A few things worth knowing before you come

How booking works

Booking is online, self-service, and shows live availability — you're in complete control of your slot. Pick the field, pick the date, tell us how many dogs are coming (it's all about the dogs, after all), and follow the steps through to payment.

Slots are hourly, from 5:45am to 10pm. £10 covers up to three dogs; it's £2 for each extra dog after that, up to ten dogs at £24. You can book up to 60 days ahead, which is handy for special dates. Try to book at least 10 days out if you can — last-minute slots tend to get posted on Facebook.

Reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your start time, no bother. Inside 24 hours, the computer will say no, and you'll need to give us a call. Sorry about that — it's a 24-hour cancellation policy and we have to be consistent.

Getting in on the day

About two hours before your slot starts, you'll get a four-digit pin code by text and email. It opens both gates. Important detail: the numbers line up across the top row, not the middle one. (If we had a pound for every owner who's been at the gate trying to use the middle row, well, we'd have a few pounds.)

Pull up in front of the main gate. There's hand sanitiser on the post to your right — give it a use. Enter the pin number and pull open the lock. If it's a cold morning and the numbers aren't rotating smoothly, squeeze the lock hook in towards the barrel and it should free up.

Once you've opened the gate, hook the bungee cord (hanging on the internal fence) onto the gate so it doesn't swing back on the car as you drive in. Park up, lock the main gate behind you, sanitise again, then open the inner gate to the field *before* taking your dog out of the car. Lock yourself in, and release the hounds. Opening the inner gate before letting them out works massively in your favour — your dog will remember next time.

Quick favour on the way out: reset the pin to 0000 when you leave.

Timing

There's a 15-minute buffer between every slot. If you're on time and the previous owner is on time, you won't meet anyone. Don't arrive early — there's nothing worse than the feeling of being watched while you're trying to round up a Houdini. If the previous owner is having a tough time corralling the troops, stay in your car and be sympathetic. They've seen you and they're doing their best. Give us a ring if it's really not going well.

The same applies on the way out. If you know your dog's going to throw a toddler tantrum about leaving, don't leave it to the last minute to start the lasso. Build in the time to round up the evasive wee monkey.

Pack your field kit

• Water. No water source at The Glade, and the tap at The Field is temperamental and for thirsty dogs, not filling paddling pools or creating luxury mud baths. Please turn the tap off after use.
• Boots. It is, as we keep reminding you, an outdoor field. It will be muddy. Leave the Jimmy Choos at home.
• Layers. Four seasons in a day in the Highlands. We've all turned up in a t-shirt and ended up shivering in a shelter.
• Poo bags. Plenty of them. (There are bins on site, but bring your own bags.)
• Toys for your dog — though if you've forgotten, there's a toy box at The Field with plenty to borrow.
• Treats and a long line if you're working on recall. The field is the perfect place to practise — no consequences if it goes wrong.

Lift any solids

The dog park is for everyone — please pick up after your dog, regardless of whether it's on short grass or long. We need to strim occasionally and a hidden ninja poo is no fun for anyone. There's a poo bin in the middle of each field; you'll pass it at least twice and we don't charge extra for using it.

If you spot a ninja poo on the way round, please help us out and lift it. We can guarantee that on at least one of your playdates, your dog will go at distance. You'll hone in on the spot, travel at pace to get there, feart to blink, and then your dog will do something so cute that you break concentration for a split second — and that poo is lost forever, until the next person spots it. We've all been there.

Owners stay, dogs don't party alone

Dogs shouldn't be left unattended. Whoever's in charge of the dog needs to be 16 or over. Monitor what they're exploring and don't let them put our safety precautions to the test — a determined dog will find the one thing you didn't think of, and nobody wants the vet bill.

No smoking, no vaping — including the carpark

We love a good sniff-adventure, but there are some things our pups should never put their noses on. Nicotine is incredibly toxic to dogs, and a dropped vape (with concentrated nicotine in that wee glass jar) triggers all sorts of alarms for us. With all our beautiful trees — especially at The Glade — the wildfire risk from a discarded cigarette or battery is real. So please, help us protect the park and its precious visitors by keeping all smoking and vaping materials secured in the car.

Nature is unpredictable

Both fields have trees, and trees do what trees do. We carry out regular maintenance checks, but if it's breezy — a 3 peg day or worse — keep an eye on what's overhead. A twig (or a bigger bit) might occasionally decide to make a surprise landing. Likewise the ground is uneven in places; it's countryside, not a foyer. Use the field at your own risk. Your safety and your dog's is always the top priority — yours first, then ours.

Before sunrise, after sunset

Both fields can be used outside daylight hours, but there is no lighting — it's country dark, and as we keep reminding you, it's a field. If you're going to use the park before sunrise or after sunset, go old skool and have a 1990s rave with Globalls, light-up collars, and head torches. Don't rely on your phone torch — it drains the battery and you'll be snookered if you need it for anything else. Watch your step.

Poorly pups postpone playdates

Please don't share this type of love at the dog park. Help us keep all the pups in our pack healthy and happy. If your dog has a cough, a runny tummy, or has been sick, please reschedule — minimum 48 hours after the last episode. Absence really is the best kind of love to share.

See something? Tell us.

If something's broken, missing, or just not right, drop us a line. If you've got a suggestion to improve the park, even better. We don't bite, and we'd much rather hear it from you than discover it on a maintenance round.