How to Make a Dog Playground

Many breeds of dogs require a significant amount of exercise and stimulation to prevent them from becoming bored. Bored dogs tend to get into trouble and misbehave, so make sure to offer your dog plenty of opportunities to have fun and get a good workout. One way to do this is to make a dog playground.

  1. Location

    • Communities with a significant amount of park space and a lot of dog owners might be willing to turn some of the park space into a dog playground, but this isn't always a possibility. You can make your own dog playground in your backyard if you are willing to give up the use of this space. It needs to be fenced in with a fence that is high enough that it will prevent your dog from leaving your backyard.

    Features

    • Dog playgrounds are often similar to agility training courses for dogs. Both feature obstacles for the dogs to work their way through, including jumps, teeter-totters, tunnels, platforms and bridges. Dog playgrounds also tend to include various sizes of rubber balls and small swimming pools in which the dogs can play. You can design your playground however you like based around the obstacles you choose to include and the space you have available.

    Equipment

    • You can purchase the necessary equipment for creating a dog agility course or playground from pet stores, but they may be quite expensive. You can also look for similar items or items that you can use to build your own obstacles at yard sales, thrift stores, toy stores and plumbing supply stores. If you are handy you can use wood to build your own teeter-totter, ramps and steps leading to platforms, and bridges going between platforms. You can purchase tunnels made for children or use large PVC pipe sections. Use discarded tires to make tire jumps or other obstacles for your dog.

    Considerations

    • If you want to train your dog in agility, look into the American Kennel Club regulations for the proper specifications for the equipment used in agility courses. Otherwise, just make sure to size the obstacles appropriately for your dog. You don't want to risk your dog injuring itself due to jumps that are too high, but you want the obstacles in the playground to be somewhat challenging so your dog doesn't get bored.