Meet local doggers anywhere in the USA

What dogging means in America

Dogging is British slang for having sex in a public or semi-public place, or for watching other people do it. Usually that place is a parking lot or a quiet park after dark, and the meet is arranged online first.

The word started in England, and nobody is quite sure where it came from. One theory says it began in the early 1970s with men who “dogged”, or followed, couples so they could watch. The other says walking the dog was the excuse for being out so late. The BBC was calling it a new craze in September 2003, and during the 2000s it spread to Ireland, Canada, Australia and the United States.

Americans don’t have one word for it. People talk about public sex, car meetups, or the outdoor side of the swinging scene. “Cruising” comes close, but in the US it mostly means gay men meeting in parks and at rest stops, where in Britain and Australia straight people use the word too. DoggingBook is for all of it: couples who like an audience, people who like to watch, and singles who want to join in.

Why people are into it

For most people it’s the pairing of exhibitionism and voyeurism – being seen, or doing the seeing – with an edge of risk no bedroom can give you.

When Chris Haywood of Newcastle University interviewed men who take part, for a 2018 paper in the journal Sexualities, they talked about excitement and novelty inside long-term relationships, about anonymity, and about never knowing quite how a night would go. The chance of being discovered was part of the thrill, and several described it as an escape from routine. They also described how quiet it is: much of a meet runs on signals, with hardly a word spoken.

Where meets happen

In the US, most outdoor meets happen in parks, at beaches, in quiet parking lots and at rest stops, usually after dark.

Spots that families use by day can have a very different crowd once the sun goes down. Meets are often posted ahead with a place, a day and a time, and the watchers turn up to see who arrives. Where the spots are gets passed around online, in forums and in private chats, rather than on any sign.

What members are into

When you join, you pick the things you enjoy, and they help decide who you’re matched with.

The choices are the ones this scene actually uses: parking-lot meets, public sex, outdoor fun and outdoor hotspots, exhibitionism, watching and cruising, voyeuristic photography and film making, and more. Tick as few or as many as you like. Couples who want an audience, singles who want to join in and people who only ever watch all use the same site.

New to it? Read up first

There’s more to a good night out than turning up, and DoggingBook has guides and information to get you ready.

They cover the signals people use in their cars, the etiquette that keeps a meet relaxed, and how to look after yourself and anyone you’re with. Read them before your first night out and you’ll know what to expect long before you park.

Why meet through DoggingBook

Most meets are planned online long before anyone parks, and that planning is what DoggingBook is for.

The sign-up card starts with your ZIP code, so the members it shows you are the ones nearest to you, and your daily match suggestions weigh up distance too. VIP members can go further with advanced search filters – by city, distance, experience level and what people are open to – so you’re not scrolling past someone three states away. Planning something with more than one couple? VIP members can start a private group chat with up to 50 people, free and VIP members together, which keeps the arrangements discreet and in one place.

DoggingBook works in any browser on your computer or phone, and you can add it to your home screen like an app. Verification is optional: if you’d like other members to know you’re real, you can verify your profile for free, but nobody has to.