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Walking your dog in Scotland

Members should note that in Scotland the Scottish Parliament has legislated to give the general public right of access to land but this is subject to responsible behaviour. The notes below summarise the situation for dog owners.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 establishes a statutory right of responsible access to land and inland waters. This responsible access is defined in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code approved by the Scottish Parliament on 1 July 2004.

You can get more details from: http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/

The summary key points to remember if you have a dog with you are:

Never let your dog worry or attack livestock.
Do not take your dog into fields where there are lambs, calves or other young animals.
Do not take your dog into fields of vegetables or fruit unless you are on a clear path, such as a core path or right of way.
If you go into a field of farm animals, keep as far as possible from the animals and keep your dog(s) on a short lead (see note 1) or under close control if cattle react aggressively and move towards you, keep calm, let the dog go and take the shortest, safest route out of the field.
During the bird-breeding season (usually April to July), keep your dog under close control or on a short lead in areas such as moorland, forests, grassland, loch shores and the seashore.
Pick up your dog’s faeces if it defecates in a public ope n place (see note 2).
And in recreation areas and other public places, avoid causing concern to others by keeping your dog under close control.

Note 1 - A short lead is defined as being less than 2 meters.

Note 2 - Not doing so in any public open place is an offence under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003. A public open place does not include agricultural land but it is responsible to lift faeces where there is a risk to farming interests.