We love winter at our house. Heavens, since we have it, we may as well enjoy it which is why I put together my top 10 reasons to walk in the winter. It is sad that most humans dread winter and therefore don’t take their dogs walking much in the winter because it is a great time of year to walk.
One does have to use common sense in the winter. When it is seriously below zero, walks are short, certain breeds may need winter coats, young and older dogs may also need some winter gear. Don’t forget to dress your human warm as well. My sisters and I don’t wear coats, but last year with the extreme cold and Bailie being a puppy, she did have to dress up. This year, she is fine in just her fur. In the extreme cold we also wear PAWZ boots because the cold burns our paws. Normally, unless it is more than -10 F, we do our usual hour walks with no problems.
Let’s get to my list of the top 10 reasons to walk in the winter, all of which are good reasons, but I’m saving my favorite for last!
10. Since most humans don’t walk in the winter, or walk very little, there are less dogs on the road which means if you have a reactive dog, it is much easier to go for walks.
9. It keeps your dog from being bored. What dog wants to be cooped up in the house all winter?
8. Many humans get depressed in the winter because of the weather and lack of daylight. Getting out and exercising helps keep depression at bay.
7. No issues with additional poundage for you or your human. Keep up that walking to burn calories and you will even burn a few extra keeping your body warm! I like to see my weight stay the same all year!
6. Walking in the dark can be fun. Sure it can be dangerous, but if you are prepared, it can be really relaxing. If you walk in the dark, early in the morning, you will forget all about the walk by midday, it becomes like a dream!
5. Don’t fall for that wives tale that smells are dead in the winter. Odors are still around, but they travel differently than in warmer weather. For us dogs, it is a whole new way to sniff, and we enjoy it as much as in the warm months. Why do you think we stick our heads in the snow?
4. Getting out in the fresh air, breathing in that cold stuff actually helps clean out your body and will keep you a bit healthier. Who wants to be stuck with a cold any time of the year? It is a bit like an air exchanger, or fresh air vent for your body!
3. Snow is relaxing. It is so quiet when it is snowing and it is so fun to be the first ones to put your paws in the fresh snow!
2. Maintain your conditioning. If you worked for months on walking during warmer months, all those muscles will be gone if you don’t use them. Get out and walk to maintain your muscles.
1. My favorite reason to walk in the winter, specifically in December are the Christmas lights. Every night we walk a different route to take in lights. There are some real cool displays out there! Sure, you could drive by, but if you walk, you have the time to really take a good look. We love our evening lighting tours!
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Those are great reasons to walk in the winter!! We are lucky here in Northern California, other than the rain, it doesn’t get too hot or too cold!!
Smileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
We enjoy the extreme changes, but so many really won’t go out when it gets cold and it is sad.
Mummy was telling Me and Nellie just how cold -10 F is. We have no comprehension of such cold tempretures. We do not like it when it gets below some around 40 F. Mummy says considering we are Italian sheepdogs, we should be a bit more robust. Considering it is the beginning of summer here in New Zealand the tempretures is not getting much beyound 60F.
We all love the cold, but Katie really loves the real cold temps. She will sit out in the snow for hours and just love it! I bet if you all lived here you would adjust and be loving it too 🙂 We are not fans of hot weather, nor of humidity.
Ah, great fit dog minds… I posted dog walking holiday lighting and decoration tours tips. We go out no matter what the weather for all the reasons you listed AND simply because we love it!
We are 365 days a year, any and all weather walkers. Nothing stops us, and even a rain storm can make for a fun walk if you are prepared. Winter is our favorite time of year to walk and we are much more active than in the summer with the nice cold weather.
All good reasons but it still feels like Autumn here as no sign of snow so far. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
We are rather sad as there is this stupid storm front coming from California with warm weather this weekend and rain, yuck! Next week we will get back to cold and winter. We can’t wait.
My momma makes we walk cuz otherwise I’d be really bad in da spring – I need to keep exorcisin or else my arthritis gets worse. It usually isn’t too cold here.
That is the same with my sister Katie. She has pretty bad arthritis, but Mom keeps her walking. She is doing shorter walks and is pretty slow, but she has to keep moving. Bailie and I walk together because we are speedy and like long walks, then Mom takes Katie on her own.
Excellent reasons to walk in the winter, Emma. We just keep an eye on those wind chills temps because sometimes it’s just too cold for the humans.
Actually, I think we freeze before Mom. She always wants to walk no matter what!
Mom has been taking us for evening walks in the dark after she gets home — for a couple of miles Emma!! She says it clears her head and we sure don’t complain!! The lights are great and so pretty. And like you said, with the right gear you can handle any weather or element! We always think of you when we walk–it’s so good for all of us. your doodle friend Dash
It really does clear out your head, and Mom gets almost all of her inspirations from walking or running. Mom and I write our posts in our heads when we are out and then get the paws on the keyboard when we get back home. Once walking becomes a habit, it is so fun and you never want to miss a day!
My two issues with walking in the winter are the dark and the ice. I do not like walking if I cannot see my surroundings (probably left over from living in a big city). Our neighborhood does not have street lights and is really dark. I am also really bad on ice. Luckily we don’t have that right now. I might be able to get our this weekend, during the day. 🙂 Deer hunting ends this weekend so we will be able to venture back into the forest after it ends.
We love the dark and prefer the areas without lights. Our eyes adjust and we see pretty well, and if there is snow it is much brighter too. Ice is no fun, but we venture out on that too. As a matter of fact, this morning was icy but Mom remained upright and we did our hour. One does have to be careful on ice, though.
Be careful walking in the winter wonderland Emma!
We are, but we just love it. If anyone gets hurt, it is usually Mom, but nothing serious, just a bruise or two sometimes.
A little different when you live in a big city. Dirty snow and salt that gets in your paws. Boots are a must. We try and get out before anyone else does, when it still looks pretty.
True, walking in a city would not be so much fun, but that is a whole different can of worms. Every living area has positives and negatives.
Emma, Excellent list of reason to walk in the winter. So glad you reminded everyone how pretty and peaceful it can be. It’s pouring rain here – our version of snow…but we’ll be out there…it’s just a little water!
Sounds like LA and So. CA are getting hit hard this morning. Maybe canoeing would be better today and walking again tomorrow 😉 Don’t forget the shampoo when you go out. You can get two tasks done in one with heavy rain!
Great tips Emma! We are so hoping for snow here this Christmas! We would love to go walking in the snow and look at Christmas lights! Have a great weekend!
It is so fun isn’t it!
WELL, here in the husky house, my pups would never forgive me if I didn’t bring them out in the winter!!! It is definitely the popular season around here!!!!
I also love to see all the holiday decorations, and since most of our walks are in the evening, we get to see them all lit up, and it’s always a beautiful site!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
It is wonderful isn’t it! I’m sure the huskies would not be happy if they couldn’t go out in the winter!
Did you hear sleigh bells ring as you walked in the winter wonderland? If you throw a snowball will Bailie fetch it? I hate to admit this, but I have become a southern dog. I snuggle with the Mom on cold nights. What has happened to my Minnesota upbringing when I frolicked in the snow? XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
You probably weren’t out in the cold much being such a young pup when you left, so Florida is what you know. We all chase snowballs now and then, but we get smart pretty fast 🙂 Sadly we are in for a warm couple of days, so our snow will melt. Hopefully it will be cold and snow again next week.
Emma I agree with you, specially between all the food-parties and the egg noggs, its is great to enjoy a cold fresh breeze. I’m glad that my mom fears the calories and that she walks with me to kick that mean critters out who sit in her wardrobe where they narrow down her clothes :o)
You are so right, Mom is out with us because she loves it but also to make sure her clothes fit. Our fur always seems to fit, but we don’t want to risk it getting tight! Walk on and enjoy the holiday foods!
Great list. I can’t count how many times I’ve dreaded bundling up to head out for a walk in the deep of winter only to have a wonderful adventure on quiet city streets. Now they’re some of my favorite walks of the year.
Winter fun is great! Nothing like a good romp in the snow…comparable to a good romp on the beach in the summer.
we must admit our walking goes way down in winter – mainly because Mom can’t handle any temps below 50 – she gets cold and she just can’t warm up. We do a lot of walking on our treadmill though and we play games a lot more
In you case it is a health issue that can’t be helped, which is a bummer, but most humans just don’t think winter is a time to walk and that is so wrong.
hehehehee we LOVE the NO SICKIES pic… esp. the hot water bottle sticking out there… Great stuffs in this post Emma.
Imagine a scent hound with a cold…just not a good thing!
Thanks for this lovely post, and recommending PAWZ; we were looking for recommendations for booties. I’m going to jump out there for a walk as soon as we’re done on the Hop! *wags*
They are easiest for us to use, but their lifespan isn’t always real long. Happy walking. We walked early and now just got back from practicing tracking and nose work out at the fairgrounds. Nap time.
Wish I could get Kilo to wear boots for the winter.
Bailie and Katie would wear them all the time if they needed to, I don’t care much for them but do put up with them if it is super cold.
Great reasons Emma! Wow that tree with the lights at the end is gorgeous!!!!
It’s famous around our area. The spent months putting the lights on and leave them on year round.
Oh, I love your idea of walking to see the Christmas lights! Our area is so rural though, there are no sidewalks and the houses are too spread out. That does give me the idea of one area in town where that might be possible though….thanks! I can’t believe that I’ve actually gotten to the point where I miss walking in the winter when we haven’t been able to get out there!
Depending on where you live definitely changes walking, but it might be fun to drive to a neighborhood with lights for a fun walk.
Hey Emma! I am still trying to wrap my ears around -10 degrees. We simply have no excuse for not walking since we consider it death-defying to get out and walk in the 20s. Even those temperatures are rare. I’d love to play in the snow with you!
We are complaining that it is too warm right now because it is around 35. You get used to the cold pretty fast and it doesn’t bother me at all. You would have a blast in the snow!
Awesome reasons to walk, I’ll have to share this on my dog walking page!
Thank you! This month makes walking real easy!
I also enjoy winter walks for all the reasons you mentioned. It’s peaceful, even in the cold, when you’re out in the snow with barely anyone else around. Plus, those evening walks are so pretty with all the Christmas lights!
Interesting to hear you three don’t wear dog boots unless it’s below -10 or so. That is also what I found, that most dogs didn’t need them except maybe on extra cold days. Same with dog coats, although every dog is a little different as some are a lot fluffier than others.
Little dogs and certain breeds without a good fur coat need a coat. Our paws are always out walking, so I guess they are pretty tough and we aren’t usually walking where the melting chemicals are poured, so we are alright au natural!
These are some pawtastic reasons Emma! I showed them to my Mom and maybe I can at least get her to take me to see Christmas lights! Barks and licks and love, Dakota
The Christmas light walks are the absolute most fun! It at least gets you out walking until the end of December.
That tree photo is amazing! So pretty! Love your coat and boots too. I don’t think I could get Rocco to keep on a set of boots. Great tips too. As long as you dress right, cold weather walking can be even better than walking in a lot of heat!
The PAWZ are hard for dogs to remove, so if we have them on, they usually stay on. We only wear them in the extreme cold, though. The tree is famous around here. It took most of a year to put them on, there are around 41,000 lights, so they stay on from year to year. It is located on a cliff over the river, so you can see it from a long way away too.
Seeing Christmas lights is always a plus. There’s this one house that is so brightly lit up, it’s almost like daylight.
Do you live in Clark Griswold’s neighborhood, LOL?
Hi Y’all!
When you walk at night in areas with sidewalks it’s a good idea to wear those boots in bad weather ’cause of the chemicals put on sidewalks and roads that are bad for us, especially if we lick our feet.
If you live in really, really rural areas like I do, walking to see the lights is out of the question. The roads have high speed limits, are narrow and have no sidewalks. Houses can be miles apart. Walking on such roads is hazardous to your very life. We never walk on the roads.
Y’all are lucky to have a neighborhood where it is safe at night to walk.
Merry Christmas y’all!
Hawk aka BrownDog
Walking does all depend on where you live, city, suburb or rural. We walk early before the plows and stuff come by, so it is just fresh snow and they main walkways never get chemicals, so we don’t need paw protection very often. Besides that, Bailie and I are usually off road anyway hunting for critters.
Our guys LOVE the winter. Frolicking in the snow is the best thing since sliced bread to them. We walk regardless of the weather.
Yes! Just like us, rain or shine, snow or sleet, hot or cold, we are out there 365 days a year and love it all! Well, ice storms not so much, but we are out then too.
Those are 10 pawsome reasons to keep on walking throughout wintertime! You’ll find our pack out and walking anytime of the year. Our pups don’t have an insulating undercoat, so they will be sporting their winter jackets in frosty temperatures, and also have doggie boots.
I LOVE your blog! So glad I found you!
Thank you! Glad you enjoy my blog and really glad you get out with those pups. As I said in my post, some dogs do need coats and that’s fine, as long as they get out and exercise!
10 great reasons! I need to get the gang out more, I so hate the cold but they love it.
So many humans dislike it. Lucky for us, Mom loves the cold weather!
Oh Emma, we love to walk in the winter and especially in the evening. Harley and I stroll during the evening for the very same reason – the lights are beautiful.
That is awesome! The lights are so fun in December!
Those are great reasons to keep walking during winter, but -10 sounds a bit too cold unless you’re really furry.
We have lots of below zero mornings, so we get used to it and our fur seems to keep us warm. We are also pretty active and fast on our walks which keeps us from freezing.
Love those reasons – I completely agree. There really is something so relaxing about walking in the quiet of winter, we rarely see anyone else out there. It’s true about the atrophy – I got sick once and wasn’t able to get out and walk for a few months. When I did get back on my feet my legs had lost so much muscle.
It really isn’t fair with muscle as it takes so long to build up but in a couple weeks it is all gone. It sounds so very wrong, but we really love being out in the dark and cold as it is so peaceful.
You don’t have to convince me! But its 52 degrees today so we don’t have anything to worry about, for now. Love Dolly
This warm weather stinks. This is the kind of weather Mom does not like to walk in. It is like March…a mess! Yep, two days, two baths for Bailie and I because of the mess. Hoping for cold and snow tomorrow.
Ok, I’m motivated now to make it all the way through the winter with those cold, cold walks, even after the Christmas lights are all taken down. I do love walks at night when it’s calm, quiet and there’s snow on the ground. It’s almost like you’re in another world.
We like them best early in the morning, but it doesn’t matter when you walk, you just need to walk 🙂 Happy trails!
the human would love winter… for the sorry excuse of dressing up Donna, HAHA… but the human will hate winter… she hates the cold… LOL humans are so conflicting!
Many humans don’t like the cold. Lucky for us, Mom loves winter.