Sniffspot Community articles

It is important for dogs to have off leash exercise to sniff and run. Letting dogs off leash in city parks is dangerous and can lead to issues with Animal Control. So public dog parks are a legal way to let dogs have off leash exercise. But the free and open nature of public dog parks has drawbacks. There could be aggressive dogs, disease transmission and cleanliness issues, since any given public dog park facility may not be cleaned regularly. And other adult dog owners are often inattentive of their dogs. For this reason, many dog behaviorists discourage visiting public dog parks and recommend Sniffspot's private dog parks. Sniffspot private dog parks only allow one guest to book at a time and are not open to the public, which solves many of these issues.

Dogs enjoy Sniffspot dog parks for all kinds of different reasons and goals, spanning from exercise to training or even training classes and much more. Whatever your primary goals, there is a Sniffspot dog park for you. There are many different types of spots, anything from a training yard to a field to a beautiful two-acre, fenced, off-leash park, or, for instance, a 1-acre, lighted facility. Some even have niche amenities, such as a park splash pad and dog-friendly potable water fountains.
You can filter Sniffspot dog parks by square foot size, fencing and distractions. If your dog doesn't have a good recall, you can visit one of our fully fenced dog parks. If your dog is reactive to other dogs, you can visit one of our off leash areas where there are no dogs audible or visible nearby. You can also filter locations to avoid other domestic animals and people. Each listing also includes the park hours of operation. By reading reviews you can understand the status of condition, for example, if a section of the fence is in poor condition or there are any park maintenance issues.

While public dog parks have a number of safety issues, such as aggressive dogs, disease transmission and general cleanliness - often as much an issue with the person in charge as with their dog - Sniffspot dog parks are much safer than public dog parks. With Sniffspot all bookings are private where the only park users are the dog owners and dogs they bring with them. Additionally, we require all dogs to be vaccinated (or have equivalent titers). All Sniffspot locations are vetted and reviewed by guests so you can find the perfect place for you and your dog. 93% of reviews on Sniffspot visits are 5 stars and many spots have been reviewed hundreds of times. Make sure to check weather conditions before visiting.

Yes. Many Sniffspot dog parks are designed to be a designated off-leash area. However, all dogs are different and we expect our guests to be safe and responsible, especially if their dogs do not have good voice control or if their dogs do not always listen to owner commands. Off leash dogs should always stay within the designated, fenced, off-leash dog area. This is important to have an enjoyable time.

Sniffspot only allows one booking at a time and any host dogs are required to be kept away from the spot during visits. We also enforce 30 min time buffers between bookings.

You can browse all of our dog parks here. You can easily view information about the spots, including open times, park entrance details and current conditions.

Each host sets their own price, so you can check the price on the specific Sniffspot dog park listing. Most are between $5 - $15 per dog per hour. Prices vary based on size, fencing and amenities, such as water for dogs, park benches, etc.

We require that all dogs have basic vaccinations or equivalent titers. We require rabies vaccination, the equivalent of current rabies tags. We do not allow dogs with a bite history. We require that guests sign our waiver and agree to follow park rules and policies before visiting park sites. Adult supervision is required at all times. We do not have limits for dogs per owner or dogs per adult handler. Some hosts set person per visit limits. Dog owners are responsible for picking up pet waste (many dog parks provide pet waste stations).

You can learn more about how you can earn up to $3,000 per month sharing your land here. It is just as lucrative as dog boarding or other dog services, with less work.

Our basic requirements are that the spot be private land that is free of hazards, park clean and park waste is removed regularly. We do not allow unfenced spots that are smaller than 0.5 acres. We do not have requirements for host experience, although many hosts have experience with pet care facility services or pet boarding experience. You can learn more about our requirements here.