Getting Out With Your Dog During The Winter

Getting out with your dog(s) during the winter doesn’t have to be a chore. Admittedly, getting the extra layers of clothes on, and the boots and dealing with the muddy paws isn’t necessarily the most fabulous bit of being a dog owner, but getting out there in the winter can be just as good for you as it is for your four legged friend.

Try Somewhere New

Winter can be a great time for finding new walks – if your usual routes are just too muddy or not so nice places to be on dark winter evenings, a new walk can give your dog some new places to explore and you some variety. Here at MyPetBadge we like finding walks in more open spaces during the winter – when it’s sunny that extra dose of Vitamin D makes us feel so much better.

Find a Footpath

Whether it’s an urban trail, a circular walk, a trek to a dog friendly pub for lunch or meeting up with friends and their dogs, the footpath network across the UK is incredibly well sign posted and often takes you to areas of your locality that you never knew existed.

Go Geocaching

Geocaching is a ‘real world treasure hunt’ that is happening all around you – right now! You’ll need an App for your phone or a GPS device and to visit www.geocaching.com to sign up and then you’re ready to go. Some of the best geocachers out there have ‘geohounds’ as their dogs are brilliant at sniffing out the ‘treasure’ – it also makes your walk a bit more challenging and is a great family activity too.

Explore some Special Places

Many of the National Trust properties welcome dogs and offer beautiful surroundings for a really good walk and explore (as well as an excellent cup of tea and a scone!). There are different restrictions at different properties and these vary by the seasons so it’s worth checking the National Trust site section for Dog Owners before you visit. Membership of the National Trust allows you to park for free in many of their coastline carparks so if you live near the sea or visit regularly, this can be a money saver over time too.

Join Friends

The dog walking community is often a very friendly one – if you see people regularly when walking your dog, why don’t you suggest all meeting up at a time and then walking together. A bit of company and a natter while you walk in the winter can help take your mind off your cold feet. We have friends in a “4 O’Clock Club” on a Sunday – they meet in a carpark, at, yes, you’ve guessed it, 4pm and do a big circular walk together. It offers some of the older owners some companionship (and if they don’t turn up, the other club members check up on them) and lets the dogs socialise too.

We hope you enjoy getting out with your dog this winter – if you have any other ideas please do share them with us!