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 dog 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it, and we realised if we didn’t provide safe, sensible advice, the likelihood is that owners would find dangerous and outdated advice elsewhere.
Why Are Posts Approval Only?
By setting posts to ‘approval’ we make sure that no post gets missed, and that every post is answered by a qualified person.
Why are Most Posts OP and Admin only?
This is not a discussion group. All posts are approved and answered by an admin, and then a conversation will most likely follow between the advising admin and the Original Poster (OP). This is a private conversation, but available for group members to read, observe and benefit from. We appreciate that you may have experience in the same matter, but we cannot moderate unwanted comments and maintain the high standard of the group if we allow some and not others, so it is strictly OP and admin only.
Why Can’t I Share My Opinion? I Am Entitled To It!
This is where DTAS is not like other groups. This is 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 that 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, so we offer the advice we know to be safe and effective.
We are not closed-minded. None of us consider that we have nothing left to learn, which is why we all read latest publications, attend conferences, seminars and workshops to continue our professional development, usually at a personal cost of hundreds or even thousands of pounds per year.
Why Did You Decline My Post?
Most likely, because it broke the rules! If your post was not dog behaviour or dog training related, for example ‘what breed do you think my dog is’, or if you wanted veterinary advice which we cannot legally offer you, that’s a common reason for a post deletion.
We are unable to give advice via a third party. If you are a canine professional, eg a dog groomer, dog walker, trainer, day care provider, dog sitter or behaviour consultant, then 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, and will know when a problem is outside your remit or beyond your skill level, to refer on. You should have a network of professional colleagues to discuss things with. If you do not, there are Facebook groups for this, and this is one of the prime reasons for being a member of a professional body.
As of the beginning of 2020 posts will no longer be approved if the appropriate units have not been read by the poster.
And 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.
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 this is not an airport and there is no need to announce your departure.