Smithville dog park offers privacy for pup
SMITHVILLE – Tracy Kasserman looked on at her two German shepherds, King and Duke, as they bounded across a new one-acre private dog park.
The littermates quickly explored the fenced-in borders before turning their attention to a half-buried tire. They were the first guests at the park that opened Wednesday.
When Kasserman entered the park, her dogs bolted toward her. Excited by her presence, they jumped on her with their muddy paws, dirtying her shirt.
"This is really such a good idea," Kasserman said about the park to the owner, Rebekah Undersander.
Undersander created the private dog park as a safe place for reactive dogs who would otherwise overreact to the presence of other dogs or people.
Guests can reserve time at the park in one-hour intervals for $8 per dog online at Sniff Spot, an Airbnb-like app service for private dog parks. It is the first private dog park created through the service in Wayne County.
The location is on her home property and will double as a park and a training ground, said Undersander, a canine trainer at her company Providing Pawsable.
What is reactivity? Can it be trained out of a dog?
As someone who owned a reactive dog, Undersander said dogs need training, otherwise, fights can occur between canines or dogs and people.
Often confused with outright aggression, some dogs can become overstimulated or overreact to certain stimuli or situations, according to the American Kennel Club. While these reactions can be aggressive, they are usually rooted in fear.
Triggers can range from men with beards to children or feeling trapped if on a leash, according to the AKC website.
If an individual encounters a reactive dog, it is best to give it space and leave it be, the AKC cautions.
Undersander experienced this with her own dog once. It would be in a state of heightened awareness and anxiety until it returned home from the park, she said.
"My dog would be upset the entire time," she said.
The AKC explains that genetics, lack of socialization and training or frightening experiences can lead to reactive canines, but this reaction can be mitigated
with ample training.
At Providing Pawsable, Undersander trains assistance dogs for those with disabilities or those who need a support animal. She also specializes in reactive canine training.
"Service dogs need confidence building to know that they can do their jobs in any situation, and that's how we try to train reactive dogs too," she said.
Like humans, service animals can become stressed or anxious in any new situation. Undersander teaches the canine to focus on the job at hand and to ignore the stressful environment.
"A lot of what I do is also training the owner because what I do won't stick if they don't continue training at home," Undersander said.
To do this, she teaches the owner and the dog how to reduce stress and fearbased reactions using various techniques.
A private dog park for those who cannot afford the training
For Undersander, her private dog park is here to fill a service gap in the community.
While there is an $8 fee to reserve a spot, she wanted to create a safe space for reactive animals and their owners to
play without worrying about other people and animals.
"I'm not a big believer in dog parks," Undersander said. Public dog parks are convenient, she admitted, but dogs need training and not everyone can provide that.
As a college student, Undersander was active in sports. That ended when she became sick in her third year. After four surgeries, she needed a wheelchair. That's when she turned to animals. Undersander soon realized just how expensive service animals were, let alone the professional training. On a college budget, she decided to adopt a dog and train it herself.
"I quickly ran into stumbling blocks, so I started to teach myself how to train it," Undersander said.
She soon decided to make a business out of dog training.
"At one point I was taking two course loads," she said. "One for my major, biochemistry, and business classes at night with a professor."
By 2019, she launched Providing Pawsable, where she strives to make dog training and dog ownership possible for anyone, she said.
Now with a crew of three employees, including her and her husband, she provides mostly one-on-one lessons and
does some group classes.
What the private park offers
The one-acre dog park is a fenced-in field connected to Undersander's detached garage. A muddied gate near the garage is the main entrance to the field.
Poop bags and a trash bin are available for all guests to pick up after their canines.
"I want to keep the area as clean as possible for people and their dogs," Undersander said. "I've heard complaints about dog parks in the area being dirty." She hopes to avoid that.
While no water or toys are available, she aims to remedy that without exposing dogs to illnesses carried by other canines. To avoid creating such a breeding ground, Undersander may provide water bottles and cheap toys.
"It could be a take-a-toy and leave-atoy sort of policy," she said.
If the dog park becomes more popular, she might provide more things like tires for dogs to play around in the field.
To learn more about the Sniff Spot dog park and Providing Pawsable, visit their websites.
Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com
On Twitter: @Bryce_buyakie