We plan to take a trip to London in the morning with the dogs so any tips?  How easy is it to travel with dogs on underground? Are there any special requirments or regulaton etc...  Any dog friendly places to eat etc... thanks.

They are used to our local towns annd cities and been in lifts stayed in hotels and so on and I have taken them on busses and trains locally from time to time but any advice in case they got spooked? Are they likey to be spooked in London?  I tink there are bound to be new smells and sounds but I don't know how different it will seem for dogs.  Last week they were spooked down a quiet snickleway by a charging sword waving shouting Tudor and it was very unexpected and scared the heck out of one of my dogs.  Things like that you can't train for so easily..although we've been to living history demonstrations with them they were't to know York was such historically minded city!

Dogs are allowed on the underground, but you might find it a bit hard in some places since they have to go through the turn stiles (if there aren't any assistants around to unlock the gate) or up and down escalators (which dogs often don't like, so you might find yourself using a lot of stairs).

I don't think they will be spooked if they're used to crowds in other places.

Can they be carried up escallators and turn styles? I don't want to get too fit!

They have to be carried on escallators. I think. Hope you havn't got a great dane :D

Yes, sorry I have a large breed and never think of the carrying option!

I used to live in London and had a dog. Its ok in the surburban area's where you have parks and its normal everyday living but I would never consider taking a dog into the middle of London. People there are not very considerate and are likely to push and stomp all over your dog. The tubes can be very crowded and if your dog does get nervous you could be in a risky situation - the noise of the tube trains as they come through the tunnels can be very spooky. And how much sightseeing do you think you can do? You wont be able to take your dog into anything so basically you will just be viewing from the outside. If you do go to London though, I can recommend Holland Park and Kensington Park as being great for dogs, or if you are near Putney there is Bishops Park.

thanks...we know London very well so are not interested in seeing anything new just and as we  walk our dogs in central areas of cities it is nice to try a new city. It is a shame to have to use the tube though.  ... with dogs like when you have kids you have to take them places or you wold never go anywhere and you can't just leave them at home!  The Tubes worry me though but once we are in most areas of central London  are reasonable walking distances .
I know what you mean about crowds when our kids were babies and toddlers people would have no care and stand on them. So we may best carry the dogs.

Mat on Blue Peter took Meg into London but a long time ago.

I have taken mine into ventral London no problems, just find the nearest tree when they need a wee, as their normal habit of using the gutter could be rather risky.

All the tubes have stairs so that is not great problem, and if they are used to trains then it isn't an issue.

Mine have all had their first transport experiences on buses, ans the London ones are no worse, though I think they may still need to go upstairs, and pay child fare.

Well, my tip would be don't take them! I don't even like going into London!!!!   I can't bare the noise and crowdes and hustle and bustle of a big noisy city, (unless I'm going there to buy new clothes, then I might be persuaded :-D) and would not contemplate taking my dog to London, I would much rather leave her at home with a friend. There will be more places that you can not take a dog in London than can.

If you are going to London enjoy it!

It is a city for shopping and sightseeing, museums, and fine eating, you are going to be restricted with your dogs and miss so much.

If you still insist on taking them, there are plenty of outdoor cafe's, where you can sit outside (weather permitting) with your dogs and a nice big park or two. (But you can do that anywhere) whilst in London I say enjoy it!

I love my trips to London but agree with the others it really isn't a place a dog could really enjoy.  Anyway, how can you enjoy lunch and glass of something at Harvey Nicks with a dog in tow? :D

I agree I wouldnt take my dogs to london either.... people are so inconsiderate they will push and shove and you poor dogs will get trampled apart from the tubes where they will get squashed .

I remember years ago when my son was around 12 we went into a department store my son held the door for the next person like we  do in Liverpool well..... everyone just kept walking through treating him like a doorman I turned around and he wouldnt let go incase it bashed someone I grabbed him and pulled him away I was disgusted that people have no manners .

*Now where did that come from***AH memories

conscious that he was a simple country dog and wanting to make sure his horizons (and experiences) were broadened, i took nips up to london for the day a couple of months ago. however, and it's a big however, we were going to spend this particular day with a friend who lives in south london so i could balance out the urban pressures on the pup (then aged 8 months) with some laid back time spent "birdwatching" from her postage-stamp sized patio before a saunter round streatham common.

i was very keen that nips got over his reluctance of trains because despite having the eastbourne to london railway line about 100 yards away out the back, he disliked station platforms and trains stopping on them. in this respect the trip to london was excellent since he had to change trains 3 times (including 10 minutes spent at clapham junction) plus he rode upstairs on two london buses. of escalators he was unphased but then you do have to carry dogs on them which is easy if you have a jack russell terrier!!

but for all the value we got out of the day (which will be repeated every couple of months) i stil can't imagine wanting to take him sight-seeing in central london. not least because there's very little that is nice for dogs to do. instead there's miles and miles of hot pavements, loads of stressed people who don't want dogs getting in their way, dreadful air quality (dogs being at precisely the height that allows them to take in lungfulls of exhaust fumes) and umpteen signs on interesting places for humans to visit that say "No Dogs".

so to be honest, while central London has all sorts of fascinating things for humans to do, it's worth asking yourself what you think your dog is likely to get out of it.

with the heat today it would make sense to leave a dog at home, mine have both dug themselves a big hole each under a bush and are laying in the holes chilling out, I couldnt imagine dragging them round london with loads of hot irritable people :(

Ooh Streatham common eh, is the the Rookery still there?

London was great... for socialising your dog it is ideal.

Central London isa packed with green! We've always loved the small parks and gardens dotted al over central London. The riverside offers cool and interitining walks. And bst of all for dogs are the people...so many people for them to meert! People there actually love dogs and want to come and fuss them!  The dogs love all the attention. But best of all dogs love any opportunity to be with their famly. 

Where ever you go with them you can find sometng goes wrong..you meet someone troublesome..be it in the local park, country, dog show or seaside and if someting polis the day for the dog or for you then you deal with it... maybe you go home, or maybe take time out unser a tree...but a city s exactly the same as going to any other environment... we always take ours to cities and country and suburbia and they are equally at home in all these places.

...btw....... we are low budget family so spending in shops and spending here and there is irelevant to us.... it is never someting we wan t do! But we walked around the shopping areas and to PCircus in the evening as my son wanted to see the lights.

I really think reading some of the replies here many of you understimate what a lovelp place central London is at the moment.

Normally before dogs we went at leadst once a year but the last time I went was David Blane in a glass box year .

Oh more  tips...for people like us who are not local to London...... buy food and snacks from the tube stations...unbelievavbly they are not only cheaper then tourist areas but cheaper then most places!

..and car parking on the edge of the city is cheap.... we only paid £1 for all day and the car parks are empty! ...... park out and tube train into the city. All day travel is very very cheap for what you get. And underground staff are all very very friendly and helpful... if you have very cute dogs!   :D

Well we had a wonderfuil day... in Central London many people are thee wth their dogs. Several had two dogs and the largest dog we met was an OES.   Some live in the cty and some were tourists...some had come with their families from Europe.

So we had a 20 hour day away from home..10 hours in central London where we saw all the sites, used the underground freely and DLR, as well as lots of walking enjoying at last some good weekend weather!

There is no reason to live with restricted concepts of what our dogs enjoy doing with us...for dogs who attrend ashows what could be better then a trip to a big city...lots of sights, smells, sounds, heat and crowds...these are basic dog show conditions! So if a dog is not going to like going into a city then surely a dog show must be right out of the question!

I really loved my day. People loved to see the dogs so it was an added bonus to feel we were travelling with celebreties!  People took their photos all day long... we kept starting to walk off when someone would screech and we realised they were taking a photo!  My boy likes to pose! He is a very 'look at me' kind of boy.  Both dogs loved the tubes! They loved the underground station and soon got the idea of being carried on the escellators.  I did use my wet town to keep them cool in the longer trips on the  more over crowded tubes. In ll the tubes their behaviour was praised by other passangers. WE saw all the historic sighte and all the major new-bulids.

I really do whish people would give tips when people say they are doing something  instead of saying don't do something... when pewople say they are doing something they are doimng it...you are not having to do it. So many times I see people say here no don't do this when a person wants advice I think people enjoy doing different things. New dog people do not have the in built restrictions of what dogs enjoy doing with their families because they do not know a life long routine of this is what you do with dogs...insteadthey have dogs to fit the people lifestyle....in parts of Europe you see dogs in the city shops and restaurants...  many live in small city appartments and are 100% city dogs!   Yiu can live more adventurously with your dogs then sticking to parks and country ... dogs love new situations, new environments, new challenges ...it makes their lives much more interesting... and mostly they love being with you nd not cooped up at home alone.... they are companion animals.  In the UK there are so many anti-dog regulations... but these are not based on a need but a historic mistaken pre-conception about dogs.   So why asuume we are wanting to drag our dogs around and make them suffer... I think that is a bad attitude to assume people are idiots and careless about their dogs welfare just bwcause we break the norm of leave dogs home alone and go enjoy ourselves without them. No we don't do that we include our dogs in our pleaures and they have a grwat time. I believe my dogs are very lucky... and as a consequense probabbly better socialised more confident and better mannered then many other dogs their age.

Okay...my tips fpr London.... which I had to think up myself based on previous trips without dogs!  For all summer trips.

Take lots of water...make water a top priority... most snack bars were willing to refill bottles for the dogs.

Take a soaked towl for cooling off the dogs in the tubes if you need to.

Take a first aid kid...something I always take on bit days out.

High value treats and a small favourate toy.

For a big day out I like to take a spare lead..in case one snaps and it can be very useful.

And plenty of clean up bags to double bag for a city and for a city black ones to be more discreet.

With budding agility dogs be aware of extra dangers so tight control over bridges and the river walls and anything they might want to jump over ( that's especialy relevand with my boy and my lasyt boy ) a new strange place can be as exciting as a new agility venue! 

Tight control in underground stations...and as with small kids get onto the tube and lifts symultaneously .

Plenty of snack  breaks for people and dogs in the plentyful parks and green areas..especially during mid day heat.

Avoid the peak summer heat of late July/Aug ( if we get it ) I find that time of year London is too hot and airless even for me.  And of course if you don't already know this.... avoid rush hour on the tubes.

I also took herbal calming drops in case I might use them... not that I am sure they are at all effective.

I also took a halti in case they were too pully and also a muzzle in case we were asked to use one.

Our dogs should be welcomed in many more places..just as our children should. hiis culture of no no rules is very restrictive ... with worm and flea control, good cleaning routines, and levels of training there is no reaon we shouldn't have the right to take our dogs to more places..to shops and more cafes. I only know 4 localish  dog friendly cafes and I repy them by using them. It works to be more dog friendly in our cities then we are..the everyone can enjoy our dogs and they can all get to destress a little and so live longer!

Anyway...London is a very very beautiful city and I think some of you have misconceptions about it.  Interstingly i have never seen the city so packed and people were all really enjoying their day....  in the whole 10 hours we hardly hears any London accents! 

Next time we will go to museums..because you need to take  rests throughout the day it is easy to go to shops and museums by takng shifts with resting the dogs in the shade. A tip for this is to take pencils and sketching paper... even the kids can do this because time passes very quickly when you sit and draw.  And you can sit and sketch..in London tourists will probably even ask to buy your work! I've had people ask to but my sketches after drawing three lines! Or you can arrange to meet in an hour and take a little extra walk or whatever ypu like.   Then you walk a little and swap shifts.  We always swap shifts when we take long days out with the diogs and there is some shop or musem we are wanting to visit.   BUt fr mny museums realisically there is no alid reaon to exclude well behaved dogs from accompanying their famiies..it is just tradition based on the old ways of rearing dogs.

Glad you had a great day! I used to live in Central London (Westminster) with my dog, and as you say, there are plenty of city dogs who have a great life and are very well socialised to people and traffic - far better than many suburban or rural dogs! You're right to equate a day in Town as being like a day at a dog show - the only difference is that there are places (museums, shops etc) where dogs are refused admission - buses (upstairs only in my day!) and the underground aren't a problem. Good for you for taking them with you - the more we keep our dogs isolated from the human world the less welcome they'll be, so it's to the benefit of all of us to take them with us! :)

Thanks.  Wow you lived in the Westminster area! Totally amazing! Expensive too! I was looking at the areas peope live and there is a real commiunity feel there you don't get in the suburbs. I noticed the local dogs included border collies and they had their own secret river beaches they took them to play at.   I can see the attraction for the increasing new-buiids in our central city areas.

The good thing about sitting outside a musem for a while is all the attention the dogs get while you wait with them. It's part of the lovely asect of having dogs is how much peope tend to admire them.  A short while ago I was in  town nd an old lady stopped me and said what beautiful red hair they both have! And I stood proudly with my dogs until I realised she was talking about my teen kids!  It was lovely someone complimenting me on my kids... but so rare it caught me out! 

I'd love to see mor well behaved dogs around comming into our towns and cities and reclaiming our leasure facilities for the use by all members of the public....even the use of us dog lovers!   I'd love then to be able to be certified as trained and being able to earn a pass to take then into the same places assistance dogs can be taken.  I'd love the good citizen tests to have higher levels which  would give us extra rights of asccess for our dogs.

..dream, dream, dream! 

Glad you had a good day too.
Actually I take my dogs everywhere I go *normally* havent had a holiday abroard for more years than I can remember  but I still wouldnt dream of taking them to London City from the experiences I have had with crowds etc over the years . I live in Liverpool which is a big city enviroment and wouldnt take them into the town here never mind London dont know maybe its living in a big city which puts me off .
Sorry if you were offended at my suggestion of not taking them it was just my opinion .

Roni

Several times we've taken ours to Liverpool for walks around the city...it's great and really improved over the years.  Again in the museum part you need to take turns walking dogs/going ihn museums..but that is the price of having dogs and still visiting more distant locations cos you can't leave dogs home alone for hours at a time. If our kids come with us we have no one to supervise them while we are out. We choose all go on a trip out and take shifts with the dogs or someone stays home with the dogs.  

I would like at some point to find out about pet passports and taking pets on holiday to Europe...I'm not sure how well that would work out but it could be a lot of fun.

I'm sure it's not my memory playing tricks when I think back and remember that almost every shop had somewhere outside to tie your dog's lead if you couldn't take it into the shop with you. And far fewer shops barred dogs anyway (I once got nipped by a westie in WH Smith in Southsea - my fault entirely - so they were certainly allowed in there!). As a little girl I remember Harrods had kennels in the basement where you could leave your dog while you were in the store - I wonder if they're still there, or is it another case of 'use it or lose it'? If these facilities aren't used they'll be taken away, and then everyone loses out.

I'm sorry too if you found my "tip" of not to do it offensive in anyway :)  Having read your post I still would not like to do it myself.  The idea of going on holiday with somebody else but one sitting outside while the other went in to see the sights is not for me plus doing that seems far too weather dependent for a British Holiday too, at least without the dogs you can centre yourself on all the inside attractions.  It's good you have given a full account of your experiences though as there may well be others who find your way just the ticket :)

Oh not offended..hope you're not offended by me saying what I did..but people here must trust folk to have thought through their plans and know what they are doing.  We honestly had the most perfectly wonderful day..I'd even say it was the best and most happy day I've had for a long time and to think I could have litened to people and missed out on it..it really was a great memory to cherish...sounds stupid but it was and with teen kids and two dogs we don't get many days when the whole 6 of us are all doing something all day long that we all enjoy together. 'twas highly  nice to get away from the drudge of our normality! 

We are a family of 4..one parent and child say with dogs one parent and child enter museum...otr two ten kids stay out with dogs and tw parents go in museum etc... it is not like going out with a friend and being left outside alone with the dogs. It is normal life for us to share the fun and share the responsibility of having the dogs.

I must agree with your post.  As a non driver I take my dogs dimply everywhere I can, and they don't turn a hair as a result.

I am sorry I didn't get to this post in time.

Taking Water would be my main advise and poo bags of course.  There are quite good water bottles that have a little drop down plastic bowl clipped onto them that are great for drinks.  To be hones t though I would just ask pubs or cafés if they would give me water for the dog.

Mine are City dogs and I have often taken them into the centre of albeit a much less busy city than London.

the rookery in streatham is still there.

I'm glad you had a great day in London, the good weather and it being half term week helped with the more amenable tourist crowds rather than the working community who are more stressy. It certainly doesnt sound like the London I knew except that there are parks everywhere and walks by the Thames and thats where you meet the dog friendly community. You also have a family who are willing to work around the dogs by taking turns to visit museums - great if the weather is good. I agree that dogs should be accepted more in society, I think its unfair that only guide dogs are allowed into buildings and a higher certificate of obedience sounds a great idea.