Winter Dog Walking Guide

golden colour do walking in the snow

The daily walk is a central part of any dog’s life. It is what they need to keep active, healthy, and use up all that energy that might otherwise go towards causing havoc in the living room! It is also of course a beloved part of any dog owner’s life. You can feed off the excitement of your canine pal’s tail-wagging celebrations as they realise that it is time to head out for a wander. Then, when you are out and about, you too can enjoy the fresh air and the good company of a happy little animal friend.


Dog walking, however, is not the same process all through the year, especially if you live somewhere where the winters and summers can seem like different worlds! So that you and your dog are comfortable, happy and (most importantly) safe, there are some tips that it is worth following when it comes to winter walking with your dog. Follow these tips, and you will be able to have just as much refreshing and revitalising fun in those chillier months as you do in the spring and summer.

Be mindful of the temperature

The big different when it comes to the winter is the drop in temperature. Some dogs with shorter coats such as greyhounds and whippets might therefore need a special winter coat, and not just just to make sure they look stylish. This will also be the case for puppies and for older dogs who are more sensitive to the colder temperatures. To make sure that your dog feels comfortable with the coat, you should introduce your dog to it in stages. First, lay the coat on the floor with some of your dog’s favourite treats on it. Then you can experiment with holding treats just through the neck of the coat so that your dog puts their head into the coat. Working slowly and sensitively – and welcoming the help of plenty of treats – will help your dog ease into the idea of wearing their winter coat for the first time. You should also make sure that you yourself are sensibly dressed! This is not just about having the right wardrobe for the winter look, but is a matter of safety for you and your dog. If you have shoes that lack grip, then you might injure yourself whilst keeping up with your dog, or whilst making sure that they stay away from a danger zone such as a frozen lake. Gripping walking boots will help you be able to look after your dog whilst looking after yourself. Similarly, make sure that you are wrapped up warm in your winter coat so that you are not giving yourself a cold whilst your dog is enjoying their new winter garments!

Take extra precautions in snowy and icy conditions

When it is snowing and visibility is poor, you should keep your dog on the leash. This way, you can both navigate the terrain carefully together. If your dog darts off into the distance then it not only might be difficult to find them with limited vision, but your dog might become stressed out by getting caught in thicker patches of snow. So that you don’t have to worry about the possibility of losing your dog in poor weather conditions, it is always worth double checking that your dog’s microchip details are up to date before the winter begins.
When you are back in from a walk in the snow, you should make sure to wipe the legs and body of your dog clear. This is because grit from roads and pavements, as well as clumps of cold snow and ice, can cause irritation. When it is very icy and big puddles or even ponds have frozen over, make sure that you don’t let your dog run across them. As thick as the ice looks, it is not worth the risk of your poor dog splashing into icy water.

Keep it fun

Studies have found that over half of dog owners exercise their dog less over the winter months. It may feel like there is a good reason for this. When the evenings become darker much earlier, and a pre-work walk in the morning turns into a night time walk because of the late sunrise, getting out there can seem less appealing. The weather and light change can even put dogs off their walks too. This is a shame because walking is an integral part of the physical and mental health of dogs, just at it is for humans. Without being able to engage with the world around them and use up their energy, dogs will have a much less happy time, and their physical health won’t be where it ought to be.
For this reason, in winter time you can think about making things feel fresh and fun when the weather isn’t all that appealing. There are lots of little things you can do to keep walk time feeling exciting for you and your dog: drive to a new local destination that you have always been meaning to see; take a different route back home to the route that your dog will be expecting; play games outside with dog toys and reward your dog with treats along the walk for getting involved learning new games and tricks; or you can always make sure that you are increasing playtime indoors on those days when the weather is so bad that you have to curtail your normal walk.

Safety first for your dog

If your dog is shivering, whining, licking their paws, or showing other such signs of pain or discomfort in the cold, then you should always try to head back home as quickly as you can. In terms of your dog’s body temperature, you should make sure that you stop your dog from eating snow, as this can drop your dog’s temperature right down, which isn’t so helpful when it is already cold weather. Plus, ice and snow on the ground may have residue of anti-freeze on it, and this can be very dangerous for dogs. This is also why it is so important to clean your dog’s coat when they come back indoors, as it can be harmful if they lick their coat when it has droplets of anti-freeze on it.

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