Pointer

we enjoying going to areas where we can exercise our dogs off the lead, whether that be hill walking, cycling or walking on a beach. the key is the area chosen is secure for the dogs ie no cars but also where they are limited to the amount of wildlife that they will encounter - deer, sheep etc as they will chase them. ideally they would never encounter wildlife but wildlife being wild by nature sometimes the two do come into contact and the chase and shouting "leave it" begins. our dogs are well trained and do come back when they are reminded not to chase these animals

with that in mind in Scotland you can basically do this anywhere. do dog owners in NZ get the same freedom.

having just come back from NZ I got the impression that natural parks / nature reserves are dog free zones which I guess rules out hill walking with them.

is this the case as we didnt see anybody exercising their dogs off lead while in NZ.

lizard

Basically NZ is crap for dog walking. No public footpaths. they cannot go into national parks, reserves etc. Not like the Uk at all. Very very very restrictive. If you really enjoy taking your dogs for good long walks you will hate it here.
Other people are going to tell you "bring your dogs its great" but they will not telling you the truth. This is the sad truth.

fitzandindiana

Are dogs allowed on beaches or are they restricted at certain times of the year? Where do people exercise there dogs? We have a Cavalier King Charles spaniel pup who will be two when we move to NZ and at the moment he loves running free on the beach, hopefully in two years time he'll be much better at the recall than he is at the moment

j19fmm

Can't remember about the beaches but do know that Councils publish a map/list showing where dogs can be exercised in their area.
Google 'dog walking areas in .....' and see what pops up

pixi-dust

It's definitely not like having a dog in Scotland, that's for sure. We used to take ours everywhere.
here is is certainly more difficult, but we have three large dogs and still manage.

What we did when we got here was if we saw a dog owner we asked where the good spots were to take them. Most towns etc will have a domain - our one allows dogs to have off lead play.
Also beaches. It is certainly true that on the beaches that allow dogs, for the most part they are supposed to be on a lead and perhaps not even there at certain times of the day at certain times of the year.
We have managed to find a lot of beaches that are so quiet and out of the way ( lots of them in NZ) that even if this is the case nobody would know! We take ours to the beach once a week and have never been asked to leave or even seen a dog ranger or anything. We always take poo bags with us so leave nothing behind and always have the leads with us.

What we haven't managed to find is a 'hill walk' to take the dogs on. Pretty much everything like that is either privately owned or a kiwi zone so it's a big no no for dogs.

My absolute best piece of advice is if you have dogs is to try and buy a property with a big enough garden for them to play in. We're lucky as we have a farm ( I know it' not your usual!) but we have lots of friends who have dogs that live in cities/towns and they do manage to find places, but it;s definitely not as easy as the Uk.
I certainly wouldn't say to leave a much loved pet at home though as there are places to go here.
Actually if you find the right places or arent scared to ask, it can be great. just a lot more difficult until you know them. I would not have left our dog in a million years. Since coming here we've got 2 more big dogs, so it really isn't all doom and gloom.

Soppydot4

We brought our dog with us and have since added another. It is quite restricting and my UK dog has more on lead exercise than he was used to in the UK. I'm near a beach which is designated a dog walking beach albeit very small but the walk to the beach is also ok to have them off the lead. Now it is no longer daylight saving, dogs can go on all beaches, mine and most other dogs are off the lead. You can still go on these beaches when it is daylight saving but at designated times only (i.e. before 9-10am and after 7pm (I think)). It is really annoying that you can't walk them in the country parks. I hadn't realised this until we turned up to walk them and then had to leave.

Pointer

thanks to all for the feedback and your answers were what I suspected. we have two GSPs which we intend bringing them but their wellbeing like our own has to be taken into the equation when/if we get the correct visas and jobs for that matter.

one GSP with restricted exercising is bad enough but two it is a nightmare. it wont stop the process just gives us something else to consider. the area we are looking at is the Hutt valley so will have a look for dog walking in this area. it certainly would be a shame not to take them hill walking as they seem to enjoy it more than I do, they certainly get to the top and adjoining hills before I do where they turn and look at you to make sure that you are ok and still moving before disappearing round the next bend.

we also take the dogs cycling and when required we have a lead which attaches to the bike so they are under our control even if they are trying to run faster than we can cycle. would this sort of exercise be acceptable in NZ, I know in the UK some folk dont like to see dogs running with bikes.

harrogate girl

I have to say this is a true post as a dog owner myself, back in the UK we could walk for miles on the North Yorkshire Moors But we dont hate it in NZ, we have had to adjust.

We have lots of dog parks, and I have to I dont like them as much too enclosed with lots of other dogs.

I now live in a place just out side Christchurch, Woodend with a good long beach to walk with my dog and pine forest walks.

One think I would like to point out to you in lots of places to live in NZ you are only allowed TWO DOGS per home and in some cases if you have more you have to get Council Approval for the extra licence and from next door Neighbors.

Also if you are looking to purchase a home and have more then Two dogs you should put in a condition, that the offer is Subject Obtaining an Approval from the local Council and people the live a few doors away. BUT its ok if you have a life style block to have more then two.

One family on this site returned back to the UK due to not been able to have the family all together, and have still not sold the dream home in NZ.

kind regards a dog lover

Kiwiprincess

I love dogs. But I am incredibly grateful that dogs aren't allowed in National Parks here. Our bird species can be greatly harmed by just one little cute dog who gets off his lead and eats a nice squishy feathery egg. Dogs = pests to our native birds.

That's not to say that there shouldn't be more advances regarding where to walk the dogs. But not being able to take a dog into a national park is a BGT.

keyholekate

I brought our dog out here in September. I would say that the UK is more interesting for dog-walking, but I don't think our black labrador finds it worse here - it is more about me missing long circular walks. In theory he could run free on the beach here, (poor recall so he is long-leash bound) and in the very large dog exercise area near where we live (a river walk - very beautiful) and he could swim in the river too if he wasn't scared of going out of his depth! He has his own garden here, where he can run, which was not the case in England. And I find Kiwi dog owners very pleasant and in control of their dogs too. I would never have left him behind and if he had a vote, he would have chosen NZ. Has anybody else noticed how clean the coats of their pets are, by the way? There is virtually no dust in the house from the dog here, and he has remained beautiful and shiny.

kiwinow

It is restricted for dogs here. I remember going back to UK as a teen and being shocked that dogs were allowed on public transport and allowed to sit at cafes and pubs. In NZ most towns have a dog restriction on the town area, so not allowed near shops, definitely not in cafes or even on the street.

Each council has different rules and if you have somewhere in mind you can google the council page and look up dog walking areas. Bear in mind, though, that local knowledge is another thing and sometimes people religously ignore the rules. In my area dogs are only allowed on the beach between April and October, and the rules say they have to be on a lead. No dogs on the beach between that time are ever on a lead. The Scenic Reserve, which is a big park with walking/biking tracks etc is supposed to be on lead exercise only, but everyone exercises their dogs off the lead. There are plenty of places just outside town, and remote beaches where we can exercise our dogs, but dogs aren't always welcome across farmland, and if they chase farm animals or wild animals there is a hefty fine if caught and the risk of being put down if the animal is injured. The closest I've come is when I didn't realise a seal was basking on the beach, and my dog suddenly chased it. Fortunately seals are pretty fast in water.

harrogate girl

As for farm land my husband is in a fishing club and walked over a farmers field to find him and the others with him looking down a shot gun cost them $250.00 for them to cross in the end.
Thank god he did not have the dog with him!!!So in NZ you do not have the right to walk like the UK it is a shame, as they drop 20/20 poison that is to kill vermin and lots say it kills the birds as well, some dog owners do not take care so it seems that we all get the blam.
It is fair to say lots of dog are good but we do have lots that are not so nice been left outside all year round with little cover from the weather.
You will find ways round looking for good walks just see if you can also get a nice back yard!!! Thats garden to us....

Pointer

certainly giving us food for thought. I did a wee search on the old web and found this website

http://www.doc.govt.nz/by-region/wel...s/dog-walking/

so hopefully all is not bad as long as they can run, swim and chase each other all will be well.

lizard

Its not as good as the DOC website makes out. If you dig deeper you will find that you can take them for a 10 minute walk here and there ( on the lead) and everywhere else is not allowed. You will not be able to walk for miles and miles. Tiny distances on the lead and it will take you 10 times longer to get there in the car. Remember here it is on the lead, on the lead all the time.

lizard

Amazing how Kiwis are brainwashed. You can take hunting dogs into national parks. Its these pitbull type creatures that end up killing the natives when they have been left by irresponsible owners. Hunters do not care about their dogs the same as some one who owns a pet dog and just wants somewhere to go for a decent hike with their dog.