Are you looking to start a dog field or develop your existing business to maximise income and profitability?
The team at British Dog Fields has been involved in the development and start-up of many dog fields in the UK, including our own. As the complexities of setting up a dog field have grown, our expertise and experience in the start-up, planning, management, marketing and daily running of dog fields has provided a hugely useful resource for dog field owners – both those new to the game and those looking to develop their business.
We also work with existing business, not only to expand to new sites, but to maximise the profit from an existing site or help to weather new competition.
We offer a suite of consultancy services with our partners that can help you from the head scratching phase through to developing or expanding your business. Below you’ll find a brief summary of our consultancy services to give you an overview of what we can do. Read on further to find out more about how we work and feel free to get in touch to see if we’re a good match to help you with your dog field business.
Summary of Consultancy Services
If you’re reading this, you’ll likely fall into one of the following categories so for convenience, we’ve made a quick-guide table so you can work out how we can help you at the stage you’re at.
| Stage | Consultancy Service | Approximate costs |
|---|---|---|
| I’m just thinking about a dog field business | Start Up Consultation | £295 |
| I have land – I’d like a site visit and on-site start-up consultation | On-Site Start-Up Consultation | £675 |
| I have land and want to proceed with support | BDF Road Map | From £2945 |
| I have land and want someone to take care of everything | Full Service Set-up [Estate Service] | POA |
| I need a booking system (new or replacement) | Booking System | From £575 (single field) |
| I need advice about a planning application (new or retrospective | Planning Support | From £275 |
| I need to reboot my field and increase revenue/bookings | Dog Field Audit | From £1450 |
For anyone exploring the idea of setting up a dog field we recommend an ‘Start-Up Consultation’ which is a cost effective way of finding out if this is a business for you. Click here for full details fo what a Start-Up Consultation is and what you can get out of it.
“I wanted to say a massive thank you to you for all of the advice you gave earlier in the year. You were a massive help when we were setting up and I really appreciate all of your time on calls and emails”
— Tim Phipps, Braunston Secure Dog Field
Planning Application Support
We have particular experience working with planning consultants to ensure that applications for ‘change of use’ stand the greatest chance of success without appeal, and in managing relations with local interested parties and residents. We also have several useful articles about planning permission here.
Farm Diversification
A popular farm business diversification option, dog fields are being thrown up on farms all over the country. Agricultural Consultants, Land Agents and Farm Diversification Advisors are promoting dog fields as the ‘next big thing’. However in their enthusiasm to help their clients, they are often providing advice from a position of little to no experience in this unique market, and this is not a recipe for a successful, robust and sustainable farm revenue stream.
There are several ways that dog fields can work symbiotically with other diversifications, grant programmes and activities you may have on your farm or estate.
Land Owners
If you’re a land owner looking to start a dog field there are a good number of decisions you need to make prior to breaking ground. Covering everything from planning applications to what type of field you are proposing to run – there are a huge number of decisions that need made that can impact the long-term success of your business. We’re here to share our expertise with you – having visited over 250 dog fields in the UK, consulted for hundreds of new business owners, and having made a lot of mistakes in the early days, we can help you avoid these and hit the ground running.
Tenants
If you rent or are looking to rent land, we can advise you on some of the pitfalls and how to protect yourself and your business as you develop your dog field. We will walk you through the process, how to manage the planning process with your landlord and how to deal with challenges that are specific to tenant operators.
“Coming across Hannah’s website was an absolute god send! I have been wanting to set up my own dog walking field for quite some time now but I just had so many questions and didn’t even know where to start. After having just one conversation with Hannah, it has allowed me to focus my efforts in a clear direction and so many of my questions have already been answered. I am really looking forward to working with Hannah and I have no doubt that she will be instrumental in helping me get my first field up and running.”
– Ritchie Clarke, Pets, Homes and Gardens Southampton
Booking System Set-Up
Setting up a secure payment system can be a bit intimidating but there are lots of software solutions on the market that can make the process straight forward without the need to employ a website developer.
If you want to dedicate your time to other things; if you’re looking to stand out from the crowd; provide customised booking options; or add additional services – we can help. With experience setting up and running dog field booking systems using the market leading software solutions, we can help you seamlessly transition to a secure booking system making it easier and safer for your customers to book with you.
Many field owners choose to start their businesses using Facebook to manage their bookings. We strongly dissuade this approach. Not only is this method labour intensive, it often results in cross bookings and confusion and is not what the vast majority of customers want. Taking BACS payments and friends and family PayPal payments does not offer your customers any security and doesn’t present a professional front – so if you’re looking to upgrade from a manual approach give us a call or send an email – you will increase your bookings and protect both you and your customer in the process.
PR and Marketing
Frequently contacted by mainstream media outlets, Hannah’s career in marketing has made her a go-to resource for journalists and the broader media for dog field information. A graduate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne’s world renowned Agricultural Department, Hannah offers a unique perspective that combines an understanding of the rural economy and environment with a natural interest in innovative marketing techniques. If you’re a field owner looking to take your business to a new level, troubleshoot, or grow your income from your current site, you will benefit from a 1-2-1 consultation. The Dog Field Audit package is designed to help you propel your business forward.
Online Booking
If you want to book a consultation, please feel free to use the British Dog Fields Booking system below – or alternatively, get in touch via email if you have more questions.