Your ideal dog park

I'm looking into opening and running a private dog park in the future when I'm settled down in one area. If you could create an ideal dog park, what features would you include?

Things I'm already considering:
Double gated entries
Card key entry
Separate small dog/relaxed dog area
Some sort of water area
Behavior screening for dogs before they can use the park

A forest preserve/large wooded area with lakes/ponds. That's the only kind of dog park I'll go to, so that's my ideal! I like to be able to go for a hike with my dogs, not a fan of any of the smaller fenced in ones.

To be honest if I had to have my dogs screened before using the park I wouldn't bother to go.

I would like someone supervising and giving warnings/banning poorly behaved dogs and owners. That's it.

If there is a water area, it should either be large or easily washed out and replenished like baby pools, or treated. I've seen water features that are like 50x50 and I worry about disease living in the muck.

Yeah behavior screening may not go over so well. It would probably be better to have a complaint hotline, with the number posted so its known that dogs and/or owners may be asked to leave. You'd probably only have to enforce it a few times anyway, before people just get it and use their own common sense.

I also feel like key cards could be a bit of a hassle, unless you are planning on having a membership system.

One of the parks here in Austin has some agility training equipment, and even people who aren't really training their dogs have fun with it. So that could be something to consider.

I would personally love to find a dog park with a sandbox type area. I would love to wrestle with Cthulhu in the sand, but theres no off leash sandy spots to go to.

I'd like a dog park just for my dogs!

They don't exactly play well with others.

I love the private dog park that I go to! It is a 15+ acre dog park with 2 ponds AKA Harleigh's heaven!

We aren't members there because it is quite a trek, but we can go for daily visits which I love! This last time we got a park pass for $35 which includes 6 park visits and 2 baths - love this option too!

IMG_6919 by AdventuresOfACrazyLab, on Flickr

IMG_6926 by AdventuresOfACrazyLab, on Flickr

This is exactly my opinion too.

Actually I think if it's a private dog park screening is a good idea. I am so over dealing with dogs that should never in a million years see the inside of a dog park, and owners who think it's no big deal to allow their dog to bully, harass, and resource guard 'til the cows come home. If I am going to pay a decent fee for a private park then behavior screenings is one of the things I'd expect honestly.

We do have one in the town that I work in that is private and does screenings, and if it were closer to where I lived I would be a member.

A perfect dog park would be one with a small dog/big dog seperation, as well as a private dog park for owners who just want an area for their dog to play alone. A pond in each one would be nice.The dog park is pretty great because it is seperated into three sections. Two big dog sections and one small dog section. I don't trust other people's dogs so I just go into the small dog park because it is rare for anyone for anyone to use it. The great thing is, if I go early in the morning, most of the time no one is there and I can use the big ones.

I'm thinking two central play areas like where we go-one for big and rowdy and one side for small dogs, but easygoing big dogs are also welcome. Fenced in trails seperate from the dog runs for safe off leash fun.

And I would love two things: a stream or shallow big pond, don't know how you'd keep it clean but Sophie loves water. And a piece of playground equipment modified for dogs. There's a people playground we go to when it's empty and there's a few sets of steps and a bridge and a leaning rock wall on one side. She was confused at first but when I climbed up first she figured it out right away. A playground jungle gym without monkey bars and slides...perfect!

I miss the park I used to go to in Kansas City. It was 80-ish acres, fenced in, a dog beach with a massive lake on one end and wooded walking trails around the perimeter, with awesome open fields in the middle. Only thing that would have made it better was if it was bigger and had more varied trails/rocks to climb on.

I definitely think that the more space and water the better!

The ones in Calgary are nice, they are for the most part HUGE. None are separated into big dog/small dogs at all though.

I would prefer a 'tossing balls endlessly' lane and a 'no tossing balls/toys' in the rest of the park, as my guys go insane for fetch and so we generally don't go to the off leash parks because I'd rather they go sniff and move naturally and not pound themselves down going after balls. And a few times I've had to chase after them because the person tossing is not thinking it'd be considerate to stop and let me collect my goobers and carries on further down the trail (I think the one park is around 150 acres). Some running water that's shallow in some areas and swimming in others would be a good feature along with perhaps a dock.

And I'd be FOR having a screening. It could be as informal as a set time for a 'tour' and going over the rules of the park with everyone then having them practice how to enter the park with their dogs, rules like leash your dog to get into the park and so on, as well as picking up etc..

If you had a card system to track who was there at what times, it wouldn't be hard to figure out offenders since most people have cameras on their phones and can snap a picture to report issues instantly.


There's actually a study going on right now on poop in dog parks and what parasites are being shared...

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/wants+your+poop/6884929/story.html

My favorite dog park already exists.
Several acre single owner at a time use play areas with 8 foot diamond mesh fences with tight corners for the little dogs.
Lots of trees
Very clean
wading pools
Free

Agreed. I am so freakin' sick of Harlow getting attacked by dogs that should not be at the dog park anyways. My ears actually perked up when I read "screening" because I don't go to public dog parks anymore. I got sick of owners not paying attention and not doing anything while their dog was attacking mine and I'm running to get in between them.

I also think a huge hiking/wooded area would be awesome as well as the Agility equipment.

So many great ideas here! Our dog park is a big flat field in the middle of a bigger field
I second the water feature, agility equipment, trails/hiking area. Small dog area would be great (we are supposed to get one of those in another 2 years!)
I love the idea of screening. Too many dogs that just are not dog park material!
I will add a bulletin bord for notices would be handy. Lost dogs, puppy playdates, home made cookies for sale, or even to post a note for someone you keep missing.
Geeze now I am more dissatisfied with my park! There are a few cool parks near by but my girls hate the car

I agree with this idea or at least some way to report offenders. The park we go to has two different sides, we'll stand away from the gates and listen for awhile. If certain names get called, we know where we're NOT going.

You know something else that would be a great idea with a dog play area? Having an inside playground. I've seen them in Texas. A great big open space that even has a people snack bar and doggie boutique.

During snowy months or heat or rainy days I'd gladly pay admission for a place for me and Pookins to spend the afternoon together. Air conditioned in the summer and warm in the winter and open year round would be terrific.

This is my ideal place as well...as long as the ponds are relatively clean.