The current state of our industry is far from a fair game. Beyond the professional disagreements over methods, philosophies, and tools, there are sinister strategies at play, demanding our immediate attention. As Foubert (2016) points out, scientific research in animal behavior and canine ethology provides humane training methods for dogs. However, there’s no legal obligation for dog trainers to apply these methods. This can lead to harmful training techniques and consumer deception. The burden of identifying a ‘qualified’ dog trainer falls on the consumers, a situation that is both alarming and unjust. This strikes me as unfortunate, to say the least (for dogs and their owners), and incongruous, given that consumers are protected by legislation across an overwhelming number of other products, services, and industries—at both state and federal levels. Come and join the discussion on Consumer Transparency and Protection as we explore what this means, its implications and ramifications for +R-based trainers, and how, with a new understanding of its importance, we can compete and combat “professionals” who are deceptive, fraudulent, and unethical. This session will explore and meander around several topics that, when combined, set up the conditions for ensuring we provide ethical and honest practices. To juxtapose this, we will also explore examples of fraudulent marketing and illegal practices from pet industry players and compare these to other industries where legal action has been sought and won, preventing statements and unfounded guarantees that hoodwink pet owners and set up for dangerous and risky procedures for the four-legged clients. Knowledge is power; your new understanding of ethics in marketing and consumer transparency and protection will help you further educate prospective clients and guide them to the appropriate service providers.

Sponsor:Pet Professional Guild
Speaker(s):Niki Tudge

Contact: Rebekah King
 Email: events@petprofessionalguild.com
 Web: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/consumer-protection-and-transparency-i