Walking your dog

With the government advice now changing to limitless exercise in England now, many of us will be thinking of longer dog walks to explore our beautiful countryside and heritage. Whether this is a coastal walk along the Jurassic coastline with its sea views and beaches, or through ancient woodlands, along roman roads or across wild flower meadows and arable land, a bit of preparation is key to making the walk work for you and your dog, so here are some tips to help:

• Plan ahead and make sure, you’re up to date on car parking, footpaths and access points. Upsetting landowners or walking through dangerous areas are all possibilities if you stray from these.
• Have an emergencies plan, carry a bit more than you need and be prepared for changeable weather as May this year is giving us every type of weather and temperature!
• Build your dog up to a longer walk, also make sure he’s willing to walk the distance with you as some dogs will just sit down when they’ve had enough. 
• Carry water for your dog. Even if it is only a shorter walk, dogs can get into difficulty quickly and you might need this for cooling down or for a drink & rest stop.
• Check for ticks when you get home if your dog has been off-lead or through long grass as we are still in tick season.