How to walk your dog safely through the cold winter months

When it’s wet and windy outside, often the last thing you feel like doing is heading out for a walk. But even when it’s cold, ensuring your dog gets enough exercise is a must. Generally speaking, the average dog requires between 30 minutes and 2 hours of exercise every day. So if you spend the whole time cooped up inside the house, there’s no way your pup will be getting the exercise it needs to stay mentally stimulated and physically healthy. Though it may not always seem like it, winter dog walks can be a really great way of forcing us up and out of the house for some fresh air. The key to enjoying these colder dog walks is to make sure you’re prepared! As well as making sure you’re wrapped up warm, it’s also important to think about safety considerations for your pooch. So, we’ve put together 5 ways you can ensure you’re walking your dog safely over the winter season.

1. Avoid long walks when it’s really chilly

Just because dogs require a couple of hours of exercise per day, doesn’t mean that this needs to be done in one long stint. When the temperatures drop, it can often be a better idea to take your dog on multiple shorter walks throughout the day.

When walking your dog after dark, the RSPCA recommends wearing reflective clothing, as well as providing your pup with a reflective collar, or some sort of torch.

Avoid staying out in the cold for too long, especially after your pup gets muddy and wet, as this is when its body temperature can drop. Also remember that every dog is different, so there’s no one size fits all rule when it comes to how long you can spend outdoors.

Generally speaking, puppies and elderly dogs are most at risk of getting chilly during dog walks. Keep an eye on your dog to ensure it doesn’t show any signs of being too cold – such as whining, shivering, shaking or picking up its paws.

2. Help your dog stay warm with a jacket

On the topic of keeping your dog warm, it can also be a good idea to invest in a winter dog coat or jacket for your pup to wear during outings. Protecting dogs from harsh and windy weather conditions can be a great way of ensuring they stay happy on walks, and nowadays pet owners are spoilt for choice when it comes to dog apparel.

Dogs that have short hair can particularly benefit from a winter coat, as can older dogs and dogs that suffer from arthritis. Before buying a dog coat, be sure to check that it is well-insulated, durable and the correct fit for your dog. You don’t want to make your dog feel uncomfortable or restrict its movement, which is why choosing the right size is really important.

3. Keep your dog on a lead in icy conditions

You may or may not be surprised to hear that dogs love snow! From rolling around to bouncing across it, pups tend to find endless enjoyment in playing with snow. With that being said, when you take your dog out in icy or snowy conditions, it’s always a good idea to keep it on a lead.

Despite bringing fun for all the family, snow can also cause reduced visibility and create a layer that covers up areas that aren’t safe for your dog to explore. In particular, you may find that ponds and lakes are iced over, and these run the risk of breaking under your dog’s weight.

Extendable dog leads are great for giving dogs more freedom while also keeping them within a safe distance. These longer leads allow your pup to roam freely while keeping you closely in tail.

4. Check paws when home

During the winter months, de-icing grit and rock salt tends to get spread across roads and pavements to prevent build-ups of frost occurring. Unfortunately, this grit isn’t always safe for dogs. They often have chemicals in them that have the potential to burn paws. As well as this, they can be toxic if ingested by our furry friends.

Because of this, it’s crucial to thoroughly clean your pup’s paws with warm water as soon as you get home from your winter dog walk.

5. Run a warm bath for your pup

Another important factor to remember is that dogs require bathing as soon as they’re home from their walk. In the winter months, your dog is more likely to get wet and muddy. If you don’t take time to groom your dog afterwards, you run the risk of its temperature dropping and its hair getting matted with dirt, which can cause a number of health problems.

Avoid using cold or piping hot water when bathing your dog. Instead, get the water to a nice, lukewarm temperature and treat it to some pampering with moisturising dog shampoo.

It’s not just humans that want to curl up by the fire on a winter’s day! You may find that your pup needs a little coaxing to get outdoors in horrible weather too… However, a toasty winter coat and the prospect of a warm bath when home should help to do the trick.

 

Thank you to our friends at Barc London for contributing this blog post.