What would your ideal dog walking facility be?

Tinkerbee

Tinkerbee

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For an assignment we have to turn a horrendously grotty piece of woodland into something more useful and my original equine idea was scrapped, so I am no thinking along the lines of a dog walking area... sounds exciting. :rolleyes:

Anyway, if you could design your dream dog walking destination what would it be like? Assuming you live in an urban area and can't/won't trek to somewhere nice and scenic...

Some of it is already wooded so I was thinking of having part of it as general wooded tracks to walk along, with plenty of poo bag/bin stations and drinking areas. And then in another bit of it a big enclosed area so dogs can be off lead safely, a bit like the photos that Katie and Prose etc post. A dog friendly cafe/meeting area so you can have a cup of a coffee etc. I would have a barn or something and run training/socialisation classes, have information available on neutering/responsible ownership etc.

Does this sound like something your average dog walker would want? :confused: Any hints, tips on what you would like at such a place? Or is it a non starter?

Any breed/discipline specific ideas, sled dog people for example?

It isn't a business degree so doesn't have to be a fantastic money spinner, but has to benefit the local community in some way.

Any ideas much appreciated. :)

*It is all completely hypothetical, but has to reasonably plausible.
 
We have somewhere a bit like this already, on some local Forestry Commission land and in a local country park. The country park is more or less perfect - it has:

Tracks through the woods - not bark chipped or tarmac-ed or anything horrendous like that, I prefer mud!;

Some fenced areas of natural scrub etc - they had these for livestock but they have now moved the animals. I let Henry off throughout the place, but these areas were great for early training. They also have water troughs in there still, so v handy;

A river:D;

Poop bins - not all over the place though, just in the carparks, which I prefer. Guess in a town you might want more though;

In summer, an ice-cream van:D
 
Cheers :) We have a trip to the site next week, so I will have to check out the bin situation, apparently the place is foul with dog muck...so will see what the current facilities are!

Spudlet, at your place do you have to pay for anything? Is there a charge for car parking? Any other charges, other than say cafe etc?
 
It costs 50p for the carpark. But as I am a major skinflint, I tend to find a space on the verge instead:o The place is huge and has loads of places to enter and leave so it's easy to find somewhere:)
 
Elle123 said:
We always look for water :D lab and goldie can sniff it out a mile off! Schnauz and cocker (not yet anyway!) aren't such fans!

No steep drops either :D


Elle
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Agree that a water feature for those dogs so inclined would be great ... Also, over here there are large indoor facilities that serve as day care places in the daytime and open their doors for a play hour or two some evenings. People pay a few dollars to go and have the social time for their dogs and it is especially popular during the dark evenings of winter. Here's a website of one (I've never been - my dogs would hate being that enclosed with so many other dogs): http://pawshereinc.com/Welcome_to_Paws_Here/Home.html
 
Um, somthing like a mix of the two parks we have here, a good sized enclosed area would be fab, a dog pond with a slope into it, mix of fields and woodland to walk in, plenty of bins, shorter routes and longer routes so you can mix and match depending on how much time you have. A dog friendly cafe is a good idea and cheap parking! :D
 
Thanks for the ideas. :) There is a body of water there I think, will have to wait and see if it needs to be made more dog friendly.
 
We have a dog park here set on 40 acres.

All fenced and gated.

Area for agility

Area for retrieve training

Man made lake for them to swim in.

Large open area in the middle and then gravel and wood chip trails all over.

You also have to have a card to swipe and get in.

LOVE IT!
 
katielou_houston said:
We have a dog park here set on 40 acres.

All fenced and gated.

Area for agility

Area for retrieve training

Man made lake for them to swim in.

Large open area in the middle and then gravel and wood chip trails all over.

You also have to have a card to swipe and get in.

LOVE IT!
Click to expand...

Sounds fantastic. :) Very helpful
 
I would say everything Katielou has access to, plus floodlights.

Have often thought that if I won the lottery, I would floodlight part of my estate :p and open it to dog walkers only, for a decent evening/night walk!
 
Love the sound of KatieLou's dog park! I need one of those...

Agreed, should be lit. I have very strange eyes and I simply can't see in the dark. Torches make it worse. So night time walks tend to be on lit pavements which is boring :( Now, if you can build this place and transport it to Berkshire for me, that would be perfect :D
 
Would it too much to ask that anti social dogs aren't allowed! (or certain times?) Like if you dog is complained about a certain number of times that's it? (If you use Katies in/out system you could ban people/dogs).

Just bit fed up at moment with certain dogs around me that means I'm not walking Harley locally at all. People just aren't responsible and just let their dogs have a go! I don't mind rough play, but this isn't!

How about a hose pipe in the car park to wask your dog off?
 
galaxy23 said:
Would it too much to ask that anti social dogs aren't allowed! (or certain times?) Like if you dog is complained about a certain number of times that's it? (If you use Katies in/out system you could ban people/dogs).

Just bit fed up at moment with certain dogs around me that means I'm not walking Harley locally at all. People just aren't responsible and just let their dogs have a go! I don't mind rough play, but this isn't!

How about a hose pipe in the car park to wask your dog off?
Click to expand...

Ah i am beginning to love my park more and more.

To get an entry card you have to have your dog assessed.

We have a bath station in the car park on the way out. You have to pay a small fee.
 
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