Affinity Dog – Policies.
Private 1:1 – In Home Training.
These policies are aimed to make sure clients that book lessons, get full benefit from them and that time slots don’t go unfilled. Due to demand we do have waiting lists for some time-slots. In many cases people are turned away due to time slots being full.
Unfortunately, when we have shown extra flexibility in our scheduling, this has been taken advantage of, and has resulted in lost time, revenue and much frustration for both clients and staff.
We primarily work with one dog at a time in a private setting, all fees and charges are per dog. Extra fees are applicable for extra dogs and will have to be discussed first. (discounts apply)
In most cases, we agree to a weekly time-slot being allocated to you, it is assumed that you will keep that time-slot through-out the program.
You can Cancel and or Reschedule, HOWEVER please be aware for Monday to Friday time-slots you will be allowed a Maximum of two (2) Cancellations or Reschedules per program. For Saturday slots the maximum number of Reschedule or Cancellations is One (1) per program. Further Cancellations or reschedules will result in a Cancellation fee being charged (Currently $200) which is payable BEFORE any further appointments are scheduled. Further, you will likely lose your allotted time and be placed on any applicable waiting lists.
If you don’t show up, or are unavailable at short notice we will be unlikely be able to find someone to replace you with little to no notice.
Therefore, Cancellations or Reschedules with less than 24 hours notice will be counted as a used session. In some circumstances, a Cancellation Fee (currently $200) will be applicable and payable BEFORE any further sessions are booked.
The Maximum completion time allowed for any program is Six (6) Months, any remaining sessions are forfeit after this duration has been reached. It is upon the client to make themselves available for training, and NOT a requirement for Affinity Dog to extend hours or cancel/re-schedule other client bookings to provide your preferred time.
Environmental Factors.
Given the nature of weather in Australia – if it is deemed that weather will be detrimental to the learning ability of dogs or humans or a risk, to the dogs or humans, we will likely postpone the session for that week. We will endeavor to contact you at least 30mins prior to the session if this is required due to rain/storms or extreme heat.
Board and Train
Board and Train spots are in high demand and have a fair degree of Admin./Preparation work attached. Often there is lengthy waits for start dates. As a result, some potential clients are turned away or made to wait longer than necessary when spots are cancelled.
- A Board and Train spot is ONLY secured once Affinity Dog has received the deposit (50% of the cost).
Ie. your spot may be taken if the deposit is not received in a timely manner.
Any refunds are on a sliding scale depending on the amount of notice given:
- Affinity Dog will refund the all of the deposit if a cancellation is received 30 days prior to the starting date.
- Less than 30 days but more than 14 days notice of cancellation will receive 50% of their deposit back.
- Less than 14 days notice will receive 25% of the deposit.
Less than 7 days notice, non of the deposit will be returned.
Clients will be allowed a Maximum of two (2) Cancellations/Reschedules per program, otherwise a re-schedule fee will be applied, which at this time is $250.
Please note, if a dog’s aggression level is under-stated OR it is found to be much higher than stated during the Board and Train, then at Affinity Dog’s sole discretion the training program will be terminated and any deposit will be forfeit.
If you would like your dog “assessed”, extra charges are applicable and is dependent on time and travel availability.
Updates to Clients
Please be aware that training of the dogs and getting results for our clients is our first priority. Answering Texts, Phone calls, emails , Face Book messages, etc. comes as a second priority.
Generally speaking, updates will be sent roughly every 48-72 hours. While you are welcome to see how things are going more often, we may not always be able to respond immediately.
We also do NOT respond to phone calls /messages on Sundays at all (unless truly urgent), and most Saturdays are very busy, so only urgent communication is given priority.
In short, replying to messages and phone calls can be disrupting, and can lead to less available time to work with the dogs. We hope you understand the situation and our priorities in this matter.
Drop -Off / Pick-Up Times. (Hand backs included)
We try to be as flexible as possible as to times to Drop-Off or Pick-up your dogs. However please be aware we have other clients and other dogs to manage and attend too. Very often there will be appointments booked before and after your specified time.
As above, it is upon the client to make themselves available for drop-offs and hand-backs, it is NOT a requirement for Affinity Dog to extend hours or cancel/re-schedule other client bookings to provide your preferred time.
Once we have agreed on a time, it is understood that you may be a few minutes early or, a few minutes late.
However, PLEASE BE AWARE, more than 15-20mins late may result in us not being available to accept or return your dog. In some cases, we may not be available that same day to accept or return your dog. (extra fees may apply in these situations)
If you don’t think you will be able to make an agreed time, please re-schedule BEFORE the agreed time.
If you would like to discuss any aspects of this policy, please let us know preferably before committing to any programs. Thanks for your understanding.
These are some of the areas we provide dog training for in Sydney – if you are not listed, please still contact us ! The Hills – Annangrove, Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Carlingford, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Kellyville, Kenthurst, Maraylya, Maroota, Nelson, Northmead, North Rocks, Rouse Hill, West Pennant Hills Blacktown and surrounding areas – Acacia Gardens, Dean Park, Doonside, Glendenning, Glenwood, Kellyville Ridge, Kings Langley, Kings Park, Lalor Park, Marayong, Marsden Park, Oakhurst, Parklea, Quakers Hill, Schofields, Seven Hills, Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds, Toongabbie, Vineyard, Riverstone
