5 Great Things to Do With Your Dog this autumn

One of the things about sharing a home with a canine companion is they keep you a lot healthier and fitter all round. Spending quality time with your furry friend means being in the great outdoors with them whenever you can. However, even when you’re at home just sitting on the couch with your pooch next to you is nice because they love the close contact they have with you in the evenings. Being with your dog is fun not only for you, but for your pooch too, and anything that gets them thinking and moving is great for their overall health and well-being. Below are some great things you can do with your dog this autumn which you'll both thoroughly enjoy.

Take Your Dog with You on a Weekend Break

These days there are loads of great pet-friendly places located in some stunning areas of the country. Whether it's along the coast or more inland, exploring a new area with your pooch is a fun adventure that will get your pet's senses stimulated as they track down all those new scents and smells. All dogs love it when they find themselves in a new place with lots of new things to discover it’s what makes walking or hiking with them so very enjoyable.

Finding places that welcome pets with open arms is so much easier these days and the best part is you can also find pet-friendly cafés and pubs in the area too. This makes planning a longer walk that much easier because you know where to stop for a break where your dog would also be welcome too.

Take Your Dog for a Day at the Beach

As summer comes to an end, it's that time of the year when beaches all around the country open up to people and their dogs again. Autumn is a lovely time to take a stroll along a windswept beach and there's nothing your furry friend would like more than to stretch their legs running along a sandy beach chasing seagulls. You need to take plenty of fresh drinking water with you, even if the weather is cooler because the last thing you want is for your pooch to drink any sea-water which would end up making them very sick.

Take Your Dog Hiking Through the Woods

Woods and forests are beautiful places to explore as the weather cools down. There are fewer flies around and the gorgeous autumnal scents are at their best as September approaches. There are some gorgeous forests and woodlands dotted around the country all of which boast well marked footpaths that take your through some stunning landscapes. The great thing about hiking through these areas with your pooch is you can let them off their leads in certain areas and this means they get to follow their noses as they track down new scents.

However, if your dog is still learning the ropes and does not have good recall, you may need to keep them on their leads because there will be a lot of wildlife around and this includes deer. The last thing you want your pooch to do is chase anything when you're out on a relaxing hike through the woods and it could ruin the whole day.

Take Your Dog on a Fun Run

Find out if there are any fun runs that allow people to take their dogs with them scheduled to take place this autumn. It's a great day out and one that your pooch will enjoy as much as you. You get to meet like-minded dog loving people and at the same time raise money for some very good causes. The great thing about fun runs is that they are just that – fun. Nobody is out to “win” but rather to enjoy the day so even if your pooch is not super fit, as long as you pace yourself and keep things nice and steady, you won't tire them out too much. However, if you think your dog looks a bit weary, there's no shame is stopping before you reach the end of the run because your four legged friend's well-being has to come first.

Get Involved in an Agility Class

If you share your home with a high energy and very active canine companion, consider getting involved in some sort of doggy sporting activities this autumn. There's a great choice of things you can do with your pet even over the colder winter months. Whether it's flyball, agility, obedience or herding the choice is yours. However, you need to think carefully when choosing something for your dog to do because some dogs are great at one thing, but not so good at others.

If your dog loves retrieving things, then think about training them to be a “disc dog” which is a great sport that's taking the UK by storm. Dogs have to retrieve Frisbees and usually work in teams with owners throwing the discs for their pooches to run after and bring back to them. Dogs absolutely adore taking part in competitions which are also very entertaining to watch!

Conclusion

With summer coming to an end, it's that time of the year when people start thinking about the colder months ahead and what they can do to amuse themselves and their furry friends. Just because the temperature drops doesn't mean you have to stay indoors because there are loads of things you can do with your dog which will create some great memories of the time you spend together!