Code of ethics of the Regroupement Québécois des Intervenants en Éducation Canine
CHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Definition :
1. Canine education consultant: designates a member of the Regroupement Québécois des Intervenants en Éducation Canine (RQIEC).
2. This code determines the duties and obligations with which all those involved in canine education fulfil whatever the framework or the mode of exercise of its activities or the nature of its contractual relationship with the client.
3. The canine education consultant cannot escape, even indirectly, from an obligation or a duty contained in this code.
CHAPTER II
GENERAL DUTIES
4. The canine education consultant carries out his activities with respect for the dignity and freedom of the person and animals.
5. The canine education consultant has an irreproachable behavior towards any person and any animal with which he comes into contact in the exercise of his activities, whether on a physical or psychological level.
6. The canine education consultant operates according to generally recognized scientific and professional principles and in accordance with the rules of the art in canine education.
7. The canine education consultant ensures the well-being of the animal during his activities, so he will not harm the physical integrity of the animal and will not cause him any pain or unpleasant sensation.
8. The consultant shall refrain from practising, recommending or encouraging any method which would be likely to cause pain or fear in the animal, in particular, but without this list being exhaustive, any method based on force, coercion or intimidation. It is understood that the following elements are considered in this code as force-based methods and this in particular understood, but without being limiting:
a) hitting, voluntarily pulling on the leash, thus striking the collar or harness of the animal, voluntarily letting the animal strike its collar, forcibly laying the animal down, keeping the animal on the ground;
b) use a choke chain, sliding collar, made of metal or fabric, a clamp collar or an electric collar;
c) any other tool preventing the dog from breathing or causing him discomfort, a feeling of pain or fear.
9. Notwithstanding the provisions of article 8 of this code, the canine education consultant may use the following collars and within the strict limit of the cases specified in this article:
a) wearing a “martingale” type collar for a dog whose neck and head are similar in size and whose sliding part prevents the dog from coming out of its collar. The collar must be adjusted so as not to be easily removed from the neck; he must not strangle the dog. The collar must in no case adopt a circumference smaller than that of the dog’s neck, even when the leash is tight;
b) the wearing of “martingales leashes” used in agility and other dog competitions which are used to quickly put on and take off the collar. The leash must in no case be tightened.
The consultant can temporarily tolerate, using good judgment, the wearing of a choke collar as a second fastener for safety reasons when a client apprehends the idea of removing it. In no case should the leash be attached solely or as a priority to the choke collar: a dog wearing a head collar or a harness may wear a strap which is connected to a choke collar. This must be done in such a way that if the dog succeeds in getting out of his first collar or harness, he remains attached by the choke collar. The leash is then attached so that in the event of tension, the head collar, the non-sliding collar or the harness take the hit and not the choke collar;
c) The practitioner recommends and aims to replace the choke collar with a regular collar, martingale or harness. He uses this tolerance temporarily when it has the effect of facilitating work with a client.
It is understood that the use of the collars mentioned in this article is strictly conditional on the fact that these collars do not cause pain or discomfort to the animal in their use.
10. The canine educator does not push the animal into error in order to correct it in any way.
11. The canine educator who works on aggression cases uses management to avoid any dangerous situation for the client, the dog, society and himself. He avoids putting himself in a situation of conflict with the animal. He does not intentionally provoke an aggressive reaction.
The accepted exception is an assessment situation for judicial and security purposes. The practitioner uses canine language observation to measure the dog’s discomfort and risk for normal assessment purposes and takes into account the fact that any aggressive reaction can make the dog less safe.
12. The canine education consultant takes into account all of the foreseeable consequences that his work may have on the life of his client, on the animal, and on society.
13. The canine education consultant fulfils his professional obligations with competence, integrity, objectivity and moderation.
14. The canine education consultant, in the exercise of his activities, engages his professional civil liability. He cannot evade it or attempt to elude it, nor require a client or a person to waive his recourse in the event of a fault on his part. Nor can he invoke the responsibility of the company in which he pursues his professional activities or that of another person who also pursues his activities there to exclude or limit his personal civil liability.
15. The canine education consultant takes all reasonable means so that any person who collaborates with him in the exercise of his profession, as well as any society in which he exercises his profession, respects this code.
CHAPTER III
DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THE CUSTOMER
SECTION I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
16. The canine education consultant has a duty of competence towards the client as well as obligations of integrity, independence, diligence and prudence.
17. Before agreeing to provide a professional service, the canine education consultant must take into account the limits of his skills, his knowledge and the means at his disposal. He must not, in particular, undertake or continue to provide a professional service for which he is not sufficiently prepared without obtaining the necessary assistance.
18. Before agreeing with a client on the provision of professional services, the canine education consultant takes into account the client’s demands and expectations.
19. The canine education consultant refrains from offering guarantees on the results of his interventions. He can guarantee the quality of his services, his training and his professionalism.
20. The member must refrain from making a medical diagnosis and / or proscribe or recommend not to follow the recommendations, opinions and advice of animal health professionals and must, in the interest of the client, respect the other animal health professionals. He may suggest consulting another health care professional for a diagnostic check or a second medical opinion.
SECTION II
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
21. The canine education consultant respects the privacy of the people with whom he enters into a professional relationship, in particular by refraining from collecting information and exploring aspects of private life that are not related to the achievement professional services agreed with the client.
22. The canine education consultant can be relieved of the obligation of confidentiality of any information obtained in the exercise of his functions only with the written authorization of the client or when the law authorizes it.
23. The canine education consultant does not reveal that a client makes use of or has called upon his professional services, or that he intends to use them, except with his consent.
24. The canine education consultant does not mention any factual information that could identify the owner of a dog when he uses information obtained from him for didactic, educational or scientific purposes.
SECTION III
DUTY TOWARDS ANIMALS
25. A canine education consultant may not lend or use an animal entrusted to his care for purposes other than those for which he was entrusted. Except for exceptional reasons, he must obtain the client’s consent before disposing of an animal that this client has entrusted to him.
26. The canine education consultant must report to the competent authorities when he finds that an animal or a population of animals has been subjected to ill-treatment.
SECTION IV
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE
27. The canine education consultant subordinates his personal interest or, where applicable, that of his employer or his work colleagues to the interest of his clients.
28. During the duration of the professional relationship, the canine education consultant does not interfere in the personal affairs of his client.
29. Unless prior written agreement of the client at the end of the professional relationship, the canine education consultant does not use his established professional relationship with a client for personal, political or commercial purposes.
30. The canine education consultant safeguards his professional independence and avoids any situation where he would be in a conflict of interest, especially when the interests involved are such that he might be inclined to prefer some of them to those of his customer or when his integrity and loyalty to him could be affected.
31. When the canine education consultant finds that he is in a situation of conflict of interest or that he risks being there, he defines the nature and the meaning of his obligations and responsibilities, informs his client and agrees with him, if necessary, appropriate measures.
32. When the canine education consultant practices his profession with several clients who may have divergent interests, he informs them of his obligation of impartiality and of the specific actions he will take to render his services professional. If the situation becomes irreconcilable with the impartial nature of his relationship with each client, he ends the professional relationship.
33. The canine education consultant does not take advantage of his status to demand unreasonable remuneration from his client.
SECTION V
QUALITY OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
34. The canine education consultant must avoid any false representation as to his level of competence or as to the efficiency of his professional services or, where applicable, as to the level of competence or the efficiency of the services of persons who operate within the same company as him.
35. The canine education consultant does not establish a diagnosis with regard to his client’s animal and does not give advice and advice to the latter unless he has sufficient professional and scientific training to do so.
36. The canine education consultant develops, perfects and maintains his knowledge and skills in the field in which he operates.
37. The canine education consultant consults another canine educator, a member of another professional association or another competent person or directs his client to one of these people when the interest of a client’s dog is concerned.
38. The canine education consultant refrains from carrying out his activities or taking action as far as the situation exceeds his knowledge. He does not pretend to have the knowledge necessary to help a client when he does not have it and he informs his client. He then directs his client to a colleague whom he thinks is more qualified on the said situation.
39. The canine education consultant seeks to establish or maintain a relationship of mutual trust and respect with his client.
40. The consultant must be diligent in offering its customers availability that complies with the service agreement, the representations it has made in its advertising and that will allow its customers to obtain the service within a reasonable time. of services for which they have already paid, if that is the case. In the event that his limited availability creates a situation that risks harming the dog, he refers the client to an appropriate resource.
41. The canine education consultant does not perform or multiply professional acts or work sessions without just cause and refrains from performing an inappropriate or disproportionate act according to the needs of his client.
42. The canine education consultant recognizes the client’s right to consult another canine educator, another professional or another competent person. In no way does it affect the free choice exercised by the customer.
SECTION VI
FEES, OTHER FEES AND SALE OF PRODUCTS
43. The canine education consultant requests and accepts fair and reasonable fees, justified by the circumstances and the costs of performing the professional services rendered. When setting fees, he takes into account in particular:
a) his experience and special skills;
b) time spent providing agreed professional services;
c) the difficulty or importance of professional services;
d) the provision of unusual professional services or services provided outside the usual conditions;
e) the provision of professional services requiring exceptional skill or speed.
44. The canine education consultant may claim in advance fees for services to be rendered in one or more sessions, provided they have a cancellation policy in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act.
45. The canine education consultant must provide the client, in writing, with a detailed statement of the cost of his services and of all related costs that he requires before rendering his services and when making any subsequent price changes. When it offers successive billing services, the invoice must be itemized so as to provide all the information relating to the cost of its services unless its fees have been set on a lump sum basis.
46. A member may not trade in products or methods likely to harm the health and physical and psychological integrity of the dog.
47. A canine education consultant may only collect interest on overdue accounts after having duly informed the customers. The interest thus demanded must be just and reasonable.
CHAPITRE IV
DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THE PUBLIC
48. In his public statements dealing with canine education, the canine education consultant avoided the use of exaggeration as well as any assertion that was purely sensational.
49. The canine education consultant avoids baselessly discrediting the public, the usual or new methods, different from those he uses in the exercise of his profession when these satisfy generally accepted professional and scientific principles in the profession and do not affect the physical and emotional integrity of the animal concerned.
50. In any professional consultation activity aimed at the public, the canine education consultant takes care to emphasize the relative value of the information or advice given on this occasion.
CHAPTER V
DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THE PROFESSION
51. To the extent of his resources, his qualifications and his experience, the canine education consultant seeks to promote the development and credibility of the profession.
52. The canine education consultant makes his best efforts to promote any measure likely to improve the visibility, quality and availability of quality professional services in the field in which he practices.
53. The canine education consultant does not intimidate or in any way hinder a representative of the RQIEC acting in the exercise of his or her duties.
54. The canine education consultant recognizes the responsibility of the association to ensure the protection of the public and the practice of interventions with dogs by competent persons. He collaborates in particular in:
a) informing the association that a candidate does not respect the conditions of admission and registration in the table of members of the association;
b) informing the association of the fact that a person usurps the title of canine education consultant or allows us to believe that he is using this title when he should not;
c) responding, as soon as possible, to any verbal or written request from a representative of the association.
55. A canine education consultant who is informed of an investigation into his conduct or his competence or of a complaint against him does not communicate with a person who has requested an investigation without written permission and prior to the association. He never seeks to intimidate, exercise or threaten to retaliate against a person on the ground that this person has participated or collaborates or intends to participate or collaborate in such an investigation or complaint, or that he denounces or intends to denounce a behavior contrary to the provisions of this code.
56. In the exercise of his activities, the canine education consultant sees to preserve his autonomy and recognizes that he is not required to perform a task contrary to his conscience or to the principles governing the exercise of his activities, in particular by informing the association of the pressures which it undergoes and which are likely to harm the exercise of its profession.
57. The canine education consultant demonstrates collaboration with his colleagues and does not surprise a colleague’s good faith or demonstrate to him a breach of trust or unfair practices.
58. The canine education consultant respects any commitment he has entered into with the association, its authorized representatives and its members.
CHAPITRE VI
PUBLICITY
59. The canine education consultant who participates in the commercial distribution of instruments, volumes or other products relating to canine education supports any statement concerning the operation, the advantages and the yield of these products on professionally proven and scientifically recognized in dog education.
60. The canine education consultant is able to justify the skills or particular qualities that he attributes to himself in his advertising, in particular as to the effectiveness or extent of his professional services and those generally provided by other members of his profession or as to his level of competence.
CHAPTER VII
USE OF THE LOGO OF THE ASSOCIATION
61. When the canine education consultant reproduces the logo of the association or makes representations to the effect that he is a member of the association for advertising purposes, he ensures that this symbol conforms to the original which is in the possession of the association or that the name of the association is reproduced in accordance with its name.
62. When he uses the logo of the association in his advertising, the canine education consultant does not suggest that it is an advertising of the association.
63. The canine education consultant who exercises his professional activities within a society ensures that any use of the logo of the association within the society is compliant.
64. The canine education consultant ensures that a company in which he carries out his professional activities uses the logo of the association in connection with advertising or the name of the company only if all the services provided by this company are services rendered by canine education stakeholders from the association. In the case of a company within which are provided professional services of canine education consultant and services of people other than consultants, the logo of the association may be used in relation to the name of this company or in the publicity of the latter, on the condition that the logo identifying each of the associations or organizations to which these persons belong are also used. However, the logo of the association can always be used in connection with the name of a canine education consultant of the association.