Dog walking now the nights are drawing in....

[GolightlyMrsGolightly]

Got puppy in January so haven't done any winter walking yet. She's happiest off her lead in a dog friendly walking place or down a glen or in a river or on a beach.

She doesn't mind an on lead sniff type walk - but really loves off lead.

She's also pitch black!

Do you just walk them on lead in the winter? I was thinking an on lead before work and after work and then an off lead if we can at lunchtime.

I just think we'd never see her off lead in the dark on the beach!

You can get lights to attach to her collar. Have a look on amazon.

You can buy hi-vis leads/harnesses and glow in the dark things that go around their necks (like a loop of glo-stick). Mine is enormous and very pale, so easier to spot but I still use the hi-vis stuff on dark walks.

And yes, the little clip on lights, like the ones runners use.

So do you let them off but with the hi vis and glow collars?

Mine has a light on his collar and I let him off. He has great recall though and doesn't wander off too far. I don't think I'd have been letting him wander off in the dark during his first year as he was far less reliable and obviously once they're a long way off, it's harder to see them and chase them down even if you have the lights and hi vis stuff.

We never walk in the dark , ours goes out twice a day and they are just fitted in to whatever daylight there is .

Like @Floralnomad, we try to avoid hours of darkness but when we do walk in the dark we stay on lead because they are sniffy type walks (wearing the hi vis). Off-lead play stuff is done in daylight or dusk/sunrise at the very worst. Not because I don’t trust mine but because I can’t see other dogs or potential risks in the dark.

i have a flashing collar to put on at night or it threads through a harness, practical for using if on the road at dusk or the canal towpath. (bought a couple on Amazon). We are fortunate to have own land so she can run loose at night safely.

You can use high-vis collars/harnesses and get lights to put on their collars, but for me I just don't walk in the dark unless the dog is on a lead, and even then we try and avoid it where possible.

For me, it's not just the risk of losing the dog, it's more the safety aspect - you're at much higher risk of tripping/injuring yourself in the dark and you may not be able to see other dogs or hazards coming towards you until it's too late.

One of the reasons I don’t walk mine in the dark is because you can’t see what you are treading in and frankly I’m sure 50% of the dog poo that is not picked up round here is left by people who walk in the dark so claim they can’t see the dogs doing it .

I don't walk in the dark as my dog is quite spooked by it. Tried it a few times and now don't bother.

I do walk my dogs in the dark off lead on the moors with a head torch. I love the dark quiet deserted winter walks. Watching the sunrise on a dark crispy morning is the best thing ever.

You’d be surprised how well you can see a black dog in the dark still... and hear them, lol

Get the lights for the collar. Mine never needed it though he always comes back. Think he's a bit scared of the dark 🤣

@RiaRoth

I do walk my dogs in the dark off lead on the moors with a head torch. I love the dark quiet deserted winter walks. Watching the sunrise on a dark crispy morning is the best thing ever.

I love early morning dark walks, when the ground is hard with frost and the world is still in bed. In the lead up to lockdown when my anxiety about the situation kept me awake I did a lot of very early walks, helped me mentally a lot.

My problem is I actually hate getting out of bed 🤣

Sorry just realised I didn’t actually help with the question.

Dark evenings - sniffy walk on lead on pavement.
Dark mornings but getting light, of lead in ‘safe’ places. My dog is white with patches so easy to spot.

I know some people where head torches but I don’t like them as your eyes focus on the light, I prefer for my eyes to get accustomed to the dark. I feel I can see more that way.

It'll be dark early buly the time we get our dog. I live in a safe area, and regularly run around pavemented streets in the evening. So I don't feel nervous about taking dog out, but we will be keeping her on a lead for a long while anyway so off lead isn't a consideration.

I use rechargable collars that have an illuminated strip through them. I got them off Amazon. You can also try a bell on the collar.

And yes, dark walks get to be normal. The dogs don't care, their night sight is loads better than ours. I walk mine before walk out in the countryside, and then again as soon as I get in when there is some light left.

We also use the rechargeable collars from amazon.
We generally only do lead walks in the dark. Occasionally we take him out in the morning in the dark (if he's going to the in laws instead of daycare) and let him off lead but his recall is very good and he generally stays quite close. I don't think I would let him off lead if his recall wasn't so good. Hunting for a dark dog in the dark would be pretty frustrating!

I have light collars for mine. The collars are like glowsticks and charge USB. I don't let mine off leash due to the breed. I also have a good waterproof torch and I have a hat with USB charge light. We have no street lights where I live and i make sure we are well lit up as too many idiots speed in the countryside.

@Floralnomad

One of the reasons I don’t walk mine in the dark is because you can’t see what you are treading in and frankly I’m sure 50% of the dog poo that is not picked up round here is left by people who walk in the dark so claim they can’t see the dogs doing it .

Definitely!! Our village pavements are covered in dog pooh from the minute the nights start pulling in until they start pulling back out again!! Hardly any in summer and then it all appears over the winter....not fun on a school run the next day!

Our dog hates the dark 😂 Little weirdo that she is!

Light up collar - but for reasons of personal safety I try to avoid the park after dark. I'm a lone woman, in a big city, and it just doesn't seem wise.