Can You Walk Your Dog In The Rain?
15.09.23 September 15, 2023 Owning a Dog

Can You Walk Your Dog In The Rain?

Walks are an essential part of dog ownership and are a good thing to do every day to keep your dog’s health in check and prevent them from becoming frustrated or upset. Unfortunately, the weather can be one of the dog owner’s greatest foes, and when torrential rain strikes, you may be left wondering whether it’s worth potentially falling out with your dog by refusing to take them for a walk if it means avoiding heavy showers. Continuing your usual routine is likely to benefit your dog if it means they’re having walks like they normally would. But before taking them out for a dog walk in the rain, you may want assurances that they won’t become ill or suffer in any way, shape or form by being exposed to the rain. Below, we explain why it’s perfectly safe to walk your dog in the rain, how you can do this and what you can do if your dog is frightened of walking in the rain.   Do Dogs Like Rain? This varies massively from dog to dog, some adventurous pups love to play in the rain and jump in puddles, where as others would much prefer to be cuddled up inside in the warm and dry.  Signs that your dog loves the rain include sitting at the door when it's raining waiting to go out, wagging their tail when they're in the rain and being their usual selves even when it's raining - this shows they have no fear or anxiety about the rain. Signs that your dog isn't a fan of the rain can include panting, hiding, shaking, whining or pacing round. A lot of dogs associate the rain with the uncomfortable sensation of being wet so begin to build up negative associations with it. When they're puppies it's a good to train them to enjoy being in the rain by encouraging them to play in the rain and go out in it and reward them for doing so.    Can I Walk My Dog In The Rain? Depending on the breed, some dogs require a certain level of exercise. Daily walks are a way of fulfilling these requirements while keeping your dog emotionally, mentally and physically stimulated. However, if it’s raining, you may be concerned that taking your dog for a walk could have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. And as the UK is prone to extended periods of rainfall, delaying your dog’s walking routine during an especially wet period could go on for any length of time. Although you may be concerned that your pooch will become unwell from being walked in the rain, it’s unlikely that a perfectly healthy dog will fall ill from being subjected to wet weather. A dog with a thicker coat is even less likely to be affected as it will take longer for the rain to make contact with their skin than that of a short-haired dog. Just as we'd put a coat on for a rainy walk, you can do the same with your dog and get them their very own rain jacket to help protect them. As long as you ensure that your dog is dried with a towel or drying coat and your home is warm once you return from your walk, it shouldn’t have any impact on your dog’s health.   Should You Walk Your Dog Every Day  Contrary to popular belief, dogs don't need walking every day. Walks are a great form of exercise for your dog and can be a valuable part of their routine but they don't need walking every single day. Some dogs thrive with fewer walks but more enrichment activities and exercise at home, this will massively depend on their breed and size. Missing a walk on a particularly rainy or hot day is okay, it's often better for your dog to stay home on these days.    How To Walk Your Dog In The Rain If it’s spring, the temperature is at a comfortable 15 degrees and it’s only lightly drizzling outside, walking your dog shouldn’t be impacted too much - and your dog may not even see much difference. But if it’s winter or autumn, freezing cold and raining cats and dogs, taking extra measures to improve the experience of your furry friend for trips out is likely to be worthwhile consideration.   Our Pet Expert's Tips For Walking Your Dog In The Rain: 1. Shorten the duration of the walk - Although it will depend on how bad the rain is, it could benefit your pooch to shorten the amount of time you’re out walking. If the rain is especially bad, your dog could be drenched from nose to tail in a matter of seconds, and if they have long fur, it could weigh them down and leave them uncomfortably coated in cold water. It can be difficult to work out how much you should cut down your walking time, but you should know what seems right to your dog, the breed and how it reacts to the rain. As a general rule of thumb, instead of taking your dog somewhere for a lengthy walk around a forest or village, take a more streamlined trip around your local area for ten minutes. 2. Stay away from puddles - During particularly rainy days, your dog is more likely to become wet, messy and mucky. However, if the rain doesn’t entirely drench them, a puddle might. You should always keep an eye on what your dog is getting up to on walks, but as muddy puddles can make your dog mucky and potentially carry bacteria that could cause harm to them if they use it as drinking water, it would be advisable to steer clear of them. 3. Dress them in a dog coat - You may think that a doggy coat is something you use to make your dog look extra snazzy and make a fashion statement to their furry pals, but they’re also important items of clothing for giving them protection against the cold and rain. Many dog coats attach around your dog’s back with velcro underneath to prevent them from slipping off, and they’re effective in keeping the rain off of their neck, back and legs. If you want extra protection for your dog, you could even dress them in little rain boots, but whether you’re able to do that is likely to be based on your dog’s willingness to comply. 4. Warm up your dog immediately after - As soon as you get back home from your walk, you should put your heating on, wrap a towel or drying coat around your dog and check that they’re warm and dry. This will be more important if your dog has taken badly to the rain, the rain was particularly severe or your dog has long fur that is entirely drenched, but it would be a suitable route to take for any dog, big or small. Don't forget their paws, make sure the fur in between the pads is completely dry as leaving this wet can lead to dermatitis for your dog.  When you’re drying your dog, you could even put a heating pad underneath their dog bed so they’ve got added heat, or if they’re due a bath anyway, you could use this as an opportunity to give them a proper clean. 5. Stimulate them indoors - If the rain is too heavy or your dog doesn't fancy going out, we recommend planning in some at home enrichment activities to help wear your dogs brain out. There's lots of fun ways to stimulate them at home, we've listed our favourite in our 'things to do at home with your dog' blog   Why Is My Dog Scared Of The Rain? While it’s one thing for you to decide to take your dog for a walk in the rain, it’s another if your dog is frightened of it. For one reason or another, some dogs are scared of the rain, and as a dog owner, it can be difficult to know how to get them to persevere through it during walks. Firstly, you should look to introduce your dog to rain from an early age so they’re aware of it and understand that sometimes it will be raining when they go outside. However, if your dog is past this stage in their life, you will need to go to extra lengths to get them used to the concept. To train a fully grown dog in being outside in the rain, you can start by getting them to experience the rain in your garden before venturing out on walks. If they’re still apprehensive about walks in the rain, coax them out using treats and toys, go for a short walk and then increase the length of time for each walk until they’re completely happy with them.

By Megan Willis

Read more

Walks are an essential part of dog ownership and are a good thing to do every day to keep your dog’s health in check and prevent them from becoming frustrated or upset. Unfortunately, the weather can be one of the dog owner’s greatest foes, and when torrential rain strikes, you may be left wondering whether it’s worth potentially falling out with your dog by refusing to take them for a walk if it means avoiding heavy showers.

Continuing your usual routine is likely to benefit your dog if it means they’re having walks like they normally would. But before taking them out for a dog walk in the rain, you may want assurances that they won’t become ill or suffer in any way, shape or form by being exposed to the rain. Below, we explain why it’s perfectly safe to walk your dog in the rain, how you can do this and what you can do if your dog is frightened of walking in the rain.

 

Do Dogs Like Rain?

Labrador on a walk in the rain

This varies massively from dog to dog, some adventurous pups love to play in the rain and jump in puddles, where as others would much prefer to be cuddled up inside in the warm and dry. 

Signs that your dog loves the rain include sitting at the door when it's raining waiting to go out, wagging their tail when they're in the rain and being their usual selves even when it's raining - this shows they have no fear or anxiety about the rain.

Signs that your dog isn't a fan of the rain can include panting, hiding, shaking, whining or pacing round. A lot of dogs associate the rain with the uncomfortable sensation of being wet so begin to build up negative associations with it. When they're puppies it's a good to train them to enjoy being in the rain by encouraging them to play in the rain and go out in it and reward them for doing so. 

 

Can I Walk My Dog In The Rain?

Depending on the breed, some dogs require a certain level of exercise. Daily walks are a way of fulfilling these requirements while keeping your dog emotionally, mentally and physically stimulated. However, if it’s raining, you may be concerned that taking your dog for a walk could have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. And as the UK is prone to extended periods of rainfall, delaying your dog’s walking routine during an especially wet period could go on for any length of time.

Although you may be concerned that your pooch will become unwell from being walked in the rain, it’s unlikely that a perfectly healthy dog will fall ill from being subjected to wet weather. A dog with a thicker coat is even less likely to be affected as it will take longer for the rain to make contact with their skin than that of a short-haired dog. Just as we'd put a coat on for a rainy walk, you can do the same with your dog and get them their very own rain jacket to help protect them. As long as you ensure that your dog is dried with a towel or drying coat and your home is warm once you return from your walk, it shouldn’t have any impact on your dog’s health.

Dalmatian wearing a drying coat

 

Should You Walk Your Dog Every Day 

Contrary to popular belief, dogs don't need walking every day. Walks are a great form of exercise for your dog and can be a valuable part of their routine but they don't need walking every single day. Some dogs thrive with fewer walks but more enrichment activities and exercise at home, this will massively depend on their breed and size. Missing a walk on a particularly rainy or hot day is okay, it's often better for your dog to stay home on these days. 

 

How To Walk Your Dog In The Rain

If it’s spring, the temperature is at a comfortable 15 degrees and it’s only lightly drizzling outside, walking your dog shouldn’t be impacted too much - and your dog may not even see much difference. But if it’s winter or autumn, freezing cold and raining cats and dogs, taking extra measures to improve the experience of your furry friend for trips out is likely to be worthwhile consideration.

 

Our Pet Expert's Tips For Walking Your Dog In The Rain:

1. Shorten the duration of the walk - Although it will depend on how bad the rain is, it could benefit your pooch to shorten the amount of time you’re out walking. If the rain is especially bad, your dog could be drenched from nose to tail in a matter of seconds, and if they have long fur, it could weigh them down and leave them uncomfortably coated in cold water.

It can be difficult to work out how much you should cut down your walking time, but you should know what seems right to your dog, the breed and how it reacts to the rain. As a general rule of thumb, instead of taking your dog somewhere for a lengthy walk around a forest or village, take a more streamlined trip around your local area for ten minutes.

2. Stay away from puddles - During particularly rainy days, your dog is more likely to become wet, messy and mucky. However, if the rain doesn’t entirely drench them, a puddle might.

You should always keep an eye on what your dog is getting up to on walks, but as muddy puddles can make your dog mucky and potentially carry bacteria that could cause harm to them if they use it as drinking water, it would be advisable to steer clear of them.

3. Dress them in a dog coat - You may think that a doggy coat is something you use to make your dog look extra snazzy and make a fashion statement to their furry pals, but they’re also important items of clothing for giving them protection against the cold and rain.

Many dog coats attach around your dog’s back with velcro underneath to prevent them from slipping off, and they’re effective in keeping the rain off of their neck, back and legs. If you want extra protection for your dog, you could even dress them in little rain boots, but whether you’re able to do that is likely to be based on your dog’s willingness to comply.

4. Warm up your dog immediately after - As soon as you get back home from your walk, you should put your heating on, wrap a towel or drying coat around your dog and check that they’re warm and dry. This will be more important if your dog has taken badly to the rain, the rain was particularly severe or your dog has long fur that is entirely drenched, but it would be a suitable route to take for any dog, big or small.

Dalmatian being dried with drying mitts

Don't forget their paws, make sure the fur in between the pads is completely dry as leaving this wet can lead to dermatitis for your dog. 

When you’re drying your dog, you could even put a heating pad underneath their dog bed so they’ve got added heat, or if they’re due a bath anyway, you could use this as an opportunity to give them a proper clean.

5. Stimulate them indoors - If the rain is too heavy or your dog doesn't fancy going out, we recommend planning in some at home enrichment activities to help wear your dogs brain out. There's lots of fun ways to stimulate them at home, we've listed our favourite in our 'things to do at home with your dog' blog

 

Why Is My Dog Scared Of The Rain?

While it’s one thing for you to decide to take your dog for a walk in the rain, it’s another if your dog is frightened of it. For one reason or another, some dogs are scared of the rain, and as a dog owner, it can be difficult to know how to get them to persevere through it during walks.

Firstly, you should look to introduce your dog to rain from an early age so they’re aware of it and understand that sometimes it will be raining when they go outside. However, if your dog is past this stage in their life, you will need to go to extra lengths to get them used to the concept.

To train a fully grown dog in being outside in the rain, you can start by getting them to experience the rain in your garden before venturing out on walks. If they’re still apprehensive about walks in the rain, coax them out using treats and toys, go for a short walk and then increase the length of time for each walk until they’re completely happy with them.

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    17.10.24 October 17, 2024 Health

    Diabetes in Dogs: Understanding, Recognising, and Managing the Condition

    Diabetes in dogs is a serious health condition that, if left untreated, can lead to severe complications. As responsible pet owners, it's crucial to understand the signs and symptoms of diabetes in dogs in the UK to ensure timely diagnosis and management. This comprehensive guide delves into the types of diabetes affecting dogs, the symptoms to watch out for, and the steps you can take to manage this condition effectively. Types of Diabetes in Dogs Diabetes in dogs primarily manifests in two forms: Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus. While both conditions share a common name, they differ significantly in their causes and effects on a dog's body. Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs Diabetes Mellitus is the more common form seen in dogs. It occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or when the body can't utilise the insulin properly. This type of diabetes is akin to Type 1 diabetes in humans and is prevalent among middle-aged and older dogs. Diabetes Insipidus in Dogs Canine Diabetes Insipidus, also known as "water diabetes," is a rarer condition. It arises when the kidneys can't conserve water due to a hormonal imbalance involving antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Diabetes Insipidus in dogs leads to excessive urination and thirst, but unlike Diabetes Mellitus, it doesn't affect blood sugar levels. Symptoms of Diabetes in Dogs in the UK Recognising the signs of diabetes in dogs is vital for early intervention. Symptoms may vary depending on the type of diabetes but commonly include: Increased Thirst and Urination: One of the hallmark symptoms of both Diabetes Mellitus and Insipidus in dogs is polydipsia (excessive thirst) and polyuria (frequent urination). Weight Loss: Despite an increased appetite, dogs may lose weight due to the body's inability to utilise nutrients properly. Lethargy: A noticeable decrease in energy levels and reluctance to exercise. Changes in Appetite: Fluctuations ranging from increased hunger to a complete lack of appetite. Vision Problems: Development of cataracts leading to cloudy eyes and potential blindness, particularly in Diabetes Mellitus. Symptoms Specific to Diabetes Insipidus in Dogs For diabetes insipidus dogs, additional symptoms may include: Dehydration: Despite drinking large amounts of water, dogs may become dehydrated due to excessive water loss. Electrolyte Imbalance: This can lead to muscle weakness and other systemic issues. Diabetes in Puppies While diabetes is more common in adult dogs, diabetes insipidus in puppies can occur, albeit rarely. Puppies showing signs of excessive thirst and urination should be evaluated promptly. Early detection is crucial to manage the condition effectively and ensure normal growth and development. Diagnosing Diabetes in Dogs If you observe any symptoms of diabetes in dogs in the UK, it's essential to consult your veterinarian. Diagnosis typically involves: Blood Tests: To measure glucose levels and assess organ function. Urinalysis: To detect glucose or ketones in the urine. Water Deprivation Test: Specifically for diagnosing Diabetes Insipidus, this test evaluates the kidneys' ability to concentrate urine. Treatment and Management of Diabetes in Dogs Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Managing Diabetes Mellitus often requires: Insulin Therapy: Regular insulin injections to regulate blood sugar levels. Dietary Changes: High-fibre, low-sugar foods to help control glucose levels. Regular Monitoring: Frequent vet visits to monitor glucose levels and adjust treatment as needed. Managing Diabetes Insipidus in Dogs For canine diabetes insipidus, treatment may include: Medication: Administration of synthetic ADH to help the kidneys conserve water. Fluid Management: Ensuring constant access to fresh water to prevent dehydration. Lifestyle Adjustments Consistent Routine: Maintaining a regular feeding and exercise schedule to help stabilise blood sugar levels. Weight Management: Keeping your dog at a healthy weight to improve their response to insulin. Monitoring: Keeping a close eye on your dog's symptoms and reporting any changes to your vet promptly. Conclusion Understanding diabetes in dogs is crucial for early detection and effective management. Whether dealing with Diabetes Mellitus or diabetes insipidus in dogs, being vigilant about any diabetes symptoms can make a significant difference in your pet's quality of life. If you notice any signs of diabetes in your dog, consult your veterinarian promptly. With proper care, many dogs with diabetes lead happy, active lives. For more information on managing your pet's health and finding essential pet care products, visit Lords & Labradors, your trusted online luxury pet department store.

    By Megan Willis

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