Canine Design: Creating the Modern Dog Park

Abstract

With the growing popularity of dogs being considered members of the family within the United States, many cities are now providing dog parks along with their traditional playgrounds, to be used by the community. Modern dog parks usually consist of an area where dogs can run leash free and, in some cases, provide owners and their pets with exercise and play equipment. Although existing dog park equipment is great for certain dogs, it does not truly represent a major part of the dog population and the activities they enjoy. This document looks at the dog park as a system of products that needs to be redesigned in order to increase functional satisfaction and popularity. By creating an approach to designing new activities, games, and exercises for dogs and their owners, future dog parks will be able to better represent the needs of dogs within that community. As well as outlining a new design approach, this document will also demonstrate the use of this approach to successfully design dog park amenities that better represent current dog populations in the United States.