Regulations fail to constrain dog space use in threatened species beach habitats

The management of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in natural areas is controversial and more effective policy and management is required. We examine the occurrence and space use by dogs on southern Australian sandy beaches in different dog-leashing zones. We observed the people and dogs, and compliance with regulations. GPS loggers determined the space use by dogs (n=161). Existing dog-leashing zones had no influence on the space use by dogs, and this related to poor compliance with dog-leashing rules (69.7% of 188 dogs observed at “on-leash” beaches were “off-leash”). Dogs moved up to 33km, at maximum speeds of up to 19 km h−1, during beach visits. Larger dogs occupied slightly more space. Overall, off-leash dogs were frequent regardless of prevailing dog-leashing regulations and these did not constrain the space use by dogs. Current regulations appear ineffective, and alternatives such as “no-dog” zones to replace “leash-only” zones warrant investigation.