Winter Walking with your Dog

Darker Mornings and Evenings are Here

As winter approaches consider what kit you might need to walk your dog. I don’t know about you, but darkness seems to always catch me out. One minute it’s light outside and the next day, at the same time, it’s almost dark.

Get Ready – Be Prepared

If you’re new to dog ownership you may not be aware of all the things you can buy to keep your dog safe – see below, BUT,

Two points of awareness

Please remember to keep yourself safe too!

The number of times I see dog owners walking in the dark with their dog beautifully lit up, and they are wearing dark clothes with no reflective clothing at all. Drivers need to see you too.

If you are using items that have batteries, such as flashing collars, be sure to get quality items with secure battery holders. Take care as you put the collar on and off. Sometimes the batteries just fall out of these things, leading to serious consequences for your dog, if they grab them and eat them.

Teaching your dog to ‘ask politely’ before stealing things is always a good idea, backed up with a solid ‘LEAVE IT’ command. If you want information about training your dog, please check out our dog training programmes. 

Walk in places you know well

Avoid running into difficulties, by keeping to places you know well for your walks. This also helps your dog. Dog’s are affected by light/dark/weather and the environment. If you take your dog on walks they know well, in the dark, they are less likely to get spooked. You’re less likely to run into unknown hazards.

Keep your dog on a lead

Even if your dog is great off the lead, in the darker mornings and evenings you can’t see your dog so well or what’s around you. Dog’s can get spooked or distracted. If you can’t see your dog or your surroundings so well, it takes you longer to respond.

Consider brainwork activities

If it’s more difficult for you to give your dog the same amount of outings/walks, do some brainwork activities with your dog. Get them to search for their food around the house or garden. You really don’t need to spend money on ‘enrichment’ toys, just a bit of imagination, some tasty food or their toys and you have plenty to get your dog’s head working.

Mental stimulation, brainwork, enrichment – call it what you like, it’s great for your dog and it means your dog gets more interaction with you too, strengthening your bond.

If you have a nervous dog, your dog may be better spending 20 minutes at home, enjoying some brainwork time, than going out in the dark, making them even more scared and nervous.

A great book, ‘STOP, Walking your Dog’ is a great book if you need help with a nervous dog. It’s a great book for helping you to understand how the pressures of having to ‘walk your dog’ can actually do more harm than good for a nervous or even over-excited dog.

Keep Safe

Keep you and your dog safe in the winter months ahead. This article is all about the dark but many other dangers bring themselves to the fore in autumn and winter. Look out for more information about this as the colder days approach.

Enjoy the changing season and all the beauty that Autumn especially can bring.

If you need help with training your dog, please check out our training programmes. 

Reflective Items

• Dog/human hi vis vests
• Collars – reflective or flashing
• Leads – reflective
• Balls that glow in the dark or flash for dusky evenings