Yes, this sounds like a strange article to write. After all, it’s not often you’ll find a dog park that will state proudly they charge more than other dog parks in the local area!
But I want to be frank with you. Dogwood Adventure Play is not the cheapest dog park around, and I’m going to explain why.
Dog parks shouldn’t be ‘passive income’
I hear a lot of people talk about opening a dog walking field to create ‘passive income,’ i.e. income from doing something that doesn’t take that much effort!
For us, our fields are absolutely NOT passive income. We invest an insane amount of time, money and care into our dog park, making it a special haven for your dog (and humans too!)
You and your dog deserve more than being someone’s ‘passive income’, and I think that’s why people and their pets come back to us time and time again. In fact, we’ve been serving the same incredible clients since 2018! They love the care and consideration we put into our fields, even if we are a smidge more expensive.
So let me break down why we’re slightly more expensive than other dog parks and fields in the area.
Reason #1: We’re led by scientific research
I won’t be ashamed to admit that I’m a little bit geeky, and I LOVE delving into dog psychology and behaviour.
I designed our fields based on scientific research. They aren’t just a space for your dog to ‘get a little run around’.
Just like us humans, dogs need to go outside, exercise, use their brains, problem-solve, and also enjoy some treats every once in a while. These things are needed for our own mental health, and it’s no different for your dog too!
Better still, when you reduce your dog’s stress levels, they become easier to train, and their overall behaviour improves.
You’ll find that when your dog is less stressed they:
React much better to other dogs and humans
Will come back when they’re called
Become more social and confident
Sleep and settle much better
Are less likely to bark
Don’t feel the need to chew the furniture!
We ensure we prioritise your dog’s stress levels by providing the best environment for them - far beyond a field with a fence!
There’s a reason why Scentventure isn’t just a big stretch of grass (yawn).
You’ll find all sorts of things here, log scatter, treat logs, obstacles to jump and over or climb under.
As well as designing the Adventure Play equipment with the canine ethogram in mind (that’s a fancy way of saying natural dog behaviours), I do a lot of research into which plants to include in our Sensory Gardens based on the needs of the dogs who use our fields. Did you know that dogs choose plants to self-medicate? Our sensory garden’s plants have been selected because they support calmness and well-being in stressed, reactive, aggressive, overexcitable or anxious dogs.
Essentially, we don’t look around at what other fields are doing. We’re constantly adding new original features to our fields.
Dogwood leads the way and inspires others. We’re more expensive because it costs more to develop new ideas (with a whole load of trial and error to get them right) than to model existing ones.
Reason #2: We give back to the community
We genuinely love dogs, and want every single dog to be happy and healthy. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many dogs, which is why we give back to our community.
We donate Adventure Play sessions to local rescue centres and offer a reduced introductory rate to newly adopted rescue dogs.
We also host fundraising events throughout the year, and many of our Dogwood Club members and clients attend! We donate the proceeds and goods to rescue centres all around the UK and to dog owners who use food banks.
We are a community of dog lovers who want what’s best for our dogs and dogs worldwide. It’s truly an amazing community.
Reason #3: Dogwood is far better than just a ‘field with a fence!’
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I can’t say it enough - your dog needs more than just an expanse of grass!
Yes, they’ll get a runaround, but you can find a field anywhere. When you choose to walk your dog in a dog park, surely that dog park should be a little bit special and exciting, right?
At Dogwood Adventure Play, we know how to keep your dog entertained, happy and healthy.
So no, you won’t need to keep picking up a ball and throwing it until the end of time just to entertain your dog (it’s not something we recommend either).
Your dog will enjoy all the facilities here at Dogwood Adventure Play, including:
Log scatters for physical and mental challenges
Treat logs with hidey holes for treats - a much-loved game for any dog
Digging pits - for those dogs who love a good dig around
Sensory gardens - with different plants and herbs that help keep your dog healthy both mentally and physically
Adventure Play Equipment - where your dog is encouraged to climb, balance and sniff (not just meander about!) to leave them happy, tired and relaxed.
Think of it this way, imagine you have a young child, and you ask them if they’d like to go to school (i.e. the boring stretch of field) OR a theme park (i.e. Dogwood Adventure Play)? That’s the equivalent. Dogwood has been described as ‘Disneyland for Dogs’!
Your dog will get so excited to come to our park, and they’ll love everything they have to do. It’s no surprise so many of our customers tell us that their dogs need a good nap when they get back!
Reason #4: You can get even more fun, freedom and adventure from your visits thanks to our Club
Club Dogwood is an online, international community of dog owners who use Scentventure dog training to enjoy relaxing, fun-filled walks and adventures worldwide.
I started the online Club three years ago to make local clients’ trips to Dogwood even better.
Now, it’s grown into something so much more than that, but with new activities every month for you to practise at Dogwood, its original purpose of adding more excitement, more fun and more variety to your trips to the fields remains as strong as ever!
Reason #5: You get buffer time
Nothing brings me out in cold sweats faster than a field without buffer time. My consultancy clients who are opening their own dog parks around the country often tell me they will advertise 60 minute sessions. This means clients will be back to back with potentially aggressive or super nervous dogs bumping into each other. Yikes! No, no, no. We soon put a stop to that.
For reactive, nervous or aggressive dogs, it’s incredibly important to have your privacy and not come into contact with other dogs or people during your time at Dogwood Adventure Park.
That’s because we want your dog to view Dogwood Adventure as a safe space for them to relax and enjoy.
So we offer ‘buffer time’ in between bookings, which means we leave ten minutes between each session to ensure you don’t run (quite literally!) into any other people or dogs.
You can take your time at our dog park to build up your dog’s confidence or recall before you move on to spaces with more people and their dogs.
Reason #6: It takes a team!
What’s better than one dog trainer or behaviourist?
A whole team of ‘em!
It’s not just me on my own.
We have a team of trainers and behaviourists who work at Dogwood (they’re called, Scentventure Guides) and boy, let me tell you, there is nobody more opinionated than a dog trainer!
They aaaaall love to share their opinions on how we can improve Dogwood.
Thankfully they are all geniuses who collectively have racked up hundreds of hours learning from leaders in the fields of canine behavioural science and ethology so we know they are bang up to date with the latest.
That’s the value of a hive mind.
Ready for your Dogwood Adventure Journey?
Are you ready to book your first session for you and your dog at Dogwood Adventure Play?
We would love to welcome you and your dog to our playpark.
It’s super easy to book. Just check live availability here and pay online. The first time you book, select ‘Full Introduction Session East’ or ‘Full Introduction Session West.’
You will be greeted by a member of our friendly team who will show you how it all works, and you can ask us any questions you have.
You will then be registered as a member of the pack, which means you can book any sessions you want in either field - you don’t need separate Introduction sessions for Dogwood East and Dogwood West.