A guide to enjoying The Festival of Winter Walks with your pooch

While walking is a hugely popular pastime for many Brits, Christmas and the festivities surrounding it can sometimes leave us all feeling a little exhausted and stressed out. This can be the best reason to get outside on a walk and enjoy the fresh, winter air.

From the 20th December to 5th January, The Ramblers are bringing back The Festival of Winter Walks to encourage people to connect with nature and get out on festive walks over the Christmas period.

YuMOVE, the UK’s no.1 veterinary joint supplement brand1, is also encouraging dog owners to enjoy The Festival of Winter Walks with their four-legged friends. Get outside and find some great routes this winter, with some tips from YuMOVE on how to enjoy your winter walks to the full.

Route finder

Finding the perfect walk that is nearby and suitable for you and your dog can sometimes be a little difficult. You’ll want to find somewhere with variety for your pooch, so they can enjoy a mix of sights and smells and help keep their brain active. Varying your dog’s walks will also help keep them more motivated and interested in exercise.

The Ramblers have put together an easy to use walk finder2 to help you locate the perfect walk for you and your pup. You can search for a walk by address to find one as close as possible, but there are also lots of other things you can look for. You can narrow searches down to include if the walk is dog friendly and what surroundings you’ll be walking through – making it easy to find something interesting for your furry friend!

Quality time

Going out on walks is a great way for you and your dog to meet new people and their four-legged friends. Meeting other dogs and interacting with them will really help improve your own dogs’ social skills. Going on a nice walk around Christmas time is also a great way to spend even more quality time with friends and family, all of whom will love going out with your dog.

Winter chill

Depending on the temperature and the breed of dog you own, this can really affect how cold your dog might get on a walk. If you own a smaller dog such as a Dachshund, or one with shorter fur like a Whippet, they can get colder much more easily. If you’re worried your pooch might get cold during a walk, consider wrapping them up in a little doggy jumper to keep them warm.

Exercise

Keeping up regular exercise, even in the winter is the perfect way shake off those winter blues. The Festival of Winter Walks is the ideal time of year to get out and get active – despite the temperature! You can find out how far you should be walking your dog here, with YuMOVE’s very own dog exercise calculator.

If you’re wanting to be outdoors enjoying a walk, but your dog is showing some reluctance to go, then they could be experiencing joint stiffness, which can be quite common at this time of year, whatever your dog’s age. YuMOVE joint supplements will greatly benefit your pooch in soothing their joints and promoting mobility. Clinically proven to work in just six weeks3, YuMOVE’s all-natural ingredients really can make a ‘pawsome’ difference to your pup.