Dog Training Advice and Support is a Facebook Group of over 300,000 members
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Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions:
The stress-free way to live in harmony with your dog
A collection of articles, based on modern science, using force free and fear free methods
Solutions to common issues from pre-puppy to adulthood
Why is DTAS not like other Facebook Groups?
What is the group remit?
The group was set up by a small group of trainers and behaviourists back in 2012, to ensure people looking for advice and help on training and behaviour matters on Facebook, received safe, practical advice based in modern science.
Facebook is not really the ideal place to seek advice however, that is where people are looking for it and we realised if we didn’t provide safe sensible advice, the likelihood is that owners would find dangerous and outdated advice elsewhere.
In June 2019, Dog Training Advice and Support changed from a general group to a social learning group.
Now, with between two and three thousand requests a week to join the group, we can only accept those with a genuine interest in dog behaviour and those in need of the information and professional help in the group.
Our sole aim is to help dog owners do the absolute best for their dogs.
We totally understand if this is not the group for you. Just be aware that the group is not an airport and there is no need to announce your departure.
DTAS is a Self-Study Group
DTAS is not a normal, everyday, regular, Facebook group. It is a self-study group. All members are required to read the two compulsory guides and any others that relate to their situation before they can submit a question or comment on a post.
The guides are a culmination of the advice and work of the professional admins since the inception of the group.
There are 21 guides altogether that contain over 200 articles, links & videos.
Guides list:
1 – Welcome to DTAS
2 – Puppies
3 – Rescue Dog
4 – Recall
5 – Fearful Dog
6 – Resource Guarding
7 – Misc Frequently Asked
8 – Barking
9 – Separation Anxiety
10 – The Basics
11 – Dogs & Children/Babies
12 – Dog Speak
13 – Loose Lead Walking
14 – Dominance and Aversives
15 – Finding a Trainer
16 – Dogs and Cats
17 – Older Dogs
18 – Favourite Articles
19 – Video list
20 – Podcasts
21 – Recommended further information
Posts can be submitted three days a week, but the admin work seven days a week approving and answering them all.
Posts are limited to Admin and the original poster (OP) with only a few exceptions. Posts will start with the red framed graphic that states this.
We appreciate that Facebook doesn’t show you all the posts in a thread or show comments in chronological order. If you don’t see the Admin and OP only graphic, please look for it before choosing to comment.
There are lots of groups where you can repeat the advice given, disagree with the professional advice, relate your similar problem, post a picture of your dog and wonder if they are related. DTAS isn’t one of them.
When we answer a pending post we want to advise the poster without being interrupted, just as we would with a paying client. Often we will know more than is contained in the post either from previous posts in the group, or in our premium groups, or privately.
Why can’t I share my opinion, I am entitled to it?
This is where DTAS is not like other groups. We are not a discussion group. We are not here to debate whether you believe in one method over another, or to make friends and bond over similar issues. That may sound harsh but there are a million and one groups for that purpose on Facebook. We even recommend some of them!
The DTAS remit is to provide safe, sensible help and education to those in need. Nothing more.
We appreciate there will be any number of methods that can be used for any one problem. We understand that you may have done something differently and it may well have worked for you.
Our responsibility however is to provide advice we know works, and that we know is safe. We are also often privy to further information that is not provided on the public thread, and so we offer the advice we know to be safe and effective.
We are not closed-minded and none of us consider that we have nothing left to learn. This is why we all read the latest publications, we attend conferences, seminars and workshops to continue our professional development, usually at a personal cost of hundreds or even thousands of pounds per year.
Third Party Advice
We are unable to give advice via a third party. If you are a canine professional, for example a dog groomer, dog walker, trainer, day care provider, dog sitter or behaviour consultant; you will need to refer your client to our group.
If you are a professional, you will have access to other professionals via a professional body. You should know when a problem is outside your remit or beyond your skill level, and refer on.
You should have a network of professional colleagues to discuss things with. If you do not, there are Facebook groups for this. This is one of the prime reasons for being a member of a professional body.
Finally, some posts contain information that may upset or anger members. For example an owner admitting they have used a shock collar or have hit their dog. We try our best not to judge people and to offer the advice they need. Part of that means protecting them from online bullying and abuse. If posts of this nature are approved to the page we respectfully request that members resist the urge to ‘angry face’ the post so that the OP feels safe to accept our advice and change how they train. It is no good to us if posters are frightened to be honest about what they have tried in the past, as we need as accurate a history as we can get to help resolve the issue.
Premium Membership Groups
We have four Premium Membership Groups, for which we charge a monthly fee. This is also how we raise funds for our chosen charity each month. See Donations to Charity for more details.
Pre-Puppy Club
Getting a puppy? Come and join our Pre-Puppy Club. Small private group exclusive to DTAS members. Expert advice on all aspects of preparing to welcome a new puppy into the family.
Just £12 one off fee to join. Highly recommended by past and present members.
Send us an email for further details
Puppy Club – The First Weeks
For DTAS members with a new puppy.
Full access to an admin team for advice on all aspects of raising a puppy including subjects that are not covered in the main group.
£18 for the first month then £15 a month. The only proviso being that you must be reading or have read the compulsory guides in the group and the puppy guide so that you are already on board with our force free, fear free approach to raising a puppy.
Send us an email for further details
Monthly Premium Group – £20
A private group with full access to an admin team.
Starts at the beginning of each month. Limited numbers.
Send us an email for further details
Separation Anxiety Group – £25 per month
A private group with Emma our Separation Anxiety Specialist.
This group is a halfway house between the full support of a private trainer and the free support in the main group.
Join anytime subject to available space.
Send us an email for further details
