I want training to feel workable for everyone taking part. Tell me what helps you participate comfortably, and share the practical details I need to plan for access and safety. You can pause or decline an exercise at any time. When a safety requirement cannot be met, I’ll pause the activity and talk through the next step with you. Progress varies, and I cannot guarantee a particular behavior change, timeline, cure, or permanent outcome.

Households and handlers. A household account may include resident dogs, adult household members, and regular caretakers who meet my household definition. Each participating dog needs one assigned human handler, and one person may not actively handle two dogs at once. An approved support person may accompany a disabled participant. Children under 4 may be present safely but are not recommended to train actively. Children ages 4–13 may help an adult but may not hold a leash. A minor ages 14–17 may hold a leash only with adult supervision, my safety approval, and a parent or legal guardian’s prior signature. Age 14 is my provisional minimum leash-handling age.

Health and shared spaces. For in-person sessions where dogs share space with unfamiliar dogs or use dog-shared facilities, I require age-appropriate veterinary records showing current protection for rabies, distemper, adenovirus type 2, parvovirus, leptospirosis, Bordetella, and parainfluenza. Applicable law, a veterinarian’s guidance, and stricter venue rules also matter. Canine influenza or Lyme vaccination is not an automatic Journey requirement; I may consider local outbreak or venue requirements. For a documented medical contraindication or veterinarian-guided plan, I’ll review the situation individually and may suggest a lower-exposure format. I provide education, not veterinary diagnosis, treatment, or medication advice.

Equipment and locations. Please use a fixed-length leash; retractable leashes are not allowed during attendance. Ask me before using any training tool so we can review it together. I use humane, individualized, reinforcement-focused methods and do not use harsh methods. Sessions take place in an agreed setting that fits the service and safety needs. My home is not currently available for client sessions. At partner venues, both Journey’s and reasonable venue rules apply; the stricter safety rule controls for that visit.

Photos and video. You may record your own dog and household members while protecting other people’s, minors’, and dogs’ privacy. Ask permission before making me or a Journey demonstration the main subject. I may stop recording if it interferes with safety, instruction, or privacy. For media I create, you can choose public and promotional use, private training use only, or no media use. Public and promotional permission also includes private training use. Private training permission never allows public posting. If you do not choose, I treat media as declined. Video can help us review progress during a Journey Checkpoint; declining video may make that review less complete.

Safety and changes. A significant bite, escape, or other serious safety incident may pause that dog’s participation while I privately review what happened and what would make a safe return workable. A pause is precautionary, not automatic punishment or dismissal. I’ll explain any pause, restrictions, next steps, and how payments or reservations are handled.

Reservations and cancellations. A place is confirmed only after required payment, eligibility information, and prerequisites are complete. Joining a waitlist does not reserve a place or use a paid credit or membership use. Private appointments canceled before the calendar day of service may be refunded or credited. Same-day private cancellations and late workshop cancellations or no-shows ordinarily use the scheduled payment, credit, or membership use. I review illness, disability, emergencies, access barriers, and other reasonable circumstances individually; where appropriate, an exception is usually issued as Journey credit.