do you walk your dog in the dark?

[MrsLargeEmbodied]

my dm is always so shocked that anyone walks their dog in the dark
very strange.
she has had dogs but i guess she got home earlier enough not to have to walk her dog

@MrsLargeEmbodied

oh interesting *@icedcoffees*

my ddog follows me upstairs when i get home to get change to walk her

Yeah, if you get in the routine of walking the dog at x time everyday, they get used to it and start to expect it, which can cause problems when it's not possible for whatever reason.

My dog sometimes gets walked at 5am (before DH leaves for work), sometimes at 8.30am, sometimes at 11am, sometimes he doesn't go out at all if the weather is horrendous.

We deliberately never did set times as I didn't want a dog who pesters me for a walk at certain times everyday of the year, lol. It seems to have worked fine. He was happy to stay in bed until 9.45am today even though he was out at 5am for his walk on Friday.

Yes. He has a led collar and I have an excellent head torch.

In fields, no street lights or pavements just footpaths that I know very well.

Yes but only in the mornings or through the village at night.

Walk around our local fields at 5am with a head torch, audible and dog on lead. Puppy loves it, big dog refuses to go out in the dark 😁

Only cars go to shift change at the local dairy.

No as he hates walking in the dark.

He has a 'round the block' walk at 10:30pm for his toilet as he refuses to go in the garden at that time 🤷‍♀️and I don't won't any overnight presents !

His main walk is about an hour mid-afternoon after work finishes.

Yes, she gets a walk sometime between 4 and 6, so this time of year it’s dark. If it’s 4 we get an hour in the park laying, otherwise it’s a walk around the estate.
As she’s a GSD we’re left alone lol, but last year about 6 teenagers all dressed in black were behind us. I stepped in with my back to the wall (I always do this if someone’s behind me), and she stood softly growling beside me til the passed.

Yes, over the fields with two big dogs. (I live rurally.) Love walking in the dark!

Yes, evening walk after dinner. She’s a Lab.
It’s dark at 4pm so it would be an awful long time to wait until her morning walk.
She goes out in the garden for a last wee around 11pm.

Very rarely, our pup doesn't seem as relaxed and so now it is dark in the evenings we try to meet her needs in other ways rather than a walk. I try and take her for a sniffy walk in the dark around once a week with lots of treats to start building it up positively, as we do pick her up on foot from her daycare twice a week and she's noticeably more reluctant to walk back in the dark.

Yes, around trees where we live. I wouldn't walk him off lead or through fields or woods, etc. We live in a big housing estate which is very well lit, I always feel safe.

*streets, not trees!

Never , nothing to do with feeling unsafe . I don’t work so have plenty of time to walk him in daylight and I wouldn’t let him off in the dark anyway .

Well it's dark at 5pm so yes ddog gets walked in dark.Dh usually does it although I really enjoy walking in the dark.

North east Scotland, it’s dark by 4.30 , so dog has to go out in the dark, fortunately she is a Akita so no one going to attack me.

I have always gone round the park, through the woods and clocked up miles in the dark. I feel pretty safe usually. Have had a few odd incidents over the years but no real problems. I run at night too and enjoy that as well. My main hazards have been tripping over related - I did once catch my leg on a fallen branch and fell breaking my wrist. Beware the hidden obstacle

Like @Hellocatshome my dog refuses to wee/poo in our garden (no idea why, he used to as a puppy but just will not do it now) so several walks a day are needed for him to go to the toilet.
We've always walked him early morning, lunchtime and evening so reckon he's just used to the routine.
If we didn't walk him in the dark he'd have to go a long time without a comfort break. He's not massively keen on the dark tho, so it's usually a shortish one, 15 mins or so.
I stick to well lit paths and use a reflective/light up arm band for visibility.

Yes I do. But I have a Staffordshire bull terrier. Not that she would do anything but lick someone to death but at people have such strong misconceptions of the breed that at least that makes me feel safer that people are scared of her even if she would never do anything

Yes, and it really is dark as it's a rural place with no street lights. Dog has a reflective coat and I have reflective strips and a torch.

@ElftonWednesday

Yes, and it really is dark as it's a rural place with no street lights. Dog has a reflective coat and I have reflective strips and a torch.

Get the led collar from amazon! Absolute game changer (mines off lead mostly)

It's dark here by 5 at least - I've got horses to do after then, can't stop everything because of stupid BST!

We live on a farm. I used to walk dogs at 5am with blue flashing lights on so I could spot them. Then I did the sheep because they were not at all keen on going out in the dark but the dogs loved it.

Then we'd go to work/school at 6.50.

Yes, we live in a city near a main road and he lights up like a Christmas tree with his reflective lead, collar and coat trims.
There’s a group of us that meet at the local dog part 8:30 till 9 and it’s as much for me to socialize as him.

Dog park.

Most of his walks this time of year are in the dark, but i do live on a farm and use coastal paths that border our land so I’d have to be very very unlucky indeed to have any misfortune befall me. Plus our farm dogs run alongside quite often, and they’re loud gobshites when they see someone or suspect anything at all so anyone with nefarious intentions would have to be both brave and stupid to try anything. Huntaways are huge, loud and they’re very protective of me and DDaft Cockapoo!