5 Important Things to Remember If You Love Evening Strolls with Your Dog

Taking evening strolls is one of the best ways to bond with your pooch. It works for digesting your dinner or for taking a bathroom break before sleep, in your dog’s case. An evening walk is also a good calming exercise to exhaust your remaining energy from the day and clear your mind for a peaceful slumber.

Moreover, you don’t have to worry about the hot sun beating on your back and causing your dog to overheat when you go on a nighttime walk. But you also have to contend with other dangers in the dark. If you love going on nightly strolls with Fido, you should take some precautions so you both go home safe and sound.

Stay Visible

Stay visible at night by taking brightly lit paths and bringing a flashlight. Wear bright clothing, and let your pooch don a reflective safety dog collar to make sure you’re more visible to motorists and other people.

Try to make your evening walks earlier so you don’t have to stumble in the dark. But if it’s not possible, just stick to well-lit areas and familiar routes when you walk your buddy in the evening.

Weatherproof Your Pet

Dogs are like people. They also get injured and sick. Before you go out at night, check the weather condition, as well as the temperature, of your area. Make sure your pooch is protected from the heat, the cold, or the rain.

In summer, the leftover heat from the day can make the concrete unbearably warm at night. Check the ground temperature by laying the back of your hand on the pavement. If it’s too hot to rest your hand for five minutes, then it’s too hot for your dog to walk on it. You have to do this in during the cold season too if you don’t want your buddy to get a frostbite.

In winter, don’t forget to let your dog wear weather-appropriate attire to help them stay warm in the cold temperature. It doesn’t matter how many layers you make them wear when the temperature dips to 50° Fahrenheit. Similarly, it’s better to stay cool inside when it’s 80° Fahrenheit outside.

Take a Familiar Route

In addition to wearing bright or reflective and weather-appropriate apparel, you should exercise caution and take well-known safe routes during your nightly walk. Stay away from heavily crowded areas, but don’t go to places where there are no people.

That means no taking shortcuts in dark lots or alleys and walking where there is sufficient light to see incoming cars, joggers, and other dog walkers. You should also walk against traffic to see what’s heading to your director. Avoid wearing headphones, and stay aware of your surroundings.

Avoid wooded areas too in case you encounter wild animals. There’s a small chance you’ll encounter a hungry bear, but you can still meet all kinds of aggressive wild animals at night.

When you take familiar routes, there’s little to no chance that you’ll get lost. And in case your pooch escapes your hold, it will be easier to search an area you know. Perhaps Fido can also find their way home.

Carry Your Phone

Your phone is an all-around tool to keep you and your dog safe while taking a night walk. You can use it to light your way and navigate your destination. It can be a lifesaver if you encounter an emergency.

Make sure to carry your phone before you leave the house. Keep it fully charged, and save emergency numbers you can call, like the police, the veterinary hospital, and taxi service or ride sharing, among many others.

You can also use your phone to keep track of your pooch’s location and activity levels. If you have a pet GPS tracker on your dog, you can install the connected app on your phone to make sure you have a hold on your buddy’s whereabouts at all times.

The same goes for pet fitness trackers. You can use it to monitor whether your dog has had enough exercise for the day.

Protect Yourselves from Other Animals

A lot of unexpected things can happen when you go out at night. One of the dangers is encountering aggressive animals. You can avoid them by taking paths away from wooded areas or a place where you know wild animals frequent.

Don’t let your dog wander too far from you. Better yet, keep them on a leash to make sure prevent them from escaping and getting in danger. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Keep yourself and your dog safe from animal attack by carrying defensive tools, like a stick, a collapsible baton, or pepper spray.

Final Words

Nighttime strolls can be very relaxing for you and your dog in a way that daytime walks can’t. The weather is usually cooler at night, and there are fewer people squeezing in the small sidewalk. You can walk leisurely and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere while Fido takes in the smells.

Although some risks are more probable at night, you can prepare yourself and your pooch for these by using caution and common sense and gearing up with bright, reflective clothing and weather-appropriate apparel.

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