Dogs in public spaces
Everyone who visits our parks has a right to enjoy open spaces without harassment from dogs under other people's control. As a dog owner or walker, it is your responsibility to train your dog and manage its behaviour - and to clean up after them.
Visitors
We ask that you respect owners and their dogs to prevent conflict in the following ways:
- Do not approach or allow children to approach a dog uninvited
- Respect service or working dogs so as to not distract them
- Respect any instruction from dog owners not to approach
- Respect a dog's body language - raised hackles, ears low to head, bared teeth, growling or tail between the legs mean a dog is very uncomfortable and may try to defend itself
The Dogs in Public Spaces Protection Order was introduced in 2022 in response to an increase in incidents of dogs dangerously out of control, dog attacks and increased anti-social behaviour from dog owners.
Dog owners
- Dogs must be under control at all times in public spaces. There are a number of public spaces where dogs are not allowed and some spaces where dogs are only allowed on a lead (see details below).
- If an authorised officer from the council, City Watch or the police asks you to put your dog on a lead or remove your dog from the site, you must comply.
- You must clean up after your dog. Dog waste can be disposed of in any council bins in parks and public spaces - red dog waste bins are being phased out.
What does 'under control' mean?
Your dog is under control if:
- they recall on command
- they obey your commands
- they behave neutrally towards other people and dogs and do not exhibit nuisance behaviours
A dog can be on a lead and not be under control.
If your dog is showing signs of nuisance behaviours you should keep them on a lead away from other visitors. You should provide further training if:
- they do not respond to recall
- they approach other people and dogs uninvited and do not recall on command
- they bark unprovoked at people and dogs
- show aggression to people and dogs unprovoked
- are underfoot
- they chase wildlife
Spaces where dogs are not allowed
Dogs are entirely prohibited from the following areas in parks:
- All enclosed playgrounds and skateparks within parks.
- All enclosed picnic areas.
- All walled gardens in Sefton Park Palm House and grounds, Wavertree Botanic, Greenbank Park, Calderstones Park, Croxteth Park, Reynolds Park, Sudley House, Woolton Woods and Camphill.
- All park lakes and ponds (but allowed on paths around lakes unless otherwise specified). Dogs are not allowed on the island at Princes Park.
- All MUGAs (multi use gaming areas) whether enclosed or open. These have tarmac surfaces and are intended for ball games.
- All sports pitches including bowling greens, tennis courts, football pitches and basketball courts
In addition to enclosed playgrounds, dogs are not allowed in playgrounds in which the entire greenspace is a designated playground without a separate boundary to the perimeter. This includes the following:
- Picton playground
- Aigburth Vale playground
- Banks Road playground
- Barnham Drive recreation ground
- Bill Shankley recreation ground
- Carr Lane East football pitches
- Quarry Street playground
- The Venny playground
- William Collins playing field
The areas above may be the less obvious sites with reasonable amounts of open space, but are restricted for the safety of children and sports.
Areas where dogs must be on leads
Dogs must be kept on leads in:
- all cemeteries and crematoria grounds
- St John's Gardens
- Devonfield Gardens, Devonfield Road L9
If you experience anti-social behaviour or repeated patterns of problematic behaviour from dog owners in our parks and greenspaces, you can tell us.