Dogging is a British term for sex in a public or semi public place, often a car park or a lay-by, where other people may watch or join in. There is no offence called dogging, but the act can break several laws, and it has nothing to do with paid escorting.
What dogging means
People arrange to meet in cars at agreed spots, sometimes through websites and apps, and signal that they are willing to be watched or joined. Watching is part of it for many people, which is where it overlaps with voyeurism and exhibitionism. The word is said to come from people claiming they were out walking the dog.
Is dogging illegal?
Nobody is prosecuted for dogging as such. The offences that can apply to it are:
- Outraging public decency. A common law offence: a lewd, obscene or disgusting act in a public place, where at least two people who could see it are present, even if nobody actually did.
- Exposure. Intentionally exposing your genitals so that someone sees them, intending to cause alarm or distress, under section 66 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
- Voyeurism. Watching or recording someone’s private act without their consent, under section 67.
- Sexual activity in a public lavatory. A separate offence under section 71.
The police can respond with a warning, a caution, a fine or a prosecution, depending on the force and the circumstances. An act on private land can still count as being in public if people can see it from outside.
Risks beyond the law
Meeting strangers in isolated places carries risks of its own: theft, assault, and being filmed and then blackmailed. Sexual health is a concern too. Use condoms, and test regularly if you have more than one partner. Safety and help lists the contacts, including the NHS clinics that offer free, confidential testing.
If what you want is privacy
Sex indoors between consenting adults is lawful, and the private route is usually the safer one. Swinging clubs and parties are private and unpaid. A booking with an escort is private, paid and agreed in advance, with the offences around it set out in Is escorting legal in the UK? For how it works, see how booking works.
For other terms, see the dating and hookup slang A to Z.