Dog Walking in the Dark Evenings

Foxford

Foxford

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Hi all,

I was wondering if any of you who live in rural areas have any tips for walking your dogs on these winter nights! My husband works away in the week and I am on my own to take care of the dog and the horse. In the mornings I walk to the yard down a bit of a rat-run country lane so on the lead for 15mins (then off the lead for about 45 while I sort the horse out) and then home again. In the evenings I get home from work at 5:30 by which time it's pretty dark and I'm stuck about what to do with him. There is a field 5 mins walk away (past an abandoned graveyard!) which I can take him round and give him a good run. Or, I can take him back down the lane which is all on the lead.

I guess my issue is I've had a few run-ins with some weirdos over the years and it's knocked my confidence. :( I wear high-viz because of the roads and I carry a torch and a head-torch as a spare in case the torch conks out. I guess I just want someone to tell me it's safe!! Dog is mid-sized - around 17kg collie x and will bark if someone approaches. I want my old GSD back - I could go anywhere with her. :( Sorry, any thoughts appreciated, I just want to do the best for my dog exercise-wise and not feel creeped out.
 
Get another GSD and join the GSD Mafia :D
I've never felt insecure with a shep beside me, I know what you mean.

In all seriousness, statistically it is unlikely you would be attacked, make sure you have a fully charged phone and a personal alarm on you, make sure someone always knows where and when you are going and how long you will be.

Could you pal up with some other walkers in your area?
Could you put him in the car and drive to somewhere well lit (this is what I do after last winter's hi-viz and head torch misery :o)

Or join a training club so at least one night a week he is getting his brain stimulated (much more tiring than walking!)
 
Do what you feel is best. If a lead walk is more safer for you then so be it. This time of year mine tend to get one big walk aday if I am not at work (2hrs) and then a shorter one either in the morning or the evening.

Throughout the week mine take it in turns to go to work with OH.

Mine all wear those clip on lights on their collars for night walkies. Teal has a hi viz jacket for running with me night and day.
 
I'd forgotten about the clip lights - I had one of those last winter and it was great! I might be able to do some training with him too as I've just moved and there is a club much more local to me. I would seriously consider getting another rescue GSD, but I'm renting and although this landlord might be ok you never know about the next one!
 
I have humungus dogs but I still stick to the road if I fancy a lone night time walk. I go round an industrial estate (lots of people still working in them) and back out onot the main, kept on lead all the way........my rotti does not bark but I always get a wide birth when I have her lol:D
 
I just illuminate and carry on (due to advice from here!!) then again Dex is not off lead anyway, and would Woo woo woo his head off if i were approached!
 
I always my dogs in the dark as there are too many aggressive ones around in day light, my dogs have flashing collars one and I have a head torch and off we go. We go through fields, woods the lot, we all love it :)
 
Could you 'borrow' a GSD or larger dog?
I frequently borrow ridgebacks to walk with the small 2, even in the dark you tend to adopt a 'who cares' attitude.
Great dogs really friendly aslong as anyone you meet isn't aggressive towards you, it's only happened to me once and if I hadn't been there I would never have believed this dog would have reacted in this way, planted himself in front of me and the noise coming from him was enough to end the confrontation (this was in daylight and the guy was just being a bit of a plonker, don't think he had noticed the dog behind me), everyone else we meet barely gets a 2nd glance (unless they have gravy bones!!!)
 
I used to have to walk down a rat run in the dark (with and without dog) and it was a nightmare, people don't seem to slow down at night. :mad:

The other morning in the pitch dark up on the Downs, Purdey suddenly started barking and got really spooked then ran off to a safer place down the hill. I thought "thanks for that, It's just me and the bogeyman now :o" :D
 
Make sure there is plenty of reflective parts on your hi viz and dog lead/collar. Reflective is what the car lights pick up.
 
I have a personal alarm bracelet, I got it free at a womens safety campaign, I think it is really usuful and makes me feel more confident as well. I also phone my mum before I leave and tell her when I plan to be back. If I haven't phoned her before that time she rings me.

Re - whoever said about the dog defending them, Last year a man came up to me and started taking photos of me and the dog in the park, he then stood in front of the only gateway so I could leave. We had only had Biscuit about 3 weeks at this point.

Biscuit is the sweetest and calmest dog I have ever met but he lunged at this man (didn't make contact) and the sound he was making was the most terrifing thing I have ever heard, it made a shiver run down my spine. He probably picked up from my body language or something that I was scared
 
i walk my dog about 6pm through the fields in the dark with a torch (thanks Ravenwood!) and a flashing dog collar so i can see mutt off lead which probably isnt the safest thing but my collie needs a run a few times a day and ive decided where i walk id be just as likely to get murdered in the daytime as at night so i just get on with it.

Not sure my dog would be much help if i did encounter any trouble though, although she's medium size she's so people friendly she's much more likely to say 'can you hurry up and finish murdering my mum so you can throw my ball for me please'

so loyal!
 
LOL Lula - you got that torch then? Brilliant aren't they :D

I too walk the dogs in the dark before and after work and actually I have never thought about being worried about being approached!

Mind you I have never met anyone else anyway! I have just always assumed that I am the only idiot who wanders around the moors, crossing bogs in the pitch black :rolleyes:

Although if I did fall and break my leg I would be totally buggered and most possibly die as no mobile signal round here :eek:
 
Haha, thanks for all the advice and stories!

Tonight I braved the field (I have a decent torch - a Fenix). Tbh, it was a bit of a disaster! My dog reached the bit where we turn off the main road ad made it perfectly clear he wanted to go by jumping up the stone "stile". I thought ok, what the hell! So off I climbed and down I fell on the other side of the wall. Very lucky I didn't do myself a mischief! Then my dog got super excited and ran off - he never does that! Cue me calling him back in a very annoyed voice (think if someone had jumped out at me at this point I would have scared them off anyway!) Got him back and did the loop working on his recall every few mins. So then off I turned for home with a happy dog, stick in mouth, wag in tail. Walking home past the graveyard my torch battery went... Oh dear!

Never mind we survived! Still, I'm not so sure I'll do it all that ofter. Probably safer not to stick to any set routine anyway. My best friend was very upset last night as there appears to be a serial rapist in her area. I guess you're only ever 99.99% safe and if something is going to happen it could happen anywhere. This poor woman was attacked in broad daylight apparently. I do genuinely believe dogs put people off though so I still feel safe (sort of!) with my errant mutt around.
 
In the horse and rider mag this month was a small piece on the new SOS app. Can't remember the full details but basically add a few emergency contacts, identify one when you go off somewhere then activate the app. If you are motionless for a predetermined period of time, the app gets in touch with your emergency contact.

I quite like the idea so I'm going to look into it.

When I take my dog out a night (choc lab so difficult to see), I always make sure she has either a flashing hi-viz collar on or a flashing light. Her usual one went flat last night so I improvised with a head torch attached to her collar.

There is some good advice here but if you are worried and in doubt, better not go if you don't feel safe.

I too put dog in the car and travel to well lighten areas.

Stay safe.
 
Ravenwood! yes its brilliant. I had a look in Homebase before i bought it, but your one was cheaper and better even with p&p :D
 
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