Whether you're planning a dog park or instituting a dog waste management program in your community or anywhere in between, a common question we frequently hear is how many dog waste stations do I need?

First and foremost, I'm here to tell you that there is no exact formula to determine the amount of dog waste stations required. This really is something that needs to be determined on a case by case basis and sometimes over time through trial and error. With that being said, there are a few guidelines to follow when installing dog waste stations.

You'll want your dog waste stations placed near entrances to dog walk areas. In apartment complexes, the stations should be placed anywhere there are grassy areas or specific dog walk areas. For dog parks, you'll want to be sure the dog waste stations are placed at entry and exits so that dog owners can grab dog poop bags coming and going.

Another tactic in planning your dog waste station placement is to place them near shaded areas if possible. This will serve two purposes. The first will be to provide an area out of the sun for dog owners to grab their dog waste bags. And second, if your dog waste station has a trash receptacle, placing it in a shaded area will keep some of the heat from the sun off the used dog waste bags, which will help reduce odors.

As a rough estimate as to how many dog waste stations are needed per acre, it is usually recommend you provide about 1 unit per acre to begin with. For apartments, we typically will suggest 1 dog waste station for every 50-80 units. However, this is not an exact formula, each case and property type is unique so these figures can and will vary.

It's usually best to start with a smaller number of dog waste stations and place them in the most obvious areas. After the initial units have been in-place for a while, you will have a better idea of how the dog waste stations are working and if you need to place other units elsewhere.

If you have a map of your property, we can take a look at the map and recommend placement and numbers of dog waste stations to start your pet waste management program.

Whatever category your property falls into, be sure to follow these simple guidelines and start slowly so that your dog waste stations will be properly placed and used.