I think what a dog parent carries with them on their daily dog walks is personal to them. Some like to wear a jacket with many pockets stuffed with soggy tennis balls, poo bags and dog treats whilst others like to have bags. I have to admit to being a "bag" person; I have at least one for every occasion of my life and makes me feel "organised" because each one holds items specifically required for each event.
Type of bag?
I think over the years I have tried pretty much every kind of dog walking bag and rested on two types dependent on the type of walk I am doing with my dogs. The two types I like are the treat type bag with plenty of pockets and that secures around my waist and the larger one that also have plenty of pockets and I wear across my body. The two "musts" for both are that they are water-proof and must be comfortable to wear.
Road-walking bag
If I am road-walking the dogs, I prefer to use my treat-bag that fits around my waist. It holds my house keys; mobile phone; poo bags and treats. That is all I need for this type of excursion.
Off-road hikes.
Because I need to carry extra equipment for off-road hikes my bag is larger but not too large. It is comfortable to wear around my body but holds a lanyard with a clicker, whistle and gun-dog whistle attached; business cards; torch; basic first aid kit; emergency blanket; body camera; poo bags; treats; mobile phone and car keys.
When I say off-road hikes I also mean off track. I am fortunate to have many excellent dog walking areas where I live but I have found I do like my walks to be interesting for both the dogs and myself. I have discovered that I like historic walks best, for instance in my area we have the alot of very interesting routes in Hampshire where we can walk for miles and often come across small statues and information boards indicating what the area or route had been used for in times gone-by. Some are quite touching honouring a spot where an airman had crashed his plane during the second world war or are gruesome stories of lonely, naval men meeting terrible ends whilst being robbed of their wages whilst on shore-leave. It allows me to gain knowledge of where I live and how and, sometimes, why it is how it is today.
Keep it interesting
For the dogs, they just love rambling through vegetation and over fallen trees; having their photos taken by landmarks and chasing each other along unmade paths. I have to say I have never classed a walk as standing in a park and throwing a ball for my dogs. Apart from the physical damage I could be creating, I personally would find that very boring after a few days; the walk has to be as interesting and variable for me as it is for my dogs. I think that is why I found the Covid lock-down so hard! I was limited to where I could exercise the dogs in my immediate vacinity and could not wait for a beach walk and very much missed the aroma of the bluebells in the woods during that time.
Being realistic and adventurous
It is easy to say do different walks daily, but lets be realistic, with work, family and other commitments demanding on our time, especially on week-days, it may not always be possible to seek out new walks every day but why not try to find at least one new one a month and you might be pleasantly surprised what you find on your own doorstep. To find new walks in your area search www.forestryengland.uk or www.forestryandland.gov.scot or www.naturalresources.wales dependant on where you live. Another good search is at www.nationaltrust.org.uk or just google "dog walks near me" and see what you get.
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