The DogSmith Guiding Principles

The DogSmith is the only Force-Free Dog Training and Pet Care Franchise in the United States. We are proud members of The Pet Professional Guild.

The DogSmith Pledge

As DogSmith professionals,

We pledge to use our knowledge and skills for the benefit of pet owners and their pets. We will practice our profession conscientiously with dignity and in keeping with the principles of The DogSmith ethics, mission, vision and values.

We accept, as a lifelong obligation, the continual improvement of our professional knowledge and competence. We are committed to the highest professional and ethical standards in our business practices and in our approach to dog training and pet care. Our customers will always be treated with respect, kindness and caring.
We look for clients who share these values in their relationship with their pet and who;

• Are committed to educating their dog and learning to truly communicate with it
• Enjoy working, playing and spending time with their dogs
• Integrate their dog into their family and are willing to teach it how to live in human society
• Recognize and understand the value, effectiveness and power of force-free training methods
• Are dedicated to optimizing the physical, social and mental well-being of their pets

The DogSmith Mission

Our mission is to help make every pet a valued member of its family and improve the relationship and the quality of life people share with their pets by;

• Providing the greatest value and highest quality, state-of-the-art, force-free, scientific based dog training and pet care for each of our clients,
• Always demonstrating integrity, compassion and an uncompromising commitment to excellence in our care and support of our clients and their pets,
• Continually expanding our knowledge and improving our skills to serve our clients as a valuable resource providing the most innovative dog training and pet care possible helping keep pet ownership uncomplicated,
• Communicating with our clients as partners concerning their pet's well-being enabling our clients to make educated decisions regarding their pet's training and care,
• Exceeding our client's expectations ensuring they are satisfied with the services we provide,
• Knowing that each pet has unique needs that we will do everything in our power to satisfy,
• Respecting the individual spirit of each pet and fully acknowledging that they have no voice and depend on us,
• Giving back to our community by supporting and assisting animal shelters and rescue organizations to minimize the number of unwanted animals.

The DogSmith Vision

Every DogSmith will work toward a society where people and pets live together to their mutual benefit. Through our efforts, skills and training, we strive to help pets become family, significantly reducing the number of unwanted pets and providing abused, neglected, and abandoned pets an opportunity to find their “forever home”.

The DogSmith Key Values

• Do no harm.
• Emphasize a 'holistic', force-free, approach to dog training and pet care by attending to the physical, emotional, and environmental well being of pets in our care.
• Support, through our Canine Rescue Resources programs, humane societies, animal shelters and rescue organizations.

The DogSmith Professional Ethics

The DogSmith Professional Ethics are as follows.

1. A DogSmith will always hold the dog's welfare as our top priority. The dog is the vulnerable component in the consultation process as they cannot offer informed consent
2. The role of a DogSmith is one that is beneficial to the dog and never to its detriment. We seek to do no harm.
3. A DogSmith will not condone or endorse any treatment by a dog's owner that is physically or mentally cruel. We will opt out of a consulting agreement rather than attempt to manage an unethical course of action.
4. A DogSmith will only consult with clients who offer cases that we have the professional competence to deal with.
5. A DogSmith will only use procedures, protocols and training tools that are empirically based and have a proven track record.
6. A DogSmith trainer considers communications with their clients privileged. We will only break that confidentiality if a dog is being abused and the client cannot be dissuaded from using their current approach. We will act according to local and state laws in terms of reporting animal cruelty.
7. A DogSmith recognizes that the owner is responsible for their dog and the owner has the right to make decisions about the professional treatment of their dog.
8. A DogSmith will apply the following ethical principles to each situation we encounter:
   a. Respect for the freedom and dignity of others
   b. Do no harm
   c. Do good
   d. Act fairly
   e. Be faithful to promises made