Walking with your dog
Download the Walking with Dogs leaflet here.
The countryside is a great place to take your dog for a walk.
Be a responsible owner and make sure your dog is always a welcome visitor to the North York Moors
To keep your dog safe and happy and to keep the North York Moors a special place for you and your dog to visit, please remember:
- Keep your dog on a short lead near farm animals – but if cattle act aggressively it is safer if you let it off the lead
- Never let your dog chase animals or birds. A dog worrying livestock can be legally shot
- On moorland it’s important to keep your dog on a short lead (less than 2 metres) between 1st March and 31st July when rare birds are nesting on the ground
- In most moorland areas dogs must stay on rights of way. Please keep them on a lead or to heel at all times.
- Forestry Commission woods are a great place for your dog to explore. Please keep your dog under control when visiting
- Don’t give your dog a bad name…always deal with your dog’s mess! Take special care to not leave dog mess on paths or areas where people walk. Remember that arable crops and grass are used for producing food for people or livestock, so always clean up in farmland too.
- It’s safer if you keep your dog on a lead by your side near horse riders or cyclists
- Always look out for signs giving advice on keeping your dog on a lead at sensitive times for wildlife and farm animals’
