TopDog.ie - Top For Dogs! FAQ

Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.

Terms

The website and services of TopDog.ie are provided “as is” and are considered privileged. TopDog.ie can not be held responsible for the content contained within the site and the opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of TopDog.ie. Post are the responsibility of the author.

No selling of animals are allowed on the forums, either through posting or through the Private Message function. You will be found out if this is your reason for registering.

Conflicts & Grudges

Personal conflicts and grudges that have occurred among members outside of this site should stay that way. Keep it off the site. This is supposed to be a positive place for thoughts about our dogs.

Moderators & Administrators

The owner/moderators of TopDog.ie have the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason. If you believe that the actions of the moderator/admin are unjust, then pm the person. Do not start a thread whining on about how its so unfair and unjust. If you have a valid point then the mod/admin is more likely to listen and possibly reverse such actions. User names deemed unacceptable by the owners/admin /moderators of TopDog.ie may be removed/edited without notice.

Arguing, flaming, insulting or threatening a Staff members is grounds for permanent banning. We aren't here for you to scream at us, argue with us or flame us. We are here to help you, let us help you. The admin team run this site in their own time and for no profit, so unprovoked or sustained personal attacks may result in a ban - show some respect for their hard work! If you have a problem with one of our judgement calls, take it to private message. We are much more likely to listen, and trying to draw us out on the public forum is much more likely to be viewed in a dimmer light.

Use the search function

Please read the boards for a while before posting, after you have made your introductory post. The forums will not unlock for you unless you make one post introducing yourself. Use the 'search' function to see if your topic has already been discussed. You can either search through posts, or search Tags. Tags are keywords that may be put on threads by the original poster and can be contributed by other members. Please note that these are discussion boards and not a free resource for anyone looking to gather information for the print media or other media.

Offensive Posts & Pictures

As a member, you agree that you will not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, or that otherwise violate any laws. Use your head. If you think that someone may find the post/image offensive, then don't post it.

This is a friendly site. We have male and female members of different ages. We expect that your participation on this forum will reflect this fact. Any usernames, posts, signatures and avatars that involve sexual, violent or vulgar language or content will be deleted, and the poster will receive a warning. It is up to the Administrators and Moderators as to what constitutes inappropriate, so if you are unsure whether or not your post or signature is appropriate, do not post it.

Rudeness

Rudeness to any of our members will not be tolerated. Difference of opinion is fine and is to be expected, but rude comments being exchanged will not be tolerated and will be promptly dealt with. We have a diverse list of members, and as such expierences will be varied. Just remember that if your opinion differs to another members, attack the POST and not the MEMBER. Any member can use the report post button and report a post to alert Admin/Mods to a post that needs attention. If you feel that a post is insulting or otherwise offensive, report the post - do not let yourself be drawn into a slagging match. If you're caught insulting someone, no matter what the reason, warning points will be added to your account.

Trolls

Trolls will be removed.

Keep an open mind

Keep and open mind to other training methods. Your training method is not the only solution to a problem. All dogs are individuals, and there are many ways to train a dog to do a certain thing depending on the individual dog.

Do NOT name and shame

Due to the increasing number of puppy farms and backyard breeders there has been a large increase in the number of posts all over the internet from distraught new puppy owners who have been “taken” by a farmer or backyard breeder. Many who have gotten an ill or genetically unsound pup or have paid for a puppy only to come up empty handed when the so-called “kennel” fails to deliver. Members may still post information about puppy sales “gone bad” or terrible conditions of a kennel or animal but that information must stay anonymous, meaning that the kennel name, breeder name, email addresses, home address as well as web site information can not be listed. Keep in mind that many newer members may join up when they find themselves in the sad situation where they've been taken in by a puppy farm. If they are on here they are most likely looking for help, not to be judged or ridiculed for whats happened to them.

"Txt Spk"

There is absolutely no "txt spk" allowed. Posts will be deleted if presented in "txt spk". There is no per letter or per word charge so please don't use the forum in this way.

Privacy

Please respect people's privacy and refrain from posting up any personal details without their permission. Remember that anyone can read certain parts of these boards, and anyone else can read all the forums once they are registered and have one intro post, so never give out any personal details you're uncomfortable sharing with the world. Protect yourself. Please notify the mods if you are being harrassed, bullied, hassled, etc. Do not refer to people by their real names (unless they already appear in their user name. Please also remember that if a member has chosen to sign up with a nickname, then do not address them by their real name unless they themselves have revealed it on the forum. People who use a nickname often do so for a reason, possibly for anonymity, so please respect their decision.

IP addresses are recorded

Email addresses are required at registration, and you are required to keep your account up to date with a valid email address, but they will not sold on to marketing companies.

No deliberate hijacking of threads

Any post that is intentionally made to degrade or disrupt the flow of the thread and/or posts that (in the opinion of the moderating staff) are meant to be or are malicious in content will result in a warning. by their nature, many threads will naturally veer away from the original posts, in these situations the moderators/admin will use their discretion when deciding on any action to be taken - whether it is to leave the thread run its course, edit/delete/split the off-topic posts.

Advertising

Free business advertising is not permitted on these forums. There is positively NO ADVERTISING allowed on this website unless the member themselves are the sole owner and operator of the posted business and have gotten clearance from TopDog.ie Admin. Anything the TopDog staff deems as advertising will be promptly deleted. A member may not advertise through a post on the forums or through private messaging without clearance and full permission from the TopDog.ie Admin and will be warned and/or possibly banned. Your business/personal website address may be included in the space for it in your Profile. To include it in your signature, you must have prior consent.

Posting Links

The posting of links to other websites within general posts is allowed once it is relevant to the discussion. Please do not create links which are blatant advertisements as they will be removed, and you will be given a warning. If you violate this rule you may be banned. TopDog.ie reserves the right to remove any link we feel is not acceptable for this forum.

Respect others copyright

Copyrighted material is ineligible for inclusion on our board unless the source is clearly stated and verified, with a corresponding link to the original work.

Post in the correct forum

Please try and post new threads in the appropriate forum. If we feel that you have posted a new thread in the wrong forum, we will move the thread to where it should be without notice and may or may not leave a redirect. If your thread has been moved, check your User CP for your list of subscribed threads. Do not start a new thread asking where the old one went, if its been moved then there will be a reason for it.

Use meaningful titles

PLEASE give new threads concise and meaningful titles. Vague titles (e.g., 'did you see", "I want a..!") just waste time and waste bandwidth. Users who start a stream of threads with no meaningful content in topic specific forums or endlessly repeating topics already discussed will be warned and banned if they continue.

Spamming & re-registration

We DO NOT tolerate spamming (posting of the same thread in multiple sections, spamming of ads, spamming from people registering just to promote X product, etc). If we catch you spamming, we may place an outright ban on you. If you are unsure which forum would most match the topic of your thread, then post it in General Chat and a mod/admin will move it at a later stage to the most appropriate section. You have been warned.

You may not re-register with a different email address. RE-REGISTRATION after a temporary or permanent ban will result in non-negotiable permanent 'no appeal' ban on all accounts you have created. IP addresses are recorded and can be matched.

If a poster is banned, DO NOT put up posts/threads demanding an instant, in-depth explanation, or campaigning to get them back. Searching through the members last posts will probably reveal why they were banned, otherwise try politely PMing a moderator/admin instead (although we're under no obligation whatsoever to answer).

No multiple accounts

Multiple forum user accounts by the same person are forbidden. Members are limited to ONE account unless otherwise authorized by a TopDog.ie Admin. Protect your password and your account. You are responsible for your account regardless of compromise or stolen password. If, for some reason, you need a second account, then contact the Admin BEFORE registering this account, giving reason behind your request. If we see extra accounts being registered before a member of Admin has been contacted, then we will take a much dimmer view of the situation and application.

Private Messages

The above forum rules where applicable also apply to private messaging. Abuse of the private messaging system may lead to warnings and/or the revocation of private messaging privileges. It is not acceptable to post up the contents of a private message on the boards. Anyone using the PM facility to send out abusive, threatening or spamming messages can expect a warning/ban. Please forward any PMs of concern to the mods.

Infractions and Warnings

When a user receives a total of 10 warning points they will receive a temporary ban for 7 days. If they are banned again it will be for 14 days. After that, it's a perma-ban. There are general guidelines for warning points but moderators and administrators are free to issue any number of points for any offense as long as they feel that it is justified. That includes issuing 10 points (which would be an automatic ban) for a single offense.

Any user of these boards will be temporary or permanently banned upon receiving 10 or more infraction points as determined by staff. We still maintain the right to ban anyone immediately, no questions asked. You will receive an automatic Private Message for any infractions.

Accounts

Accounts will not be deleted on request. This can upset the general flow of conversations so will not be done.

Changes

Finally, TopDog.ie reserves the right to change these terms of without any prior notice. Please check the user agreement often to update yourself of any changes that have been made. It is your responsibility. Ignorance to our policies is not an acceptable excuse for violations. Please familiarize yourself with these rules and follow them. Try to enjoy your time spent here and do your best to make other members time here enjoyable as well.