Rental Fields: Secure, Private And Safe?

Rental  fields have increased in number and popularity in recent years,  particularly for nervous or reactive dogs.  They are a god send for  sighthound owners as well, who understand the dangers of letting them  off in public spaces.  

If you  haven’t heard of them before, they are sometimes referred to as Dog  Walking Fields or Private Play Dog Parks.  They are, in essence, an  enclosed space that you rent for 30 or 55 minutes to give your dog the  freedom to be off lead in a secure environment.

These  enclosed spaces can be a simple field or contain a more diverse habitat  that includes forests and bodies of water for your dog to explore and  enjoy.  Many also have agility equipment for you to try, as a bit of  fun.

The purpose of these fields  varies, depending on the user, but ultimately it is to give dogs that  would otherwise not have the space or freedom to run off lead, such as  those that don’t have gardens or are maintained on-lead in public due to  behaviour or safety reasons.  

They  are also helpful in taking any training you have been practising  indoors, outdoors, but with minimal distractions such as recall  training.  

In having the space  to yourself, or shared with friends and their dogs, it is a great way to  decompress your dog through allowing them that freedom to fully  interact with their environment without restriction.  Not only in  enjoying a very thorough sniffari, which is mentally fulfilling, but is  also physically fulfilling from running or trotting around.  

Regular  access to this can help in addressing a range of behavioural issues or  frustrations that occur on your day-to-day walking…but care should still  be taken when using these spaces.

Yes,  greyhounds were born to run, but they are also incredibly clumsy,  silly, goofy dogs who like to fall over their own feet, bump into door  frames and dive into bushes because something caught their attention.  
Many  of them also have retirement injuries that restrict them from being  allowed to run at top speed due to the risk of re-injury.

So,  when provided a giant open space to run free in…they’re quite likely to  do something stupid.  Taking a few precautions and being sensible will  help!

Some basic ground rules to follow when using these rental fields include:

-  In respect to other field users, don’t take your dog to a rental field  if they’ve been or are currently unwell or carrying parasite, as any  interaction with urine or faeces could pass these onto other dogs.  Some  fields do require your dog to be fully vaccinated, while others don’t,  so make sure to check the terms and conditions before booking.

-  Follow the field rules!  Every dog field is different in their  operating policies.  For instance, there will be limits to the number of  dogs/humans/cars per booking, you must follow the arrival and departure  times, don’t let your dog dig, and always pick up after your dog.  They  are often monitored with CCTV, so if you don’t follow the rules, you  may be barred from using them in future!

-  When choosing a rental field to visit, try and choose one that is flat  and well maintained.  Greyhounds are not the brightest.  When they’re  running, they aren’t always aware of rising and falling landscape or any  holes that have been dug by other dogs, or wildlife.  They can very  easily stumble or fall down rolling landscapes or holes, which can  result in serious injury!

- Avoid  booking a rental field during certain times of year or weather  conditions.  This continues in the same vein as the previous  point…greyhounds are clumsy!  Rental fields can easily become muddy  messes in the winter months, which can be hazardous to your hound when  running…also, it’s not very enjoyable to be trudging around a muddy  field in the cold and wet!
During the summer months  (apart from the obvious risk of heat stroke on hot days) extended warm  periods can dry out the earth, which is very impactful on their joints  when running, or if the earth has cracked apart, they can get their feet  or legs caught.

- Walk your  dog(s) around the perimeter of the field before letting them off lead.   This gives them time to familiarise themselves with the boundaries, do  some sniffing and warm up/stretch their muscles before being let loose.   Letting them off the lead as soon as you get in the gate, can lead to  muscle injuries and sprains.

-  Try to avoid letting dogs that are unfamiliar with each other run free  together on their first visit.  If you and a friend are getting together  for a play date, this may not be the right setting!  Dogs are not  familiar with each other’s boundaries and play style, open running and  playing in such a large open space can quickly lead to over-excitement  and overstimulation in either one, or both, dogs which could result in a  fight.  Bear in mind, that this can also still happen very easily with  dogs that are already friends.
As rental fields can  be quite sizable and with the speed in which greyhounds run, if an  incident occurs you may not be able to get to them quick enough to  intervene.

- Try and have another  person with you when visiting.  This allows you to cover more ground to  supervise the dogs and help in an emergency.

-  Avoid going to a rental field outside of your vets normal opening  hours.  Out of hours veterinary services are eye wateringly expensive  (just to walk in the door!) and the last thing you want to deal with if  your dog does take a tumble while running!

-  If your dog is quite nervous and flighty, do not let them off the lead  on their first visit.  The new environment may be quite overwhelming and  if they spook, you may not be able to catch them again which can lead  to a negative experience.   Maintain them on a long line attached to a  harness during your visit so they can still enjoy themselves, but you  can reel them back in at the end!
Reinforce basic  recall training at home, and then on your second visit (or however many  visits later you think they’re ready), further practice their recall  training using.  Only when you feel they are comfortable and reliable in  the space should you be letting go of the lead.  If the area is not  forested or have other objects in which the lead could get caught, leave  the long line attached while they run around.  Then, if you can’t quite  get close to them, you can pick up the lead when it’s time to go home  and reel them in positively!

- Lastly, and more importantly than anything else: Do not let your greyhound run with a pre-existing injury!
We’ll  be discussing this in another post in a few days, but it is very risky  to allow a hound to run off lead with any previous injury.  Breaks, such  as broken hocks, can very easily be re-injured, or re-broken, which  could result in amputation…and yes, we have seen it happen!
Greyhounds  with pre-existing injuries can still benefit greatly from rental  fields, due to their private nature, for a good sniffari on a long line  attached to a harness.