Generally, all dogs must be on a lead, meaning you don’t have to worry about a rude dog appearing out of nowhere.
Sure, there will be dogs on a lead dragging towards yours wanting to interact, but this is much easier to avoid than when the other dog is off.
There are woodlands/grassy areas where you could potentially put your dog on a Flexi to unwind, but overall everyone has no choice but to keep themselves to themselves due to the rules of the National Trust.
I would recommend avoiding the eating areas & children’s play parks if your dog isn’t good with new people, but this is easy to do.
Talking of eating areas, if you’re working on settling in public, there’s loads of opportunity 😊
Overall I think these places are great to take low drive dogs, or dogs who are improving their passive/indirect socialisation.
Would I take my high drive dogs? I don’t think National Trust places are fulfilling for energetic/drivey dogs because you need to walk quietly on a lead all day! Ava’s behaviour is exemplary but she becomes frustrated & annoying by the end 😂
I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t take these dogs – I’m simply saying it’s probably less fun for them.
If you have a chill, low drive dog who is happy to plod, sniff & lay by your feet – great! You have the ideal companion.
Happy training!
The memberships are great value for money by the way 🤓
