Managing access with dogs

Promotional campaigns

In Scotland, we know that:

• in 2011, there were an estimated 360,000 dogs living in 280,000 households;
• in 2012, an estimated 134 million visits were made to the outdoors with a dog;
• a significant number of people keep fit by walking a dog;
• one third of all hill-walking trips are with a dog, and
• over half the trips made with dogs are to wildlife areas.

Irresponsible dog walking can sometimes cause problems for land managers and others, but most dog walkers behave responsibly. Many dog walkers are great ambassadors for responsible behaviour and can be valuable eyes and ears on the ground. NatureScot has created various campaign resources based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code which can be used to encourage responsible access with dogs in particular places.

Other Campaigns

The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), led by Police Scotland, has launched a campaign and short video to help prevent dog attacks on livestock.

Find out more:

Dog waste and disease poster
Risk of the spread of disease in livestock from dog faeces