Winter’s cold, wet weather and short days can make even the most committed dog owners pause before pulling on their boots. Dark mornings, early nights, wet weather and muddy ground make heading out far less appealing than on a sunny late spring day, and it’s just the same for dog owners who live down a country lane or those in a suburban housing estate. But our dogs still need physical exercise and mental stimulation to stay relaxed and healthy, so what’s the solution?
The good news is that winter exercise for your dog doesn’t have to look the same as summer to be effective. With a bit of flexibility and some planning, you can keep your dog happy through the colder months, without putting unnecessary pressure on yourself - or them at risk. This month’s blog shares practical tips for exercising your dog in winter, covering countryside, town and suburban life, plus ideas for days when getting outside for long walks simply isn’t sensible.
Winter exercise can mean a shift in mindset
One of the most helpful things to accept about winter is that quality matters more than quantity. Short daylight hours and challenging conditions mean it’s not always possible (or safe) to do long walks every day.
Instead of focusing on mileage, it helps to think about:
● Mental stimulation
● Routine and consistency
● Safe, purposeful activity
A shorter walk that includes lots of training, sniffing and engagement can be just as satisfying for your dog as a long summer ramble.
Exercising your dog in the countryside during winter
Living in the countryside often means space and freedom, but winter brings its own set of challenges, like dark lanes and fields, heavy mud and limited visibility.
Making the most of daylight
If you can (and we know this just isn’t possible for everyone out there), it’s worth shifting walks to daylight hours, even if that means a slightly later morning walk, squeezing in a lunchtime outing or heading out for a shorter walk after work. A focused 20 to 30-minute walk in daylight is often safer and more enjoyable than an hour in pitch darkness.
Staying visible on lanes and tracks
Many rural lanes have no pavements and limited sightlines, so visibility becomes especially important in winter. A headtorch is a great way to make sure you can always see where you’re going and keep your hands free for the lead and/or whistle. Reflective collars, leads or coats help drivers spot you sooner, while LED tags or bells can be useful to keep an eye on your dog if they range ahead.
Managing mud and winter ground
Mud is part of countryside life, but it’s worth planning how and where you walk to avoid churning up gateways and well-used paths.
Rotating routes, sticking to firmer tracks and mixing short off-lead bursts with controlled lead walking can help. After the walk, rinsing legs and bellies and drying paws thoroughly can reduce the risk of skin irritation. Our Fresh Pet spray is designed to help your pup smell a lot better after a muddy walk!
Purposeful rural walks
Winter is a good time to replace long rambles with more structured walking. Quiet tracks and fields are ideal for: heelwork, recall practice and retrieving, as well as practising calm lead walking. This approach works particularly well for gundogs, young dogs in training and older dogs who still enjoy getting out but don’t need high-impact exercise.
Exercising your dog in towns and suburbs during winter
Town and suburban living come with different advantages in winter, including street lighting and pavements, but it still pays to be thoughtful about how you exercise your dog.
Using street lighting to your advantage
Well-lit routes make winter walks feel safer and more manageable. Shorter, more frequent walks often work better than one long outing, and many people find early mornings easier and safer than late evenings once the nights draw in. Still allow for plenty of sniffing and enrichment to ensure they’re mentally satisfied by their walk. And even in built-up areas, reflective gear for you and your pup is still worthwhile, particularly near roads and crossings.
Turning walks into training time
Urban environments are naturally stimulating, which makes them ideal for training. Winter walks are a great opportunity to work on:
● Loose-lead walking
● Calm behaviour at crossings
● Focus around people, traffic and other dogs
Ten minutes of focused training can be surprisingly tiring for your dog and helps maintain good habits year-round.
Making use of green spaces
You don’t need wide open fields to give your dog a good walk. Smaller parks, playing fields and communal green spaces can be just as effective, especially if you vary routes and visit at quieter times. Changing the route slightly, even within a small area, introduces new smells and sights that keep your dog mentally engaged.
When getting outside is tricky: indoor exercise and enrichment
There will be days when snow, heavy rain or very strong winds make walking outside very unpleasant or even unsafe. On those days, indoor exercise (after toilet breaks outside!) and mental stimulation really come into their own. Mental work uses energy and satisfies natural behaviours such as sniffing, problem-solving and learning. In winter, it can play a bigger role in keeping your dog settled and content.
You don’t need specialist equipment to keep your dog occupied indoors. Ideas include:
● Scatter feeding or hiding treats for scent work
● Puzzle toys or snuffle mats
● Short training sessions to teach basic cues or tricks
Keeping sessions short and positive, around five to ten minutes at a time, makes them easy to fit into the day and helps your dog stay interested in them. Several short sessions spread across the day can be just as effective as one long walk. Many dogs are pleasantly tired after a combination of a short outdoor walk and some mental work at home.
Being weather-aware and flexible
Part of responsible dog ownership is knowing when to adapt plans. Puppies, older dogs and those with short coats may feel the cold more keenly and benefit from shorter outings or extra warmth in winter. If you think an older dog is struggling with stiff joints during the colder and wetter winter months, why not take a closer look at our collection of bone and joint supplements? They’re formulated to make a real difference to your dog’s mobility and comfort.
Keeping routine and wellbeing through winter
Dogs thrive on routine, and winter doesn’t need to disrupt that completely. Keeping walk times, feeding times and training sessions broadly consistent helps your dog feel secure, even if the format of exercise changes.
We hope this blog has shown you that winter exercise doesn’t have to be perfect. Some days will be wetter, darker and more challenging than others, and that’s normal. But by focusing on safety, mental engagement and consistency, you can get through winter with a happy, well-exercised dog and far less pressure on yourself. And remember - spring is on the horizon and it will come soon enough. Who’s already noticed the slightly lighter evenings...?
