# Suggestions for winter training venues?



## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Maybe I can get some help thinking outside the box - our club is once again looking for an appropriate venue we can book once a week for training. The facility agility that we used to use has hit us with a No Prong Collars Allowed Anywhere on the Property, including the parking lot. And now they are complaining about the barking too. 

We're not in a big town, so we are pretty limited in what is available to us. We did a few years ago rent a covered riding arena - NEVER AGAIN! The footing was sand, and it was terrible!!! It got into everything, covered everything. It was not heated, so after a few bites, the tugs, wedges and sleeves froze solid and were no better than doing bite-work with ice-chunks. Some dogs would not bite a sand-covered frozen solid sleeve, even though they were normally sleeve-fiends. Dealing with the cold and the sand just wasn't worth it. 

Most places we can think of to rent would be places like gymnasiums or community halls, which have either linoleum type flooring or hardwood flooring that is too hard and slippery to work the dogs. A few other dog-training places with nice rubberized and/or non-slip flooring are very small (classes at those places are set up for 5 or 6 dogs at a time max.). 

The one thing I can think of is an indoor heated riding arena with wood chips or hog fuel for footing, if there is such a place in the area. I don't know what the downside of training on such a surface would be - though again, the wood chips could well just cover everything and get into everything. 

Warehouses and such would have cement floors, so again, not appropriate for us. 

Just hoping from some brainstorming - this winter training problem seems to get bigger every year!


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

why can't you cover the floor of a warehouse with a bunch of long rubber mats? and hold them with screws with plastic anchors or they won't let you mess with the floor like that?
actually after you're done you can cement the holes back up. 

I just thought if that's the only thing stopping you...


ETA or even one huge sheet of linoleum. less holes that way


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

What about going with a warehouse and have everyone pitch in for interlocking rubber flooring? I set them up volunteering for a wheel chair games event, a little time time consuming but easy to do.

Lol, I was in posting limbo, while my kids were talking, so I second Lala's suggestion. The type we put down did not need to be anchored, they stayed put rather well.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Nigel said:


> What about going with a warehouse and have everyone pitch in for interlocking rubber flooring? I set them up volunteering for a wheel chair games event, a little time time consuming but easy to do.
> 
> Lol, I was in posting limbo, while my kids were talking, so I second Lala's suggestion. The type we put down did not need to be anchored, they stayed put rather well.


I do that all the time)))))

I didn't know that existed. that's amazing and is a solution for sure. warehouse sounds like a perfect place


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

An agility facility is complaining about barking-odd ...are there such a thing as heating riding arenas-I hated training in a riding arena- are there other dog facilities or warehouses-you could put down mats as was suggested


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Do the agility people not want your rental fees? I know that with a club I'm in (non-dog, but still) we depend on the rentals to supplement the income. Especially heating in the wintertime, lol! We have exemptions for the rentals too, which in your case would include the prong collars, by comparison. This sounds weird to me, that they'd willingly lose that added income. And yeah, the barking part is outright funny, lol.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Ok my solution was dumb. I thought you're renting a place. This won't work for once a week lol but Nigel's sure will


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

Empty, carpeted commercial office space maybe? A local real estate agent that specializes in commercial might know of something. 

American Legion, Shriners, local shelter, etc might have something you could use that would offset expenses for un or under-used space.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Lol can you imagine what the carpet will look like after they're done?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Yeah, we would rent the place for 2 or 3 hours once a week. I sorta chuckled at your post lala - great idea if we were renting something for several months, but we are not all the rich. :O)

I think the complaints came from other users of the agility place - from what I gather is that some of the agility patrons are concerned about being associated with us horrible abusive trainers and owners of dangerous dog , and voiced their feelings to the owners of the place. So loosing our once-a-week two hour rental was better than loosing the regular clientele. 

Mister C - LOVE your ideas!!! We have one local shelter, they definitly don't have extra space - but checking with a real estate place for empty unused office space or similar spaces is genius!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

We used an office space for training(boardroom), the owner of the building is a dog trainer and was generous to everyone that wanted to train or hold seminars. WE didn't do IPO but mostly competitive OB. 
The owner recently opened up a training facility(in another building) with plans for a therapy/exercise pool! 
Maybe if you plant that seed with a property owner, they will see the need for a facility and work to get one going.

You could get some rubber mats for where you set up the blinds so the dog won't tear up the flooring.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Blanketback said:


> And yeah, the barking part is outright funny, lol.


Those agility folks just don't appreciate a nice, powerful hold and bark!!!


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

Hey you for for a copter firm right? There should be hangars around!


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