Do not walk your dog in national parks and nature reserves.
Their scent and barking frightens wildlife and may cause animals to abandon their young or their territory. Many local councils provide urban park areas with set off-leash walking times.

Keep your dog confined in your backyard or on a leash.
Especially around large ground dwelling birds, your dog will find it hard to resist a chase. Wandering dogs have wiped out entire penguin colonies in mainland Australia and continue to take birds from the colony in Manly in Sydney’s north.

Keep your dog in at night.
Dog attacks are one of the main causes of koala fatality. If you live near koala habitat consider keeping your dog inside at night as koalas may try to cross your backyard. Scientists and carers found that a koala rarely survives even the mildest dog attack. It is not the injury that kills but the bacteria that the dog transmits even through the tiniest of wounds. Ringtail possums are also particularly vulnerable.

Train your dog.
With the right training and some patience your dog can learn to keep their cool around wildlife.

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