With four dogs here at K9 Trail Time we have plenty of experience of dog walking, as well as the canicross and bikejoring we train for. Over the years we have put together a kit list of our dog walking essentials along with our top tips for enjoying your walks.
Firstly we would always recommend using a harness if your dog is going to be on a lead at any point during your walk. This is not just because it gives you more control over your dog but also because any strain on your dogs’ sensitive neck area can cause muscular issues in the dog without you even realising and in extreme cases has been linked to eye problems in dogs where pressure has been exerted on the neck over prolonged periods of time. We have a huge range of harnesses in our Dog Walking section here:
Keeping your dog on a lead is sometimes a necessity, around roads, livestock and other dogs who might be nervous are just some of the examples when you will want your dog under more control and a harness is a great way to do this without causing your dog any harm, whilst still allowing them a bit of freedom to get their head down and sniff to their hearts’ content too.
The next thing we would suggest is a walking belt for you. Belts are designed to give you your hands free when walking and this comes in handy not only with multiple dogs but even for one dog if you have to stop and pick up dog poop or need to answer a phone call. We have a large range of belts on our website too and many of them have pockets and / or loops to hang useful items from such as poo bags or a water bowl for your dog. If you need any help choosing a belt or a harness then we are always happy to help find something that fits your requirements.
The addition of a bungee lead on its’ own can make a huge difference to your dog walks, having a bit of ‘bounce’ in the line means there is less strain on you and your dog if they suddenly pull after something and reduces your chances of injury. We love the Howling Dog Alaska Line for strong pulling dogs:
and the new Non-stop Touring Lines are also fantastic for dog walking:
https://www.k9trailtime.com/shop/non-stop-touring-lead.html
Bungee lines do mean your dog can get a bit further away from you than with a regular lead, so do be mindful of that when approaching things which you may not want your dog to reach.
We also like to take a handful of treats out with us on every dog walk, we may not necessarily use any of them but the dogs know I have them and so if I need to recall them from something exciting, they are more willing to come back if they know I have something decent to offer them in return! Many dog treats are full of ingredients that act in the same way as sugar and additives do on kids, so we are very careful about what we use and only have high quality meat treats in our cupboards. We have just started to stock a range we have been using for a while, so if you’re looking for good quality dog treats we offer a selection here:
https://www.k9trailtime.com/shop/jrpp-training-treats.html
Taking some treats on a dog walk is also a great way to interact positively with your dog, reinforcing your recall and encouraging calm behaviour. It can be very easy to get lost in your own thoughts when out with your dog but dog walking should be fun and rewarding for you both, so practice basic training on walks and use the time to build on that bond you have rather than seeing it as a chore.
Dog walking is a big part of our weekly routine in addition to any dog sport training we do because walking allows your dog to use its’ nose which is highly sensitive and a huge part of the way your dog interprets the world around it. So we make sure the team get a chance to use their noses every day to explore new places. With dog walking being such a big part of our lives, we use the tools listed above to make our walks the best they can be and we hope by sharing these we can help make your dog walks great for you and your dog too.
Happy Trails!