Code of Conduct
Caryn Charlie Liles is the Regional Director for the International Positive Dog Training Association (IPDTA) and as a member of this organization, must adhere to a Code of Conduct. This is outlined below:
IPDTA members must treat all living things with respect, whether animal or human.
Any tool or technique that was designed as an aversive or to cause fear and/or pain for the dog is not to be used by IPDTA members, anyone training at the member's facility or training in any capacity under the member's business name.
If at any point a tool or technique causes fear, other alternatives must be investigated. We understand that when working with fearful dogs this may be unavoidable. Under these circumstances the environment must be controlled and rehabilitation sessions must be kept short in order to keep the dog’s distress to a minimum throughout rehabilitation.
Any interrupter must not be aversive in nature and should only serve to get the dog’s attention – or to interrupt an unwanted behaviour in order to re-direct and reinforce an alternative behaviour. Unless the dog is in danger, interrupters that startle the dog or cause fear are unacceptable.
IPDTA members are required to learn about canine body language and calming signals in order to understand how a dog is feeling at a glance. Without a good understanding of canine body language it is impossible to know whether or not a tool or technique falls within IPDTA guidelines for humane training.
- Any tool or technique immediately becomes unacceptable if the subject dog shows any sign of pain, distress or increased anxiety.
- Any tool or technique with a high risk of misuse, abuse and/or malfunction resulting in fear or pain for the dog is unacceptable.
- The misuse and/or abuse of any tool or technique is unacceptable.
- The IPDTA believes that although physical punishment in training may achieve short term results, punishment simply creates avoidance and does not address the root cause of the problem. Physical punishment comes with a high risk of damage to the dog’s temperament, physical, emotional and/or psychological well-being, and as result is unacceptable.
The IPDTA accepts that a dog must learn to enjoy and accept reasonable handling and restraint in order to remain safe and receive proper care, but any such handling or restraint that causes un-necessary physical and/or emotional trauma to the dog is not acceptable. Dogs with an aversion to handling and/or restraint must be desensitized and counter-conditioned by a qualified, positive trainer.
IPDTA members must agree to conduct any and all training, behaviour modification and interactions between animals and people using only IPDTA-accepted methods and ideals.
