Dog walking

Dog-walking is very popular in the National Park.

In the main dogs, their owners, wildlife, local people and their animals get on well with each other. However, care is necessary especially when dog walking on the open forest and the Forestry Commission has produced a guide to help dog-walkers minimise any disturbance to wildlife and other users.

One particular issue that brings frequent complaints is dog poo! Dog waste bins are provided at some popular sites and bagged waste may be put in ordinary litter bins if necessary. Dog walkers are encouraged to take dog poo home but with such extensive countryside many people think it impracticable and unnecessary to bag and bin everywhere.

The New Forest Dog Owners Group (NFDOG), Forestry Commission and New Forest National Park Authority have therefore agreed a code of conduct which highlights the need to keep car parks, tracks and places where people picnic or play as clean as possible. For the full code, please download the leaflet below on ‘Working together for a cleaner Forest’.

Please also check the page on dog poo bags.

Related document

Working together for a cleaner Forest leaflet

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