vaccination, but this is not a requirement. Please discuss benefits of this vaccination (and others like parainfluenza) with your veterinarian. 
  • A fecal test result from your veterinarian’s office. 
  • Staying up to date on their vaccination schedule as recommended by your veterinarian.
  • Proof of rabies can be submitted once completed. Note: it is normal for puppies to start school without this vaccination on board. It usually is not given until around 16 weeks of age.

We require the following for dogs (over 18 weeks of age) starting group classes or day training:

  • Proof of distemper and parvo virus vaccination.
  • Proof of rabies vaccination.
  • We require the Bordetella vaccination 7 days prior to starting.  
  • We recommend the canine influenza vaccination, but this is not a requirement. Please discuss benefits of this vaccination (and others like parainfluenza) with your veterinarian. 
  • A fecal test result from your veterinarian’s office within the last year.

COVID-19 Safety Protocol 

We request those people that are at a greater risk of exposure to COVID19, consider wearing a mask while inside the building for training.

We follow the CDC COVID19 guidelines which can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html

Practice social distancing and maintain at least 6 feet of distance between yourself and others whenever possible. Being dog owners, we are pretty good at judging 6 feet of distance – a normal dog leash is 6ft.

Please continue to use hand sanitizer and wash your hands before and after class. You may use the restroom upon entrance if needed, as well as have access to hand sanitizer upon entrance of the building.

If you feel sick, coughing/sneezing, sore throat, fever, etc. please stay home. We will work with you to make up for the missed class as soon as possible.

If you are at greater risk, please inform your instructor of your personal boundaries in terms of sharing space, allowing the trainer to demo with your dog (touch/feed your dog), walking around other people/dogs, etc. 

Group Class Policies

Holidays/No class rules 

Group classes are scheduled on certain days/times and do run on that day/time for the number of sessions. Group classes are 50 min – 1 hour in length.  Group classes do observe certain holidays throughout the year including: 

New Year’s Day (1/1) 

February school vacation (no classes during the week, weekends are subject to change) 

April vacation (no classes during the week, weekends are subject to change) 

Easter Sunday 

Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) 

July 4th – including the weekend before OR after, depending on when the holiday falls 

Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) 

Halloween – No classes that night 

Thanksgiving Break – Wednesday through Sunday 

Christmas Break – Christmas Eve through New Year’s Eve 

Other dates are subject to employee requests. We will let you know your specfiic class dates in your class welcome email. If you have specific questions about if your class will be held on a certain date, please email us Please note that sometimes things will arise that require us to cancel a class last minute. We will do our bes tto avoid these situations by planning ahead with our class calendar/employee schedule.  . 

Weather Concerns

Weather concerns may result in a class cancelation. This is based on road safety and the ability to safely access our parking lots. This is typically for snow storms in the winter months. If we are canceling a class due to weather, this may happen anywhere up to two hours before class. We will send a group email as well as a text message first asking for your confirmation. If we do not get any reply, we will then call. Our goal is to always have class as scheduled, but must take into account the safety of our staff and clients.

If we have class, but you choose to not come it would be considered a missed class. 

Missed Classes

A missed class on your part, is just that – a missed class. We do not offer credits for missed classes.  Your instructor can catch you up at the next class. We do not recommend missing more than two sessions sessions per class. 

If your dog needs to miss a class but you are available, we recommend you come to class without your dog. This will give you a means to learn the information taught in class, and then go home and practice with your dog throughout the week.

If possible, we can arrange for you to drop into another class on a different day/time. This is not always possible and when it is possible, the drop in class may not cover the same material you missed in class. We will do our best to accomodate this for those that are interested. 

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Cancellation of  or withdrawal from a group class after the first class will result in the loss of the rest of the sessions and the fee associated with that class. You reserved a spot in a class for the full length of the class that someone else missed out on. For singular events (social outings, training workshops) cancellation or rescheduling must be done 24 hours before the event in order to receive a credit. 

We have a NO refund policy for group classes if cancelled within 5 days of the start date. NO refunds will be given after week 1 of the class. This means if you sign up for a group class, you must commit to the schedule. If you have a to miss a class, we will not be able to discount the overall cost of the class or apply a credit because of an absence. Most group classes run for 6 or 7 weeks at the same day/time, and will only skip a week if there is an observed holiday, holiday break, or some other special circumstance on our end. You will be told about this in your welcome email. If you are questioning if a class will be held on a certain date before signing up, please email us at hello@pawsitivelyobedient.com. Most of our group classes typically fill. This means you are reserving a spot someone else could have taken. 

For all processed refunds, there will be a 10% processing fee applied to all refund transactions for training services. This is due to the fees incurred on us to process initial transactions and then refunds. If you prefer, a full credit can be left on your account to be used in the future.

 

Private Training, Day Training Polcies 

Cancellation, Rescheduling, Refund Policy

Private Training – a cancellation of a session with less than 24 hours notice can result in a fee of $50 or 30 minute time loss of a future session. We reserve that space specifically for you and most of the time cannot fill it in less than 24 hours.

Day training – A request to reschedule a day training session should be received within 72 hours (3 days.) Day training books up quickly and space is very limited. Email is always our first line of communication. If less than 72 hours, the day training session will not be rescheduled and the associated fee will be lost. Please plan accordingly! Any cancellation of day training session(s) with less than 72 hour notice will result in the loss of that session.

NO REFUNDS will be provided after the start of training services. For private training, this means after the initial first session. For day training, this means after the first day training session.

For processed refunds, there will be a 10% processing fee applied to all refund transactions for training services. This is due to the fees incurred on us to process initial transactions and then refunds. If you prefer, a full credit can be left on your account to be used in the future.

Weather Concerns

Weather concerns may result in a need to cancel/reschedule. This is based on road safety and the ability to safely access our parking lots. This is typically for snow storms in the winter months. If we are canceling services due to weather, this may happen anywhere up to two hours before a session. We will send an email as well as a text message first asking for your confirmation. If we do not get any reply, we will then call. Our goal is to always have services as scheduled, but must take into account the safety of our staff and clients.