Should I force my dog to go for a walk in the rain? Find Out Here

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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.

When you walk your dog in the rain, you should:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How to train a dog to walk in the rain

You can train a dog to become more comfortable with the rain by using praise and treats. You can begin with short intervals of being out in the rain – talk calmly to your dog to sooth its anxiety and give it plenty of praise. Prolong the time spent outside gradually.

You can give treats when they relieve themself and when you go back home. Eventually, your dog will begin to associate a walk in the rain with the pleasant experience of getting plenty of praise from you and some tasty treats.

In addition, you can use dog ear muffs if your dog tolerates them to make the surrounding noises more bearable. Some pet owners use them to help dogs stay calm during thunder.

Doggy rain gear can also help. Raincoats and booties are a great way to help your dog stay dry.

In fact, with almost a third of our survey respondents saying that wet paws in the home or the car was the worst thing about rainy dog walks, boots and coats could keep pet parents happier too.

A huge 40% of people said wet dog smell was the worst thing about walking their dog in the rain, so whats the answer to a pongy, puddle-obsessed pooch?

A large umbrella that you can hold over both yourself and your dog might also be helpful, but you may not always be able to use one if it’s too windy, so it’s best to help your dog get used to the rain – and give them somewhere to get themselves warm and dry as soon as you get home to give your nostrils a break.

If youre worried your dog might not be healthy enough to go out in the rain, speak to your vet for advice. If you need further help training your dog to go to the toilet in the rain, consult an animal behaviourist.

Irina is a former content marketing executive for ManyPets. She has contributed to a number of personal finance sites, including Loot Financial Services and Claro Money.

This article was written by ManyPets. We were not paid to write it but we will receive commission if clicking on a link to one of the named insurers results in a reader taking out a policy with that insurer. We also charge for advertising space so a particular insurer may be highlighted in the article and, where insurers are listed, it can dictate where they appear in the list.

10 Tips to Get Your Dog to Potty in the Rain

Walking in the rain is an acquired taste. We all can’t expect our dogs to dance through the raindrops like Gene Kelly! The one certainty is that out they’ll go—as nature calls—in weather fair or foul.

Jumping in puddles, lifting your faces up into the rain and shake-shake-shaking to dry off are favorite ways to play for you and your downpour-loving dog. Whether you go for a quick potty break or a five-mile jaunt around the city depends on you, but here are some tips.