4muddypawz Privacy Policy

Last updated: 17 September 2026

Plain-English summary

4muddypawz is an app that helps dog owners practise short training games, record training clips and get AI-assisted feedback on their training. This policy explains what personal information the app uses, why, who helps us run it, and your rights.

• We use your email address, your first name, your dog's profile and the training clips you record to run your account and give you feedback.
• Training clips are analysed with AI provided by Google (Gemini). AI feedback can be incomplete or wrong, and it is not veterinary advice.
• Your clips are stored privately. We do not currently delete clips automatically after they are analysed. You can ask us to delete your account and your clips at any time.
• We do not sell your personal information.
• We do not use your clips, dog photos, name or reports for marketing, testimonials or public examples without your separate permission.

This policy covers the 4muddypawz app at app.4muddypawz.co.uk. The 4muddypawz website at 4muddypawz.co.uk has its own privacy page.

1. Who we are

4muddypawz is operated by Dean Laval trading as 4muddypawz. In this policy, "4muddypawz", "we", "us" and "our" mean Dean Laval trading as 4muddypawz.

For UK data protection law, the controller of the personal information described in this policy is Dean Laval trading as 4muddypawz.

For any question about this policy or your personal information, email info@4muddypawz.co.uk. You can also use our contact page.

2. What the app does

4muddypawz provides AI-assisted dog-training feedback and educational guidance. Owners follow a guided Puppy Academy pathway, play short training games, record clips of their practice and receive feedback on things such as timing, reward delivery, their dog's engagement and what to practise next.

4muddypawz does not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it does not guarantee any training or behaviour outcome.

3. Information we collect

Account information

When you create an account, we collect:

• your email address, which you use to sign in with a one-time sign-in link;
• your first name;
• sign-in and session records created by our authentication provider;
• the date and version of the Terms of Service you agreed to and the Privacy Policy you acknowledged;
• the date you allowed optional analytics or marketing cookies, if you did so while signed in;
• your Academy access status and your progress through app steps, such as which welcome videos you have watched.

Dog profile information

We collect:

• your dog's name;
• your dog's date of birth, and whether that date is an estimate;
• the date your dog came, or will come, home;
• a photo of your dog, if you add one;
• an illustrated avatar of your dog created from that photo.

Information about a dog is not usually personal information on its own, but we treat it carefully because it is linked to your account.

Training clips, feedback and progress

When you record or upload a training clip, we collect:

• the video, including its sound, such as your voice, cues and marker words;
• details of the submission, such as the training game, when it was recorded, and its processing status;
• the AI-generated analysis and the feedback report created from it;
• your training progress and session history.

Clips can accidentally show more than your dog, for example your face, other people, children, the inside of your home, or location clues. Please film only what is needed for training feedback (see section 7).

The Marker Game without an account

You can try the Marker Game before creating an account. If you do, we collect the clip you submit, the AI feedback on it, a random visitor identifier stored in a cookie, and a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address. We use the identifier and hashed IP address to limit the number of free reviews and prevent misuse.

If you ask us to email you a reminder to play the Marker Game later, we collect your email address and pass it to our email provider, MailerLite, to send that reminder.

Written training questions

If you use the dog-training question tool (the "diagnosis" screen), we collect the short description you type about your dog. Please do not include names, contact details or health information in that description.

Earlier tester applications

If you applied to join an earlier 4muddypawz tester programme, we hold the information you gave in that application, such as your name, email address, general location and details about your dog.

Payment information

The Puppy Academy is currently free and the app does not currently take payments.

If you bought Academy access before it became free, the payment was processed by Stripe. We do not receive or store full card details. We keep the records needed to manage that purchase and meet tax and accounting rules, such as the Stripe customer, checkout and payment references, the email address used at checkout, the amount and the access it gave.

Technical and security information

When you use the app, our systems and service providers record technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, pages requested, sign-in activity, upload and processing logs, and error reports.

Measurement and advertising information

If you allow analytics or marketing cookies, we record how you arrived at the app (for example the advertising campaign or link), a random visitor identifier, and key steps such as starting sign-up or submitting a first clip. The Cookie Notice explains these tools and how to change your choices.

If you allow marketing cookies, then when you create an account, and when you submit your first and second training clips, our server also tells Meta (the company behind Facebook and Instagram) that the event happened. This helps us measure whether our adverts work. It includes a scrambled (hashed) copy of your email address and account ID, your IP address and browser details, and, where present, Meta's own browser identifiers. Meta cannot read your email address from the hashed copy, but it can use it to match the event to a Meta account. If you have not allowed marketing, or you turn it off, our server does not send these events. You can change this at any time on the Cookie Notice page.

Messages you send us

If you email us, we keep your message, your contact details and our reply.

4. Training videos and AI

This section explains, in plain English, what happens when you submit a training clip.

What is sent. Your clip is uploaded to private storage. Our analysis service then sends the clip, including its sound, to Google's Gemini AI service, together with information that helps the AI understand the clip:

• the training game and what that game is looking for;
• your dog's name;
• your first name;
• your dog's profile photo, if you added one, so the AI can tell which dog in the clip is yours.

Why. The AI watches and listens to the clip and describes what it observes, such as the timing of your marker, how rewards were delivered and how engaged your dog was. We turn that into your feedback report and use it to track your progress.

Google. We use Google Gemini on a paid API service to process training videos and related information. Under the applicable paid-service terms, Google does not use this content to improve its general-purpose models or products. Once analysis is finished, our system asks Google to delete the temporary copy of the clip it received. Limited retention may still occur for security, abuse prevention and legal compliance.

Other AI features. We use OpenAI to create your dog's illustrated avatar from the photo you upload. Some recording screens may also send a few still images from the start of a clip to OpenAI to produce quick tips while you train. If you use the written training-question tool, your description is sent to Anthropic's Claude AI service to suggest a starting point for training.

What we do not do. We do not build or train our own general-purpose AI models. We do not sell your clips.

Quality checks. We may look at clips and reports, and run analysis again on stored clips, to check feedback quality, fix problems and improve how the app assesses training. Access to clips is limited to the operator of 4muddypawz and people helping to run the service.

Limits of AI feedback. AI feedback is based only on what can be seen and heard in the clip. It can be incomplete or wrong, especially if the clip is dark, noisy, short, shaky, far away, or the important moment happens off camera. It is educational feedback about training practice. It is not veterinary advice, a diagnosis, or an assessment of your dog's health or behaviour.

Do not rely only on AI feedback for anything important to your dog's safety, health or behaviour. If your dog shows signs of pain, illness, fear, aggression or distress, or anyone could be at risk, stop training and speak to your vet or a suitably qualified professional.

5. Automated assessment

The app automatically assesses whether a clip shows what a training game is looking for, and may suggest repeating a game before moving on. This helps guide your practice. It does not affect your access to the Academy and has no legal or similarly significant effect on you. If you have questions about feedback on a clip, email info@4muddypawz.co.uk.

6. How we use your information and our lawful bases

UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for each use of personal information. We rely on:

• contract, where the use is needed to provide the app you signed up for;
• legitimate interests, where the use is needed for reasonable business purposes that do not override your rights;
• consent, where we ask for your permission, which you can withdraw at any time;
• legal obligation, where the law requires it.

7. Clips, photos and other people

Training clips and dog photos can accidentally include:

• your face or voice;
• family members, visitors or neighbours;
• children;
• the inside of your home, house numbers, street signs or other location clues;
• private conversations;
• your dog's tag or other contact details.

Please film only what is needed for training feedback. Do not upload clips showing other people unless they are happy for you to do so. Do not upload clips of children unless you are their parent or guardian or have appropriate permission. Do not upload content showing cruelty, unsafe handling, illegal activity or anything that infringes someone else's rights.

8. Who we share information with

We share information only with the service providers that help us run the app, and only as needed for the purposes in this policy:

We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect people's safety, to prevent fraud or security abuse, to deal with legal claims, or if the 4muddypawz business is sold or transferred.

9. International transfers

Some of our service providers, or their own suppliers, process information outside the UK, including in the United States. Where information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the safeguards available under UK law, such as UK adequacy regulations (including the UK-US data bridge for certified companies), the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or the data processing terms offered by the provider.

10. How long we keep information

We keep personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, meet legal requirements and resolve security or support issues. The app does not currently have an automatic deletion schedule.

• Account, dog profile, photos, avatars, training clips, reports and progress: kept while your account exists. Clips are not deleted automatically after they are analysed. They are deleted when you ask us to delete your account (see section 13).
• Marker Game clips submitted without an account: not currently deleted automatically. You can ask us to delete one (see section 13).
• Temporary copies of clips sent to Google for analysis: our system asks Google to delete them once analysis is finished.
• Records of past purchases: kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires.
• Support emails: kept for as long as needed to deal with your request and any follow-up.
• Technical and security logs: kept for limited periods set by our hosting and service providers.
• Backups: kept by our service providers and overwritten on their normal cycle.

11. Security

We protect personal information with measures including private storage for clips and photos, time-limited links for viewing stored files, database access rules that limit each account to its own information, restricted administrative access, and bot protection on public forms.

No online service can be completely secure. Do not share your sign-in links, and contact us promptly if you think someone has accessed your account.

12. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• ask us to delete your information;
• ask us to limit how we use your information;
• object to how we use your information, including for advertising measurement;
• ask for information you gave us in a portable format;
• withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.

Some rights apply only in certain circumstances. To use any of them, email info@4muddypawz.co.uk. We may need to confirm your identity first. We will normally reply within one month.

You can change your cookie choices at any time on the Cookie Notice page.

13. Account deletion

You can ask us to permanently delete your account and the personal information associated with it. Deletion is currently handled by email. See how to delete your account for what to send, what will be deleted, and what may be kept.

We aim to complete verified account deletion requests within 30 days.

14. Children

The app is not aimed at children. You must be at least 18 to create an account. We do not knowingly allow people under 18 to create accounts.

Families often train dogs together. Please make sure any clip showing a child is appropriate, and upload it only if you are the child's parent or guardian or have appropriate permission.

15. Marketing

We will only send you marketing emails if you have agreed to receive them, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

We will not use your name, your dog's photo, your clips, your reports or a testimonial from you in marketing without your separate permission.

16. Cookies and similar technologies

We use necessary cookies and local storage to keep you signed in, keep the app secure and remember your choices. Optional analytics and marketing tools are described in the Cookie Notice, where you can also change your choices.

17. Bot protection

To protect some public forms, such as the written training-question tool, from bots and automated abuse, we use Cloudflare Turnstile in invisible mode. There is no puzzle to solve. When you submit the form, Turnstile runs a background check that may use limited information such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics and how you interact with the page, and it may set a strictly necessary cookie. We use the result only to decide whether to accept the submission.

Cloudflare acts as our service provider for this security purpose. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure. For more detail, see the Cloudflare Turnstile privacy addendum.

18. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first at info@4muddypawz.co.uk so we can try to put things right.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

19. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the app or the law changes. We will change the "Last updated" date above and, if the changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to let you know.