Dog Walk Essentials This Autumn

While Autumn offers a reprieve from waiting around for the weather to cool off enough to take your pooch out for a stroll, it does start to limit when those walks might be. Daylight hours start to become shorter in the Autumn with it being darker in the morning and getting darker earlier as well, so your window for going on a walk shrinks.

Not only does it get darker but British weather means that some days will just be bleak with overcast skies and a whole lot of rain. Instead of nice grassy fields to frolic in, you find yourself trying to edge around boggy paths to avoid getting both you and your pup filthy. Instead of going out into the wild and exploring new areas, it’s sometimes easier to walk around the neighbourhood even if it means braving the traffic.

If you can’t avoid walking your beloved pet in the dark after work then making sure they are well-equipped to be visible to both you and traffic is important. If you’re walking later in the day, or if you go running early in the morning, you will probably wear something nice and visible to anyone else around at that time.

The same should be said for our furry family members. Even if you plan to keep them on lead for the whole walk, they should still be visible to other walkers and traffic to be safe. Sometimes bright equipment will work but reflective gear is great to make sure any headlights will make them impossible to miss.

The Hem & Boo Small Dog Reflective Dots Lead and Collar Set is a staple for any puppy parent teaching their new bundle of fluff how to walk on lead. Dogs, especially puppies who have very little walking experience have a fun habit of quickly changing directions, or even getting spooked by oncoming traffic. A reflective collar will allow everyone to see that you’re walking your new addition and they may even slow down and give you a bit of extra space not to scare them.

If you already have your collars bought and don’t want to change out their whole wardrobe, you can make a few additions instead. Reflective and flashing tags to add to your pooch’s collar do the same job of letting cars know you’re walking with your furry family member. Some are reflective, while others contain small LED lights so you can track your pup even in the dark without any light to bounce off their collar or tags. The Zoon Flashing LED dog collar tag is a great alternative for a reflective collar or you can give them both and be happy in the knowledge that they will be easy to spot.

Reflective dog leads are a great addition to the arsenal of autumn walking equipment. The Hem & Boo Trigger Reflective Dog Lead Neon is perfect for night walks so any passers-by will be able to see that you have a dog with you in the low light of the colder evenings. It’s robust, comfortable to hold and will keep you both safe at night. If you don’t usually walk your pooch on a collar, it also comes in a slip lead version with the same reflective material so you have lots of options to choose from.

When you think of all of the challenges an Autumn evening might offer like wind, rain and a lack of light, a reflective dog coat is ideal to combat each one at the same time. A nice lightweight waterproof jacket like the Rufus & Rosie Reflective Windbreaker will keep them dry, stop their coat from collecting all of the mud while running around and everyone will be able to see where they are.

As it continues to get cold and wet, you may want to invest in a nice thick coat for your pup as well to keep them warm on their walks. Regardless of the rain, your beloved pet will still want their walk so you can provide ways to warm them up faster when they get home. British Autumns are notoriously soggy and drying their feet and legs when you get home after a walk will help them to warm up faster. The Pet Living Super Absorbent Micro-Fibre Towel is a highly absorbent option that allows you to not use your own towels to dry their feet, they can have their very own.

Come rain or shine, you should never forget your poo bags, these Good Boy Antibac Biodegradable Poo Bags and not only vanilla scented but great for the environment too. Have a sniff around in store and online for all of your doggy essentials for Autumn.