Rent safe and private dog hiking trails hosted by locals in Melbourne, Florida

Let your dog have a farm day! Strictly supervised exposure to farm animals, access to pasture, ponds, and miles of trails. Come back to the barn and help yourself to the washrack, bathroom, and cold drinking water.

Welcome! We are excited to have you and grateful to our guests for making us the 2nd most visited SniffSpot in all of Florida 🩵 Got a big, energetic dog who needs a lot of space to run? You’ve found it! If your dog is happiest in the water, we are here for you! We are a haven for dogs with Strong Opinions about things! 🤗 Doesn’t love people? Come on over! Hates other pets? That’s cool! Lives to chase squirrels and moles? We’re overrun, you do you! We are blessed with 19 gorgeous acres of ♿️ HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE pasture, ancient live oak hammocks, and trails surrounding 3 ponds and a creek leading to a cypress swamp. It’s Old Florida at its very BEST. Canter Woods is on the corner of two dead-end dirt roads with barely any traffic. We are now FULLY FENCED so your dog can safely work out every ounce of excess energy! Seating and picnic tables are provided throughout the property, and there is plenty of natural shade. We have a private road that runs all around the inside of the fence, so if your dog likes to run alongside you while you pedal, go ahead and bring your bicycle! The road/trail is almost completely shaded, so even on the hottest of days, it’s quite pleasant. One of our trails, which fully accommodates any vehicle, leads directly to our main seating area adjacent to not one but two ponds. Guests who use a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker can make it from their vehicle to a sturdy chair or lounger in just 6-8 feet ♿️ If you would like access to this parking spot, simply arrange with us. Our shallow swimming ponds are fed nonstop by a deep artesian well. We also have plenty of wildlife—depending on how rambunctious your dog might be, you may see otters, soft shelled turtles, tortoises, wood ducks, raccoons, armadillos, rabbits, and squirrels. We also have a plentiful supply of water birds—herons, egrets, and more. We are a Certified Wildlife Habitat™️! 🍃🌱🌿🪵🐇 We have horses on the premises in paddocks, and they’re tolerant of dogs and their mischief and love ♥️ our SniffSpot dog guests. Hopefully your dog is tolerant of these large mysterious creatures and doesn’t harass them! If you think your dog might be aggressive with the horses and get over or under their sturdy 4-foot paddock fence, please use a leash when in proximity of the barn and paddock! Do note that our horses are ridden and worked often, so there’s always the possibility that you will encounter “evidence” of a horse having passed there before you 😉 As we say around here, that’s farm life for ya! If that kind of thing bothers you, this probably isn’t the right spot for you. We are not manicured lawn—we are a farm and woods and a certified wildlife habitat. Note that we do have some predator animals such as hawks, owls, and the occasional bobcat, so this area is best suited for dogs over about 15 pounds. We keep our 4-lb chihuahua mostly inside, since we moved here. Parking is near the main entrance gate, close to the barn, and you are invited to start off your visit on the trails, following Bambi’s Run at the main entrance. Poop bags, maps, and a trash can are located on a pine tree at the parking area and near the horse paddock. ✨ PLEASE NOTE: We are specifically requesting that you do NOT come to our farm to “check us out” WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. Please respect that Canter Woods is also our home, and we are closed to anyone who doesn’t have an appointment. For our security and the safety of our guests and their dogs, we have surveillance cameras in use at all our entrances. MEMBERS-ONLY HOURS: We reserve before-work 7:30-10:30 am, Saturday mornings until noon, and all day on Sundays for dog lovers who have chosen to be members. Members also get a lower rate that’s never subject to a price increase + free use of our wash rack and dog shampoo! (a big bonus for the big dogs in our lives!) WE ARE CLOSED ON TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS 🦋