What is an Enclosed Field?
There is a big demand for enclosed spaces where dogs can be allowed off lead. Reasons include training for reactivity, recall training or just somewhere to go for peace of mind without being hassled by other people or dogs. Also a space where dogs are not in fear of chasing livestock.
Finding Land or Space
The type of land that is desirable includes fields, Paddocks, ménage, warehouse, woodland and any space that is enclosed. You have options to Rent, Own or arrange community funding or an arrangement with the council.
Rent
You can find land to rent by writing letters to local farmers. Looking in local classified ads for sheep grazing or land for horses. Some owners maybe open to changing the use. The price of renting varies depending on your county. In some areas it can be as much as £200 an acre. In some other areas as low as £40 an acre.
Own
You will find land for sale through land agents, classified ads, auctions and by asking land owners to split off some land. The price per acre varies depending on the county and also how desirable the land is. If in an area that is unlikely to be built on due to flooding or unsuitable land it can go for as low as £3000 an acre.
However I have seen it sell for up to £30000 an acre. You can acquire funding through a personal loan, business loan with a business plan. Things to consider are is there livestock as neighbours and are you able to fence it off. Where is the nearest road and is it easily accessible. Also need to consider what is the current amount of traffic allowed to the land as the council will unlikely allow a major increase in traffic.
Community
You can begin to organise a community fund if there are enough people in the area willing to put in the time. You could also petition your local council with plans for a field and how it could be run.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
YES. Sui Generis is the usual one but all circumstances are different
You Do not need it if only running for 28 days a year, or if you are extending a daycare or kennel business but you will need to contact your local planning officer to see if it falls under your permission. I would recommend using an independent planning consultant in order to prepare your planning documents as they will understand what the council are currently looking for.
But these documents are what will be required:- Site location plan usually scales 1:1250 or 1:2500.
- Two named roads at least and how many buildings are present. Recommend land registry plans if you do not want to hire an architect.
- Your Site needs to be lined in red. Blue line around any other land or property you own. Must show all works you plan to carry out.
- Location Plan of the site clearly showing north, access arrangements, any public rights of way, position of trees scale 1:500 or 1:200. Introductory letter, explaining in simple terms what you are planning to do and why.
- Design and access statement to include:
- Disposal of Dog Faeces
- Noise Levels. (Noise assessment is around £1500 and you may need to put up an acoustic fence if requested)
- Fence height if over 6ft, plans of elevations 1:50 or 1:100
- Access design
- Describe any change in scenery
- Statement of business
- Transport statement
- Access Rights
- Visibility Splay
- Traffic Predicted
- Other access options, bus, walking
- Wildlife report
- Near a flood zone or river – flood report and drainage report
- Public Liability Insurance will be needed
Public Liability Insurance
Basic rate for 2 million policy £120 a year- Cliverton
- Pet plan sanctuary
- Pet business Insurance
Fence Height And Type
Most people expect fencing that dogs cannot get under, through or over. Most people expect the height to be above 4 ft and the the majority of requests are for 6ft high.
Types of fencing include:
Deer fencing
Chain link
Post and rail with stock fencing
For each acre I would recommend budgeting for 250m worth of fencing. A minimum of 3 m between each post means you will need at least 80 normal posts, plus 4 posts for corners and any straining posts. A good website for information, advice and prices is www.sure-green.com or www.mesh-direct.com
What the numbers mean on fencing products?
You will often see numbers such as C15/80/15
The letter explains the type of wire:
L - light mild steel
C - Medium Mild steel
B - Heavy Mild steel
LHT - Light high tensile
HT - High tensile
The type of steel you require depends on what wildlife you may want to keep out, and what punishment you expect your fencing to take.
The number after the letter explains how many horizontal wires are in the fence.
The middle number is the fence height in cm.
The last number is the distance between the vertical wires in cm. A small dog can fit through a 15 cm gap so you would need to have a high number of horizontal wires for this fencing to be viable, one example is steel deer fencing. Another term you will see is “wire gauge” the lower the number the stronger the wire. For dog enclosures you will need 16 or lower.
Booking Options
You have options to either run appointments back to back or leave gaps. If you have a small track going to the field I would recommend leaving gaps, however provided you are clear with your clients about the rules of coming and going, both systems work well.
Examples of comings and goings include:- 1 hour slots and leave after 50 minutes.
- Slots directly after one another and must start to leave 5 minutes before appointment end time and on arrival keep your dogs in the car until your time to go in.
- Your choice of length of slots with a buffer of your choice. They vary from 5 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the access to the field.
- I would ALWAYS recommend either a buffer or strict rules on when the dogs can get out of cars and how they enter the field, as the majority of dogs that use these facilities are reactive in some way.
Online software for booking
- Supersaas
- Acuity
- SimplyBook
- Or build a website through a drag a drop interface such as Wix
Written diary – when busy you may end up doing up to 25 hours a week just answering calls and scheduling
Information to take, name, number, emergency contact, address, name of dog, how did you hear about us, email.
If running 24/7 you need a break, look at virtual assistants to answer the phone.
Set business hours.
Use a Separate phone if running it full time.
Decide if you will take Regular bookings.
Are you able to offer personal inductions so you can explain the rules, if not I would recommend having a very detailed email or online system.
ALWAYS PUT SIGNS UP AROUND THE FIELD REITERATING YOUR RULES.
Services To Offer
- Groups (may need to limit numbers depending on insurance and health and safety)
- Exclusive use
- Open access
- Professional trainers or walkers
- Agility equipment
- Obstacle course- types of things you can have.
- Pond, pool
- Shelter
- Toilets
- Toys – mess, stuffing etc
(be aware the more things you have the more health and safety you will need to consider) - Types of surfaces, artificial grass, mud and grass, rubber playground, mats
Whatever you want to or can offer, be clear in your terms and conditions. Including: Damages of things, from cars to people; Grooming dogs in the field; Rubbish; No bbqs; Smoking policies and Vaccinations policies – (the majority of secure fields do not ask for vaccines or titer testing unless they are connected to a kennels or day care, but this is your personal choice)
Price Ranges
Prices vary from £3 for a 30 minute slot to £10. SOme fields are only able to offer hourly slots and these can vary from £7 to £20. You charge what you need too to run your field.
Discounts – These are great for regular customers. I would recommend using an online system for this, as it is easier on the admin side.
Charge for time or per dog or owner? This is your personal preference.
Should I set it up as a business?
If you are planning on running the field all week, then Yes as you can generate a lot of revenue. If you are planning on renting it out once a week, then no, keep it as a hobby.
Driving Access And Car Park
Access, Gate codes options
- Recommend an airlock system.
- You are on site (this will depend on insurance).
- Padlock on gate.
- Codelocks.
- Bluetooth Locks.
Car park surfaces – Woodchip, hardstanding, none?? Just make sure the ground is solid enough to take cars in the winter, or have strict rules about where to park.
Maintenance
Rolling once a year.
How often need to clean it? – at least once a day.
Limiting Dog Poo
Ideas for keeping clients to keep picking up poo. Running a prize at the end of each week or month if the poo found is under a certain number.
Dealing with mud
- Use mats, wood chips from a local tree surgeons, straw
- Hardstanding
- Reseeding
You need to factor in any maintenance for equipment or shelter and also replacing the fencing.
CCTV Options
One choice is Reo Link Go
Using a 3G or 4G mobile signal
The SIM card MUST have a public IP, or you must use the SIMcard provided from reolink. Do not buy a standard SIM card.
Check out www.3gmobilecctv.com for some good options for mobile signal cameras. If you have power then the world is your oyster, if working from solar power you will need a DC power camera unless your system includes an inverter to convert DC to AC power. NOTE: the inverter takes up a lot of power. And a good cctv camera with all the bells and whistles can run off DC power at 20w.
Dog Waste
- Composting, you will need a carbon source such as woodchip or sawdust. Click here for more information.
- Wormeries.
- Muck heap.
- Sewage tank and it is too be collected.
- Services that come and pick up the poop and dispose of it.
Advertising
The best and cheapest ways of advertising are add your field to our Directory or create a Facebook page for your business.
Disclaimers
If you have an online booking system, make sure the field users have to read the Disclaimer before booking.
An example of a disclaimer and what you could include, can be found at www.k9confidential.co.uk/booking.php
Display your disclaimer printed on a board as you enter the field.
Any warning signs need to be in the field i.e. no climbing on the equipment. Take pictures at regular intervals to prove they are there.
If your field is manned/womanned, you can have people sign a disclaimer on their first arrival or for inductions. if you provide one.
To comply with Public Liability Insurance, Dog Business Insurance insists on signs being put up in the field to say people use the field at their own risk and their dogs behaviour is down to them.
Health And Safety
Health and safety risk assessment are every few months. You can find examples on google for any risk assessment.
Business Rates
Tricky one, if you have no address, you will need to contact the valuations office through your council to get them to come out and value your field, if you have an address you can phone your local council and ask about Business Rates.
Most will be able to apply for small business relief.
Can I Get Help To Set Up An Enclosed Field
Yes indeed. There are specific enlcosed field consultants that can help you plan and set up your enclosed field. We cannot recommend anybody specific. We offer a enclosed field networking facebook group where you can get advice on all the aspects of setting up an enclosed field, only in more detail than the FAQ’s above.
