Should i walk my dog in the rain ?

I mean lets face it there is nothing worse than the smell of wet dog, well unless of course you are married to Scott like I am then this is debatable.
The truth is there is no right or wrong answer to this, it really is down to personal opinion , and you lucky souls are about to get mine.

So I had a word with our Bobbi the cavapoo and I says to him

“Bobs do you fancy a walk , its pissing down, you can get lovely an wet”
He lets out one huge sigh , plonks his arse on the sofa and says “Mum wtf” 

Well this is what I imagine he would say if he could talk and honestly I couldn’t agree with him more, why the hell would I want to go out an get soaking wet in the rain ? I just wouldn’t and I don’t .

To be honest we are lucky to get him to go out for a shit in the rain never mind a walk , he proper digs his paws into ground to stop you putting him out , funny little fella he is.

I am laughing away to myself here remembering when Bobbi was a pup ,maybe 8-10 months.
We walked him in the rain and he developed a cold , continuous sneezing and sniffling .
A £50 trip to vets and we were told he has a cold from the weather and needs rest & warmth.
I know its not funny as such him having a cold but having had Labradors all our lives we were genuinely shocked dogs even got colds and quickly learned that different breeds definitely require different care and our breed is a  fairy ….and nobody tells you that before you get a cavapoo.

Now when we walk Bobbi in the winter, he wears a coat (now that’s a fucking chore in itself getting the right coat – I cannot tell you how many I have bought but that’s another blog on its own that one)

If its spitting with rain then happy days lets get out and walk but if it’s absolutely  pissing down , park yourself on that sofa , grab yourselves a dog cake and keep warm, there are plenty of other ways to stimulate your pup aside from walking. Have a look at some interactive games .We highly recommend the NinaOttosson range https://www.nina-ottosson.com/

Walking is a fundamental part of our dogs well being as we all know ,so it is important we try to walk daily where we can but of course being residents in the UK we cant always relay on the weather being kind so here are a few tips & things we have for walking Bobbi dog that may come in handy for you and your hound on your winter walks

1.Doggy King coat , this is absolutely fantastic one zip does the job and is complete with built in harness. Keeps him cool in the summer and warm in the winter in addition to being waterproof. Fits like a glove, Bobbi is 13kg and wears medium https://doggykings.com/products/dogjacket

2.Shorten your walks and try to walk in woodland areas where you and your dog will be more sheltered here in North Wales we love wepre park and nercwys woods 

3.Try to do your walks in the morning so as your dog has plenty of time to dry out and isn’t going to bed wet , this helps prevent the chance of chills.

4.Hair dryer …Yes we have a doggy hair dryer. Having a curly breed is actually a god send for drying him off if we have got caught in the rain or if he needs a shower …10 minutes on low heat and he is nice and dry .We have this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Display4top-Variable-Motorcycle-Portable-Temperature/dp/B08W2D755R

5.Microfiber towels and mitts …These are so light weight but soak up so much water , brilliant for the bigger breeds to .We always used these for our Labradors and again now with the fairy.
There are hundreds of microfiber drying aids out there but our particular favorites are the towel and noodle glove from the Henry wag range , they will last a life time and can be bought here https://wooof.co.uk/ 

6.Drying coats , we absolutely love the ruff and tumble range ,These are great if your dog isn’t so keen on the dryer and ideal for in the car , just pop them on an watch them soak up the rain , brilliant.
What we also love about the rumble tumble brand is they donate £1 from every sale to the fabulous charity street Vets https://www.streetvet.co.uk/

Honestly if you want to walk in the rain , of you pop but in our house Bobbi will always come first and he 100% does not enjoy walking in the rain so I am  sure as shit not going to force him.

I used to feel guilty about not walking my dogs in the rain but the guilt really was more a case of what will other think , now I realise that actually doesn’t matter because others opinions are just that , there’s ,just as this is mine .

I am waffling on a bit now so its time I stop but just whilst I think on about feeling guilty about not walking your dog its reminded me there is actually an awareness day for this April 2^nd called “Don’t walk your dog day” created by Niki French bestselling of stop walking your dog. LINK  . A great read for those who have reactive dog , dogs that don’t like to walk , normalizing not walking your dog daily , a great read https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Walking-Your-Dog-Over-Excited-ebook/dp/B09MJB1K65

Right Scott is shouting from the garage so its time to put the kettle on.
Thank you for reading
Love & Paws
Sharon & Bobbi ❤️🐾

PS. I welcome your thoughts on my blog and absolutely love an opinion so please feel free to hit the comments below. Any spelling & grammar feedback can be left with Karen next door 🤣