LifecanbetoffWalking with Toffee is one of my favourite things to do and now she’s getting older, we can go on longer, more adventurous walks. But I take a few dog walking essentials with me on every walk, whether it’s a jaunt around the block or a more extended adventure somewhere new.
This post contains gifted items and brand ambassador links.
Dog walking essentials
Dog gear!
The first place to start is with your dog’s walking gear. Whether you opt for a collar and lead or prefer to walk your dog on a harness, you need to get set up with the right kit.
Toffee is not short of collars and leads, she pretty much has one for every occasion. She has her waterproof DogCo collar for rainy days (use her brand rep code TOFFEEM8S for 10% off your order) but another favourite of mine is her collar and lead set (AD:Gifted) from The Little Dog Laughed.
What’s great about this collar is that it’s thinner than a lot of her other collars, so fits perfectly with her harness. The lead is comfortable to hold, strong but also a good length. It’s also not bulky to fit in your pocket for those off-lead zooms.
As for the harness, we alternate between two – a Hurtta Weekend Warrior and a Woofles Endurance harness.
ID Tag
According to the Control of Dogs Order 1992, “all dogs must wear a collar and ID tag when out in public, which must detail their owner’s name and address.” This dog ID tags UK law applies whether your dog is on a lead or not. Failure to adhere to this order is an offence and risks a fine of up to £2000.
When there are so many beautiful tags out there, there’s really no excuse! Toffee has a tag for each collar she has, and whilst that isn’t necessary for terms of being a bit excessive, it does mean I don’t forget to switch over and she never goes out without a tag on her collar. We love ours from Paw Prints & Co, Posh Paw Pet Tags and Tag That Bitch – but a search on Etsy will bring up thousands of choices.
If you haven’t got an ID tag for your dog. Get one now!
Decent walking shoes
This seems like a fairly obvious item to have if you’re going on long walks, with your dog or without. In the summer, I wear a decent pair of trail trainers, for cold or damp weather I have a pair of walking boots from Mountain Warehouse (they have been the most comfortable walking boots I’ve ever had!) they are only slightly waterproof though so fine for damp weather but for rainy days, I wear my Orca Bay boots as mentioned in my Cotswold packing list.
Training pouch and Treats
Every walk is a training opportunity for Toffee, whether it’s behaving around other dogs, ignoring runners (she has to say hello to everyone!), walking to heel or practising good recall. To make sure I’m always prepared I take with me on every walk a training pouch filled to the brim with tasty, high-value treats!
We were kindly gifted from the Little Dog Laughed their beautiful and functional treat pouch not only does it have the space for plenty of treats for even longer walks, but space to keep some pooh bags! It has a handy carabiner hook so it can clip onto any pair of trousers, bag or belt. If you do clicker training, your clicker slots in too.
Comfortable trousers
If like me, you’re a little thicker on the thigh then you’ll understand why having comfortable trousers for long walks is essential! I find my Sturdy By Design leggings (I’ve talked about these a lot in the past in my gift guide for fitness fanatics) and they are just perfect for dog walking. Especially with their newly featured side pocket for your phone! They dry quickly, are snag resistant and the winter range is fleece lined for those chillier days.
I do however lust after a pair of Acai trousers which are just the ultimate walking trousers for every occasion. Perhaps Santa is reading this and wants to get me a pair 😉
Waterprooof coat and layers!
Once you’ve got your bottom sorted (ooer!) you’ll want to make sure that you have a decent waterproof coat to keep you dry. I love my recently purchased Schoffel waterproof coat, I got it as a bargain in the sale, but it’s lovely and waterproof, breathable with loads of deep pockets!
As someone that gets hot quite quickly, being able to layer up is my ideal. My go to is my puffa gilet from Joules, worn with short sleeves, long sleeves or a jumper under my coat, it’s the perfect layering item.
Water bottle
It’s important to hydrate – both you and your dog! A decent water bottle you can easily carry so that you can rehydrate both you and your pooch will be a worthy investment. You can take with you a collapsible bowl for those longer walks which will pack away nicely in your bag.
But please always remember not to take your dog out if the weather is too hot!
The Route!
Unless you’re walking a familiar trail footpath, you’ll probably want to research and download the route for wherever you’re walking. It’s important to follow the designated trail or footpath but to always bear in mind that you might not have access to the internet to be able to view these live, so I always download a route map for where I’m going or screen shot the route directions. Please also remember to stick to the Countryside Code.
I’m always paranoid about getting lost so having the route saved is one of my important dog walking essentials!
Whilst not essential, I always use my Garmin watch to GPS map my route so I know how far I’ve gone and can look back over mine and Toffee’s walking activity.
Have you got any more dog walking essentials?
I’ll also take a rucksack or bag with me for the longer walks, as it makes carrying some of the above items easier and keeps hands free for training and holding on to the dog to keep her under control. I have the Cocopup dog walking bag which is very useful but also super stylish!
These are my dog walking essentials, without fail! It also goes without saying that I always take my phone with me and let people know where I’m walking if I’m going out solo. Do you have any essentials you always take with you?
Happy walking!
Jangles x
