not really a business, but just been thinking...(as you do when you're meant to sleep in the afternoon before a night-shift..)....

I have a large back garden, more of a field, about 1/2 acre, that's only used for the dogs to run around, we have other bits of the garden for "us" and yeah they get trampled too...

anyway, was thinking earlier, would it be possible to get together with someone who was a dog trainer who might be looking for a location?? Could I use my garden for that? Are there restrictions?? I thought about doing a course, but I know I would struggle to find time...

and then I thought with the better weather getting here, maybe I could just try and get a few like-minded people that lived in the same or neighbouring villages to try a casual kind of ring-craft, maybe rotate around other people's gardens, size permitting??

and I've seen a lady regularly walking a GSD around the village, I might see if she wants some company as my bitches need more road work, and I thought she might like somewhere for hers to run free??

Just mulling some ideas over, not fully thought through, and I'm sure there's some pitfalls there that someone will point out to me...  

Sounds like a great idea :)

If you are considering it from a business point of view, I think your local council would be a good port of call. They should be able to let you know on any restritions that may apply.

I know that if somebody near me was to offer a garden the size of yours, for dogs to have a safe free run around in, with the bonus of socialising the dogs (and owners), I would happily pay a small fee :)

I wasn't actually thinking of charging as such, I thought maybe as a donation to local rescue centre??

or if I found a trainer who wanted to use my garden, maybe I could get my dogs involved at a lesser fee??

I also know a young lass who's just done her grooming course, she's popping across next week to "assess" my girls, thought it might be good for her if she could get a client base set up too?? Although I don't quite have the facilities to deal with grooming myself, so not sure how that would work....maybe she should get a grooming van and just link it up to the water supply in the garage???

thinking thinking...

One thing you might need to think about is insurance, another is whether or not your mortgage company would permit it, and thirdly if it would impact on parking in your road.

Insurance, when I started a club with a couple of friends, we needed public liabilty insurance. But i'm with Pinklillies on this, you would need to consider any neighbours, parking, and also 1st aid facilities, just incase :-)

change of use...insurance, health and safety.....endless list as speaking from experience of running a business from home. Also half acre ....well its really tiny and im afraid it could end up as a mud bath in just a couple of days of a number of people tramping around in wet weather. then they would want to come in and use your loo......and so it goes on and on......

I wondered about insurance, parking not much of an issue depending on numbers as we have plenty of off-road, I guess like most ideas that hit when the brain is tired it kinda falls apart in the thinking-through....

ah well, I'll just get my mates round now and then with their pooches ;)

mind you, one of the pups came by to say hello today, he had a great time running with his Mum, and our other girl, really nice to see him :)