Dog Parks in Delhi: Pet-Friendly Parks and Off-Leash Areas

Last checked: 22 October 2026. Every rule below links to the order or news report it comes from. Delhi’s parks are run by different bodies, so the rules change from park to park, and the board at the gate is what the guards follow. Read it when you arrive. This page covers Delhi itself; for Gurgaon, see dog parks in Gurgaon.

The short answers

• Are dogs allowed in Lodhi Garden? We couldn’t find a written rule either way. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which runs it, lists its hours but no dog rule. Dog parents do walk their dogs there; keep yours on a leash.
• Which big park says yes on its own website? Sunder Nursery, next to Humayun’s Tomb: dogs on a leash, poop picked up, away from the water and the wilderness zone.
• Can a DDA or colony park ban dogs? In 2016 the Animal Welfare Board of India told the DDA, after a Delhi High Court order, that leashed dogs walked by adults should not be banned and “No dogs” boards should come down. Parks can set dog hours instead. Some parks have still turned dogs away.
• Is there an off-leash dog park? None that we could confirm is open. The MCD’s Jangpura pet park was still waiting for an operator in June 2026.
• Do I need to register my dog? Yes: ₹500 a year online in MCD areas, ₹50 a year in the NDMC area.

Sunder Nursery: allowed, on a leash

Sunder Nursery, the heritage park beside Humayun’s Tomb in Nizamuddin, is managed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Its website sets these dog rules (Sunder Nursery):

• Always keep your dog on a leash. “Visitors’ entry will be blocked if the pet is seen without a leash.”
• Keep your dog away from the water bodies and the wilderness zone.
• Carry a bag and pick up after your dog.
• Don’t feed stray dogs.

Everyone is asked to walk on the paths, not the grass (Sunder Nursery). The park is open from 7 am to 10 pm every day; the site gives the last entry as 9 pm on one page and 9.30 pm on another (Sunder Nursery timings). A ticket is ₹50 for Indian adults, and the site lists no ticket for dogs.

Lodhi Garden and the NDMC’s other big parks

Lodhi Garden is run by the NDMC’s horticulture department. It opens at 5 am from April to September and 6 am from October to March, and closes at 8 pm (NDMC parks list). The NDMC website gives no dog rule for the garden, and we found no NDMC notice or news report that sets one. Time Out Delhi calls the garden dog-friendly and says “plenty of the city’s residents walk their dogs here” (Time Out Delhi, Oct 2025), but gives no rules. Guides online list different dog hours; we couldn’t confirm any of them.

Two things to know before you go:

• Street dogs. Regular visitors told The Tribune in July 2026 that the number of stray dogs in the garden had gone up in recent months (Tribune, 30 Jul 2026). Keep your dog on a short leash.
• The NDMC’s law. In the NDMC area, a dog you know is likely to annoy or frighten people must be muzzled and on a chain lead in a public place, and a “ferocious” dog must be muzzled (NDMC Act, section 310).

The NDMC gives the same hours for Nehru Park (Vinay Marg) and Talkatora Garden, again with no dog rule.

Colony and DDA parks: what the Animal Welfare Board says

There is no single rule for Delhi’s colony parks. In 2022 an MCD official said there had been cases of people not being allowed to take their dogs into public parks (PTI via ThePrint, 17 Jul 2022).

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), the statutory board under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, tells housing societies that “seeking to ban pets from gardens or parks, is short-sighted” and suggests agreeing dog timings instead; they can’t keep pets out of lifts either (AWBI guidelines, 26 Feb 2015).

In November 2016 the Board sent the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) guidelines issued “in light of the directions” of a Delhi High Court order of 12 November 2014 (AWBI circular, 15 Nov 2016). The circular says:

• Pet dogs “will not therefore be banned if the dogs are duly leashed and being walked by adults”.
• “Dogs / pets are strictly prohibited” boards should come down. A park can set morning and evening dog hours instead, “reasonable, and reasonably long”, and ask dog parents to bring scoops.
• Leashes should be no longer than six feet.
• Park authorities “cannot insist on the use of muzzles”, but the Board advises dog parents to muzzle their dog themselves if they feel it’s needed.
• The DDA and other bodies that run parks should withdraw their bans, and RWAs should be required to do the same.

The Times of India reported the letter, and a DDA official said work had begun to put it in place (Times of India, 18 Nov 2016). We found no later DDA order on dogs, and the DDA’s park pages said nothing about dogs when we checked.

If your colony park has a “No dogs” board, don’t argue with the guard. Raise it with your RWA or the body that runs the park, with the 2016 circular on your phone.

Off-leash dog parks

• Jangpura pet park (MCD, not open yet). About 1.5 acres near the Jangpura-Defence Colony flyover. It was developed in 2023 but never opened because of delays in appointing an operator; the MCD issued fresh tenders in 2026 for a private agency to run it. Plans include dog trails, a swimming zone, grooming and a vet, with double-gated entry. Only registered and vaccinated pet dogs will be let in, with registrations from the MCD and other NCR civic bodies accepted (Tribune, 3 Jun 2026). We found no report that it had opened by October 2026.
• Rajinder Nagar dog park (opened 2021). The then North Delhi Municipal Corporation opened what it called Delhi’s first dog park in Rajinder Nagar on 30 October 2021, with swings, green patches and a registration counter (PTI via Devdiscourse, 30 Oct 2021). The report doesn’t say whether dogs can be off the leash. The newest mention we found is from 2022 (PTI via ThePrint), so we couldn’t confirm it’s still open.
• Private dog parks. We couldn’t confirm one inside Delhi from a venue’s own website. The nearest we found is Tail Club in Sector 59, Gurugram, which says it has 1.5 acres of leash-free space (Tail Club; address).

Registering your dog

• MCD areas: registration is required under section 399 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and you apply online. It costs ₹500, and ₹500 to renew, with a late fee of ₹100 a month. The certificate lasts up to a year, tied to the date of your dog’s rabies vaccination. You need the vaccination certificate from a registered vet, ID and address proof, and a photo of you with your dog (MCD pet dog registration; MCD guide, 2025).
• NDMC area: ₹50 per dog per year, for a dog tax token valid for one year (NDMC veterinary FAQs).
• Does it matter at the park? It can: the Jangpura park will let in only registered dogs, and the law lets the authorities detain unregistered dogs found in public places, though that is rarely enforced (The Daily Guardian, 13 Aug 2025).

What to carry

• A leash no longer than six feet, as the AWBI’s 2016 parks guidelines ask.
• Poop bags.
• Photos of your dog’s rabies vaccination and registration certificates on your phone.
• Water and a bowl. In Delhi’s hot months, walk early in the morning or late in the evening, and test the path: Dogs Trust suggests holding your hand on it for five seconds, and walking later if it’s too hot for you. Take extra care with old, overweight and flat-faced dogs (Dogs Trust). See heatstroke in dogs.

Puppies: wait until your vet says your puppy’s vaccinations protect it before taking it to busy parks, see the puppy vaccination schedule. Ticks: check your dog after walks through long grass, see how to check your dog for ticks.

Park manners

1. Keep the leash on unless the park says otherwise.
2. Pick up every poop and bin it.
3. Ask before your dog greets another dog or a person.
4. If your dog bites a person or another dog, stay, share your number and show your dog’s rabies vaccination record. A bitten person should wash the wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor (WHO). A bitten dog should see a vet.

More for a first visit: dog park etiquette. If you know a Delhi park’s dog rule we’ve missed, or what the board at Lodhi Garden says, tell us and we’ll add it. If your dog runs off, search close by first, then report the lost or found dog free on FurFam: your report gets its own page to share in WhatsApp groups.

Dog parks in other cities: Bangalore, Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Kochi.

FAQs

Are dogs allowed in Lodhi Garden? Dog parents walk their dogs there, but we couldn’t find an NDMC rule that allows or bans dogs, or sets dog hours. Go on a leash, pick up, and follow the board at the gate.

Can my RWA ban dogs from our colony park? The AWBI’s 2016 circular says parks shouldn’t ban leashed dogs walked by adults and that RWAs should be required to drop their bans, though a park can fix reasonable dog hours. If the board stays, take it up with the RWA and the body that owns the park.

Can I take my German Shepherd or Rottweiler to a Delhi park? We found no breed ban for Delhi’s public parks. The NDMC Act says a “ferocious” dog must be muzzled, while the AWBI says park staff can’t insist on muzzles. In Delhi Cantonment, the Army in 2022 barred Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, American Bulldogs, Bull Mastiffs and German Shepherds as pets in its community living areas (Tribune, 18 Feb 2022).

Where can I eat out with my dog in Delhi? At a few cafes, mostly at outdoor tables. See dog-friendly cafes in Delhi.