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Terms & Conditions

Last updated: July 1st 2021

Radica Raeves, T/as The Mindful Dog, acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of the land, seas and rivers of Australia. The Cammeraygal peoples of the Eora nation, on whose land we come together during class, and the Darkinyung people, on whose land we live and operate our business, and operate our business. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders, past, present, and emerging. We aspire to learn from traditional knowledge and customs, so that, together, we can protect our environment and cultural heritage through law.

Please read these terms and conditions carefully before using this website, enlisting our services, or purchasing our products.

General Terms of Use
Terms & Conditions - All Group Classes and Private Coaching Sessions

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General Terms of Use

By using this website, and/or enlisting any services and/or purchasing any products from it, you signify your consent to these terms of use. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, please do not use the website. Your access to and use of this website, as well as all related websites operated by The Mindful Dog (which includes: mindful.dog , and all subdomains of these sites among others) (collectively the "Site") is subject to the following terms and conditions ("Terms of Use") and all applicable laws. By accessing and browsing the Site, you accept, without limitation or qualification, the Terms of Use and acknowledge that any other agreements between you and the Site are superseded and of no force or effect:

  1. You agree that the Site itself, as well as all content, videos, lesson materials, products, services and/or other materials, made available on the Site by us or other third parties, as well as the look and feel of all of the foregoing, (collectively referred to as the "Content") are maintained for your personal use and information by The Mindful Dog, (the "Company") and are the property of the Company and/or its third party providers. You agree that such Company Content shall include all proprietary videos, HTML/CSS, Javascript, graphics, voice, and sound recordings, artwork, photos, documents, and text as well as all other materials included in the Site, excluding only the materials you provide. Subject to your compliance with these Terms of Use, the Company hereby grants you a limited licence, which is non-exclusive, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable, to access, view, and use the Site solely for your personal purposes. No Company Content may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, distributed, used for public or commercial purposes, or downloaded in any way unless written permission is expressly granted by the Company. Modification of the Content or use of the Content for any other purpose is a violation of the copyright and other proprietary rights of the Company, as well as other authors who created the materials, and may be subject to monetary damages and penalties. You may not distribute, modify, transmit or use the content of the Site or any Content, including any and all software, tools, graphics and/or sound files, for public or commercial purposes without the express written permission of the Company.
  2. All Content, such as text, data, graphics files, videos and sound files, and other materials contained in the Site, are copyrighted unless otherwise noted and are the property of the Company and/or a supplier to the Company. No such materials may be used except as provided in these Terms of Use.
  3. All trade names, trademarks, and images and biographical information of people used in the Company Content and contained in the Site, including without limitation the name and trademark "The Mindful Dog", "mindful.dog" , are either the property of, or used with permission by, the Company. The use of Content by you is strictly prohibited unless specifically permitted by these Terms of Use. Any unauthorised use of Content may violate the copyright, trademark, and other proprietary rights of the Company and/or third parties, as well as the laws of privacy and publicity, and other regulations and statutes. Nothing contained in this Agreement or in the Site shall be construed as granting, by implication or otherwise, any licence or right to use any Trademark or other proprietary information without the express written consent of the Company or third party owner. The Company respects the copyright, trademark and all other intellectual property rights of others. The Company has the right, but has no obligation, to remove content and accounts containing materials that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable or violates any party's intellectual property or these Terms of Use. If you believe that your intellectual property rights are being violated and/or that any work belonging to you has been reproduced on the Site or in any Content in any way, you may notify Company at [email protected]. Please provide your name and contact information, the nature of your work and how it is being violated, all relevant copyright and/or trademark registration information, the location/URL of the violation, and any other information you believe is relevant.
  4. While the Company uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information in the Site, the Company makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. The Company assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of the Site.
  5. When you register with the Company and/or this Site, you expressly consent to receive any notices, announcements, agreements, disclosures, reports, documents, communications concerning new products or services, or other records or correspondence from the Company. You consent to receive notices electronically by way of transmitting the notice to you by email.
  6. If you send comments or suggestions about the Site to the Company, including, but not limited to, notes, text, drawings, images, designs or computer programs, such submissions shall become, and shall remain, the sole property of the Company. No submission shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of the Company. The Company shall exclusively own all rights to (including intellectual property rights thereto), and shall be entitled to unrestricted use, publication, and dissemination as to all such submissions for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you.
  7. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to restrict unauthorised access to our data and files. However no system whether or not password protected can be entirely impenetrable. You acknowledge that it may be possible for an unauthorised third party to access, view, copy, modify, or distribute the data and files you store using the Site. Use of the Site is completely at your own risk.
  8. The Company will not intentionally disclose any personally identifying information about you to third parties, except where the Company, in good faith, believes such disclosure is necessary to comply with the law or enforce these Terms of Use. By using the Site, you signify your acceptance of the Company's Privacy Policy: https://mindful.dog/privacy-policy/. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, in whole or part, please do not use this Site.
  9. Neither the company nor any other party involved in creating, producing, or maintaining the site and/or any content on the site shall be liable under any circumstances for any direct, incidental, consequential, indirect, or punitive damages arising out of your access to or use of the site. Without limiting the foregoing, all content on the site is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The company does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use of the materials in the site, the results of the use of such materials, the suitability of such materials for any user's needs or the likelihood that their use will meet any user's expectations, or their correctness, accuracy, reliability, or correction. The company likewise does not warrant or make any representations or guarantees that you will achieve any specific results with your dog by using the site or the company's technology or services. You accept all responsibility for evaluating your own exercise capability as well as executing your own exercise plans. Your dog's progress is entirely dependent on your own efforts; your execution of the exercises suggested; the time you devote to practice; as well as your dog's prior experience and your skill. Since these factors differ among all individuals, the company cannot and does not warrant or make any representations or guarantees regarding your success. The company does not warrant that the use of the materials will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site, the content, and/or the materials available on this site are free from bugs or viruses or other harmful components. You assume all responsibility for the cost of all necessary repairs or corrections. The company shall not be responsible for any performance or service problems caused by any third party website or third party service provider. Any such problem shall be governed solely by the agreement between you and that provider. Please note that the applicable jurisdiction may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties. Some of the above exclusions may thus not apply to you.
  10. The company shall not be responsible for any performance or service problems caused by any third party website or third party service provider (including, for example, your web service provider service, Stripe payment services, your software and/or any updates or upgrades to that software). Any such problem shall be governed solely by the agreement between you and that provider. The company reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether the company is responsible for any such malfunction or disruption. The company also reserves the right to limit your use of the site and/or the content or to terminate your account should the company determine that you have violated these terms of use, or that you have violated any other rules or conditions of the company. The company reserves the right to refuse access to the site and/or the company's content, products and/or services to anyone in its sole discretion. The company reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether the company is responsible for any such malfunction or disruption. The company may, in its sole discretion, refund the initial fee charged for any use of the site and/or any content or a pro-rata portion thereof consistent with the company's refund policy. The company shall refuse any refund thirty (30) days after your payment for use of the site and/or any content, either pursuant to the company's customer licence agreement or otherwise, regardless of the reason for disruption.
  11. In no event shall the company be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, punitive, reliance or consequential damages, whether foreseeable or not, including, but not limited to, damage or loss of property, equipment, information or data, loss of profits, revenue or goodwill, cost of capital, cost of replacement services, or claims for service interruptions or transmission problems, occasioned by any defect in the site, the content, and/or related materials, the inability to use services provided hereunder or any other cause whatsoever with respect thereto, regardless of theory of liability. This limitation will apply even if the company has been advised or is aware of the possibility of such damages.
  12. You agree to indemnify and hold the Company and each of its directors, officers employees, and agents, harmless from any and all liabilities, claims, damages and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, arising out of or relating to (i) your breach of this Agreement, (ii) any violation by you of law or the rights of any third party, (iii) any materials, information, works and/or other content of whatever nature or media that you post or share on or through the Site, (iv) your use of the Site or any services that the Company may provide via the Site, and (v) your conduct in connection with the Site or the services or with other users of the Site or the services. The Company reserves the right to assume the exclusive defense of any claim for which we are entitled to indemnification under this Section. In such event, you shall provide the Company with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by the Company.
  13. The provisions of these Terms of Use are for the benefit of the Company, its subsidiaries, affiliates and its third party content providers and licensors, and each shall have the right to assert and enforce such provisions directly or on its own behalf.
  14. This agreement and the purchase and use of all products and services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Australian law, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. You further submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts sitting in New South Wales. If any provision of this agreement shall be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed severable from this agreement and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.
  15. Membership subscription. By taking out a membership subscription on this site (e.g. Puppy School - The Mindful Dog ) you are agreeing to the following conditions: Your payment subscription will be taken each month (or 6-months or year depending on subscription type selected) on the same day you originally subscribed. You will have full access to all the materials and benefits currently available within the membership and all new materials that are released as long as you remain a member. Your subscription amount will remain unchanged as long as your membership is uninterrupted. You can cancel your subscription at any time by emailing a cancellation request to [email protected]. Your membership will be cancelled from your next payment date and you will have access to materials until that point. After cancellation takes effect you will lose access to all Member benefits, including access to courses and the online community. No refunds can be issued for periods prior to the cancellation request being received. You will not be entitled to keep any materials, except downloads that you have legitimately taken. You are welcome to rejoin at a later date but your subscription will be set at the current rate at that time. If a subscription payment fails, we will attempt to contact you to resolve any issues, but if payment can't be collected after three attempts, your membership will be automatically cancelled.
  16. These Terms of Use may be revised from time to time by updating this posting. You are bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit this page to review the then current Terms and Conditions of Use to which you are bound.

Terms & Conditions - All Group Classes and Private Coaching Sessions

1. General Conduct & Coaching Approach

Harsh handling by means of mental or physical intimidation, force or physical punishment, is not permitted during our puppy parenting classes, nor during our private dog coaching sessions.

This type of human behaviour will be discouraged, by educating dog owners, handlers and guardians, on the effectiveness of less invasive and less aversive techniques, based on scientific disciplines, such as applied behaviour analysis.

Your instructor, Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA T/as The Mindful Dog, adheres to Steven R. Lindsay's "Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive" principle, also referred to as the L.I.M.A principle. This scientifically based principle is supported by the following, leading industry bodies:

  • CCPDT (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers)
  • APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers)
  • IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants)
Read the position statement of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers: http://www.ccpdt.org/about-us/least-intrusive-minimally-aversive-lima-effective-behavior-intervention-policy/

2. Health & Safety, Hygiene & Environment

All puppies and dogs attending our in-person Puppy School classes and Private Dog Coaching sessions, need to be up-to-date with their vaccinations, specific for their age group.

Puppies attending our in-person 6-week Puppy Preschool , need to have had at least their 1st puppy booster vaccination to protect against Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus (= C3 DHP), at least one week prior to attending group sessions.

All adult dogs booked for in-person, private, in home coaching services or in-person group puppy parenting classes, need to be up-to-date with their C5 vaccinations.

Your instructor will request to see a copy of your puppy or dog's most recent vaccination certificate prior to commencing in-person group classes and private coaching services.

Please note: We do not consider homeopathic nosodes an acceptable alternative to conventional vaccines for young puppies or dogs. We do however accept a written confirmation by your Veterinarian with regards to a recent titre test (min. 14 days prior to class start date) that your dog is currently still adequately immunised as per the commonly required C5 vaccines.

If your puppy or dog is attending in-person group classes or private coaching services, your dog also should have received regular and timely parasite treatments for worms, fleas and ticks. This is for the safety of your puppy or dog, and others; therefore no exceptions can be made. You will be requested to present a copy of your puppy or dog's most recent vaccination certificate; prior to entering the venue.

If a puppy or dog is unable to attend classes, owners are more than welcome to attend without their dog, in order to keep up to date with the course.

Please DO NOT bring your puppy or dog to group class if he or she has:

  • been in contact with another dog infected with a contagious disease
  • been diagnosed by a veterinarian with a contagious disease
  • if your puppy shows any signs of: runny eyes, runny nose, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, skin lesions or rashes
  • come into season (a female dog in heat)
Please always contact your veterinarian for any health related issues!

During group puppy parenting classes puppies and dogs must remain on leash at all times and be kept away from making contact with any other puppies or dogs whilst at the venue and during classes, unless specifically requested otherwise by your instructor.

Although we make every effort to allow your puppy to play with other suitable puppies during puppy parenting classes, we cannot guarantee the right mix of puppies will attend for this to be done safely. Consequently, puppy play may not occur during classes.

We make every effort to ensure the safety of both customers and puppies during the classes. By enrolling, you are accepting that participating in an activity with puppies and adults poses a potential risk of injury to yourself and your puppy, and you agree to indemnify your instructor, Radica Raeves of The Mindful Dog, for all personal injury and damage to property owned by you while attending the puppy parenting classes. You also agree to make any person who accompanies you to the class aware that they are also there at their own risk.

All instances of accident or injury must be reported to the instructor, immediately, at the time they occur.

Our chosen venue abides by the strictest hygiene standards and uses an industry grade, veterinary hospital disinfectant (F10), to clean the class venue, in order to create a safe and sanitised environment for both dogs and humans.

Owners are expected to clean up after their dogs in and around the class venue. Please ensure you come to class suitably prepared with poo bags to clean up any dog mess.

3. Equipment

Equipment REQUIRED during puppy parenting classes or private coaching sessions:

  • A regular, fabric or leather leash (120 - 180 cm length).
  • A regular buckle collar. Exception: A martingale collar will be allowed for sighthounds, and for safety reasons, if puppies and adult dogs have cleverly learned to slip their regular collar.
  • A treat pouch is a vital piece of equipment - used throughout your dogs life.
  • Bring your dog treat pouch filled with a mixed supply of soft, smelly food treats - cut into small pieces (appropriate for the size of your puppy): e.g. Ziwi Peak dry dog food (healthiest option), cooked chicken fillet, BBQ chicken fillet, hot-dogs, Frankfurter, cooked ham, tiny cheese cubes etc.
  • Your own supply of dog tidy poo bags.
  • Please wear enclosed footwear.
The following is not permitted:
  • Plastic zip-lock bags, plastic containers, original food treat packets.
  • These items are not permitted to be used in class, because the mere sound of plastic/packets being opened/closed, is very distracting for puppies and dogs. This has a negative effect on the quality of their learning. Instead, only the use of an appropriate dog treat pouch is permitted.
  • Head collars (head-halti, gentle leader), as they are less effective for our teaching purposes and can cause injury to the young puppy or dog's neck and spine.
  • Retractable leashes or Flexi-leashes and bungee leashes are not permitted in class.
  • Retractable leashes can cause serious injury to dog handlers and bystanders (from burns to severed fingers). They can also cause neck and spinal injuries to your puppy or dog; and are ineffective and inappropriate to teach loose leash walking.
  • Chain leashes, slip leashes and show leashes are not permitted in class as they are not effective for our teaching purposes.
  • Physical punishment-based training collars such as: check/choke chains, pinch/prong collars and all types of electronic collars are absolutely unnecessary and not permitted in our puppy parenting classes and private coaching sessions.
  • Any other device that causes discomfort, pain or fear, or which the instructor deems inappropriate or unacceptable.

4. Attendance

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

To make the most of the classes and achieve optimal results, short daily exercise sessions at home are favourable to allow you and your puppy to practice the techniques and lessons prior to the next class.

Puppies & Dogs:
Mindful Puppy School

Puppies of any dog breed or cross-breed are welcome to join our puppy parenting classes. Class and playgroup sizes are kept small, in order to provide individual tuition and a relaxed learning environment (e.g. 6-8 puppies max. / puppy class). Our Puppy Parenting Classes are designed to be fun and rewarding for both the puppy and puppy parent; and in the interest of safety, responsibility and welfare it is important that the following terms and conditions, specific to Puppy Parenting Classes are noted:

In-Person Mindful Puppy School Classes - Age Restrictions:
Only puppies aged between 8 and 16 weeks old at the start of this 6-week in-person course can attend Puppy School Classes. This is due to the fact that the development of this age bracket is quite different from older puppies.

Please also refer section: 2. Health & Safety, Hygiene & Environment

5. Bookings, Cancellations & Refunds

Bookings

At the time of online booking and payment, you will receive an email confirmation of your class enrolment details or private coaching appointment link. This email will confirm dates and times, and provide any other useful information with regards to your booking.

The class enrolment confirmation email, confirms that the customer will attend the entire, multi-week class course. The customer is expected to make every effort to attend each week. If the customer is unable to attend, they are responsible for informing their instructor as soon as possible.

It is the customer's responsibility to ensure they attend on the correct date, time and place for the classes, according to the details provided by the instructor, and to inform their instructor if they are unable to attend at least 72 hours in advance.

The full course fee or appointment fee must be paid at the time booking, using our secure online payment system (Square or Stripe). The price advertised at time of booking applies.

Failure to pay in advance may result in your spot being given to another customer.

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

Cancellation & Refund Policy - Puppy Parenting Classes & Course Program

All 6-week classes and course program cancellations need to be given at least 7 days prior to the start date of your classes and course program. Because we operate our classes on a very low instructor ~ dog ratio, refunds for cancellations within 7 days of the start date of the classes and course program, will only be granted if your spot can be filled by another customer.

All individual class cancellation / reschedule requests need to be given at least 72 hours prior to your scheduled class, in order to give someone else the opportunity to fill your spot.

Refunds will not be granted once you have started your 6-week classes and course program, meaning: you have attended your week 1 Orientation session and/or you have viewed up to 20% of your course program video lessons. There will be no partial refunds for missed classes.

Cancellation and Refund Policy - Private Coaching Consultation

All cancellations for Private Dog Coaching Consultations need to be communicated at least 72 hours prior to your scheduled appointment.

Refunds will not be granted if the customer does not show up on the scheduled appointment.

There will be no partial refunds for missed time if the customer arrived late to the scheduled appointment. We totally understand that unexpected things happen. Please contact us if you have questions.

Force Majeure Refunds

You are entitled to a full refund, in the event that your instructor, Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA, is forced to cancel (e.g. due to COVID-19):
- a multi-week course you enrolled for, prior to the start date of the multi-week course
- a private coaching session you booked, prior to the start of your booking.

Any exceptions to the above "Bookings, Cancellations & Refunds" policy is at the discretion of The Mindful Dog's class instructor or trainer.

6. Media Release

By accepting our full terms and conditions, you also consent and agree that The Mindful Dog, its employees, or agents have the right to take photographs, videotape, or digital recordings of yourself, your family members and your pets during puppy parenting classes at Paw Republic in Crows Nest, and to use these in any and all media, now or hereafter known, and exclusively for the purpose of marketing and education.

Your further understand and consent that no full names or contact details of yourself or family members will be disclosed therein. Only first names, pet names, species and breed will be made public in descriptive text or commentary.

You hereby release to The Mindful Dog, its agents, and employees all rights to exhibit this work in print and electronic form publicly or privately for use online and in their marketing and educational collateral. You also waive any rights, claims, or interest you may have to control the use of your identity or likeness in whatever media used.

You understand that there will be no financial or other remuneration for recording yourself, family members or pets, either for initial, or subsequent transmission or playback. You also understand that The Mindful Dog, is not responsible for any expense or liability incurred as a result of your participation in this recording, including any medical expenses due to any sickness or injury incurred as a result.

You represent that you are at least 18 years of age, have read and understood the foregoing statement, and are competent to execute this agreement.

7. Indemnity

You agree that:

Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA, T/asThe Mindful Dog, will endeavour to create as safe an environment as possible for the training of my dog and will offer only sound, safe, and responsible training instructions based on the current knowledge and best practises described in the position statements of the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

However, I recognise that Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA, T/as The Mindful Dog, is not responsible for any unintentional errors, omissions, or incorrect assertions. I understand that the recommendation of any other product or service is not a guarantee of my satisfaction with that product or service.

Further, I am and will remain responsible for the actions of my dog at all times and I hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA, T/as The Mindful Dog, of any claims of injury, expenses, costs, or damages caused by the actions of my dog while under Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA , T/as The Mindful Dog, instruction or control, and under my own care as a result of following training instructions. I have been told by Radica Raeves FDM CPDT-KA, T/as The Mindful Dog, and understand the inherent risks of owning a dog, including but not limited to the risk of dog bites to myself or others.

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