Wanting to open a dog walking field, does anyone use one?

[Swifey40]

Could I please pick your brains?? We have about 1/2 acre, which we would of course fence up to 6 foot high. What do we need amd how much do we charge?? I need to make our land profitable, so please help me!!
I am a dog owner, but have never used one of these fields, so am in the dark.
Thank you in advance ☺

I do sometimes.

I use a very good one that has a shelter (just like a roof and 3 walls on stilts). It also has agility stuff.

I think it's about £10ph but I haven't been for a couple of months so can't quite remember.

Yes, they vary from £15-20 an hour.
The best ones have some sort of water, agility equipment, logs and natural areas etc.
Easy parking.

I have no idea about insurance, planning permission etc.

I use a number of fields, various facilities within them and the prices vary accordingly. From £7.50 to £15 for about 45mins. Some have agility equipment, some platforms and obstacles for dogs to climb over. Tunnels are popular too. Think about groups, some get used by local breed specific groups for playdates. Trainers also hire. Worth doing a bit of research on your local area to see what provision is there and what niche you could carve for yourself. Good luck!

I don't know a huge amount about it but there are private dog walking fields in my area and seem to be between £10-£13 a hour

Look up hounds and bounds Fido's field (reading Berkshire) they have a good website that might give you some ideas

Where I am in SE it’s £10-12 an hour but most are bigger than that. Some have a wooded area, stream, shelter and some have a agility areas

Is half an acre big enough? Why don’t you do some research by booking into local fields and seeing what you like/don’t like about them?

I use a local one - it’s brilliant and v well used. Obviously a secure fence and gate is a must, and ours has a range of wooden agility equipment, fresh water in bottles, bowls and poo bags - there are signs up to remind you to clean up after your dog and to kindly pick up any poos you find (although I’ve never had to do that, everyone is great about cleaning up after their dogs) . We have to book online - £7 for half an hour - and we get a code for the padlocked gate sent to us. There’s also some car parking right beside it, so no roads to cross. The owners provide their mobile number in case of any problems and are excellent at replying to emails almost immediately.

I've tried a few locally, best ones have some shelter, water point, some areas of interest for the dog (tunnels, agility equipment, trees, etc not just a bare field) and are actually properly secure (been to a fair few where I

Yes £10 for 50 minutes. Will reply in more detail tomorrow

Oop, pressed post too soon! But yeah, but to some where I can't let my dog off her long line because there are gaps under fences, gates not secure, fences not tall enough. Would happily pay extra for a field that was properly secure!

I’ve used one local to me, it’s just under an acre and very popular. £5 for 30 mins, £8.50 for an hour. There’s a mixture of long and short grass, a wooden shelter and picnic bench, two water play troughs, a large drinking bowl and nearby tap to refill, agility equipment, a large tractor tyre filled with sand for digging and a large box of dog toys and balls to borrow. There’s also poo bags and bins provided.

We use one and love it. £5.50 for 30 mins and £9 for an hour. There’s poo bags, bins, running water, decent car park, lots of balls and frisbees dotted about and different agility things, tunnels, benches etc.

The main thing for us is being able to book instantly online. I use this one over another local one because I can book instantly / last minute rather than sending an email enquiry etc.

We pay £10 an hour. I think it’s up to ten dogs?

It has play/agility equipment and a dog waste bin plus picnic bench and a toilet for people. It has plenty of parking and an online booking system.
Sadly no covered area but we just take umbrellas.

The owner is lovely and people are very respectful towards the facilities.

I use one occasionally, its fab and has lots of things like tree trunks, sandpit, tunnels, things to jump in and hide behind. They leave quite a lot of the grass long in the summer and cut 'rides' into it which makes for good exploring. Better than just an expanse of open ground. Though there is some of that too.

It was £10 per hour last time I booked, really oversubscribed and booked up for weeks/months ahead so I'd say it's potentially a good idea if near a town where there are lots of potential customers.

The only thing I would seriously consider is if half an acre is big enough for full-time use. The one I go to is, I think, well over an acre and still gets quite churned up over in the winter from wellies tramping and dogs running around.

It's brilliant for loads of dogs with sensitivities/issues. Mine has noise phobias and it's brilliant to go there and be able to relax and let her run around without worrying that she'll hear something scary and bolt.

1/2 an acre is like about half a football pitch?

most of them seek to be about that size, it is tbh a big small, but if you’re using it because you’ve a dog that can’t be safely offlead anywhere else than it’s a bit beggars can’t be choosers really.

Near me they seem to be about £6 for 30 minutes and £10 for an hour, with an extra charge for more than 4 or 5 dogs at once.

Some are just empty fields with 6 foot stock fencing, some have wooden fencing, some have shelters and some have agility stuff, sand pits etc.

The big things for me are whether the fencing ensures dogs can’t see stuff and that there’s an organised entry that means you’re not passing dogs - as a lot of people that use them are doing it because they’re avoiding other dogs.

we love ours. it's £5 for 45 mins . wouldnt be able to go if it cost more though as we go daily.

I had no idea this was a thing!

I use several, about 2-3 acres. They have large areas to park and are double gated. I pay about £10 for 45 minutes.

I walk a reactive dog and this is our treat a few times a week together with lead walks. Running and playing and being free. And heaps of smells!

£6.50 for 30 minutes - shelter, table, agility, water and poo bags provided.

It is marvellous.

Thank you everyone, that's all fantastic advice. The plan would be to put up a 6 for fence all round, with a padlocked gate. It is a wild field at the moment, with some apple trees etc, and one fallen tree which most dogs love a good sniff around. I have planned to put up a shelter, with seating, and also a bench outside for the sunshine.
Toys are a great idea, as are bits of agility too. We are in the southwest in a small market town which is becoming very popular, and so many people have dogs now!
An instant booking website is obviously a must too, great idea. Do you pay via credit card, or PayPal or back?
So much to think about?? Oh, yes, water, very important!
Do you bag your dog poo amd take it home, or are there bins there? I was wondering that if we have bins, what do I do with the large amount of poo??? 🤣

I had also thought that I might offer tea/coffee and homemade cakes??

One near us is £10 an hour but they also run doggy groups - puppy session, breed session etc £5 pp.

You will need change of use planning permission, which is not straightforward to get.

1/2 acre is too small

There is a lot where I live and they are all 2 or 3 acres in size

£10 per hour

@Swifey40 sounds like a great idea, I know several people who use them. Where abouts roughly are you?

If you have dog poo bins then you would need to pay for commercial waste removal.