Skip School Takes Dog Parks to a Whole New Level

Dog parks are great. Essential, even. But what if they could be better? Safer, more stimulating, and all around more fun? That is the dream of Skip School founder Jan Goldfluss: a lifelong dog dad and a career landscape architect-turned-canine agility course entrepreneur. “Traditional dog parks are basically just open spaces for dogs to roam, play, and socialize,” says Goldfluss. “There is nothing encouraging them to exercise or engage and their people just stand around and watch.” 

A Skip School course, on the other hand, is designed to get your dog moving and to challenge them both mentally and physically. As your dog runs the course, you run alongside them, separated by a low fence with self-closing access gates located intermittently, should you need to step in and help them. A Skip School course is to a traditional dog park what a playground is to an open field. And Goldfluss hopes to build his public-access agility courses in parks, office blocks, retirement centers, and university campuses across the US, Canada, and Europe. 

Goldfluss first encountered agility courses like the ones he now designs for Skip School when he was living in the San Francisco Bay area and attended a local dog show. “Around that time, the trend was for public parks to install exercise courses for people,” says Goldfluss. “But I saw the need for dog owners to have the same opportunities to exercise their dogs in a safe, off-leash, public environment.” 

Professional and familial commitments prevented Goldfluss from executing his vision right away, but he has since developed his concept, formed his business plan, and as soon as the IRS grants Skip School their nonprofit status, the company will be ready to start building. 

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Every course will be custom designed by a professional landscape architect based upon existing site conditions — topography, drainage, vegetation, pedestrian/vehicular access, etc. — with the cost varying depending on the number of events and course layout. “Generally, the simplest design (linear, 8 events) will be about $150,000, while the more elaborate course (rectangular, 12 events) will be about $250,000,” says Goldfluss. Skip School will also offer a “green” course that will be constructed from recycled and local building materials.

Linear courses will require between 2,600 and 4,200 square feet and can run along existing paths across varying terrain, while the larger, rectangular courses will require around 11,000 square feet of flat, open land. Courses can also be incorporated into or alongside existing dog parks and sized accordingly. 

“The design of the course would take no more than two months,” says Goldfluss, “and construction of the park should be about the same. Provided the funding is secured, my hope is to have a course designed, permitted, and built in 8-10 months.” Municipal red tape could delay the process, but courses built on private property can probably be executed much faster.

Although Skip School has yet to build their first commission, Goldfluss feels certain that the world wants and needs what his new company is offering. Especially now, when over 65 million homes in the United States have at least one dog, and of those dogs, approximately 56 percent are overweight. “From 2009 to 2020, there was a 42 percent-increase in the development of public dog parks,” says Goldfless. “So, between the decline in dog health and the growth of off-leash dog parks, particularly in urban areas, now is an ideal time to focus on improving dog and owner health and for Skip School to flourish.”

It’s Goldfluss’s hope that Skip School will provide a free public alternative to traditional agility courses and obedience classes. “I named the company Skip School because I want to create the perception of escape and playfulness,“ says Goldfluss. “Having your dog free to run and exercise off-leash is liberating and promotes physical and emotional well-being and satisfaction for dogs. And owners also benefit from following or possibly leading their dog alongside the course and experiencing the joy of watching them play in a new way.”

If you want to learn more about Skip School or how to incorporate a dog agility training course into your community, check out their website at the link below. Happy skipping!