Running at night with your dog

This article could also have been called running safely when you are a woman with her dog. It seems crazy to have to write an article on this subject but unfortunately if you read this article it is that you are also looking for how to run safely. Especially if you run at night and alone with your dog: inevitably you have asked yourself the question of your safety and the safety of your dog one day or another. Today, I'm going to tell you about the equipment you need to see and be seen for you and your dog and I'm also going to tell you about the equipment you need for your safety.

Running with your dog is honestly awesome. Does your pooch have boundless energy? cani cross or cani-trail are perfect sports for him! A little reminder: canicross is a canine traction sport where master and dog are connected by a elastic lanyard. The dog is equipped with a pulling harness and the master of a canicross belt or a harness according to his preferences.

It is a dog sport that is practiced almost all year round. Although it depends on where you live, since if it is over 20 degrees outside, your dog will quickly have a hard time tolerating the heat and it is not recommended to plan a session otherwise beware of heatstroke.

Living in the south of France, I practice canicross rather in winter then and at the end of the day after work which means that I run most of the time at night. I hate running in the city; I find it mega dangerous so I run rather on paths between the vines or on small roads out of the way. So I have to be visible to signal my presence to vehicles that I might pass to avoid accidents.

I use for that:

• Joggers with reflective stripes

• Trail bag with reflective stripes

• Velcro straps for the arms

• Flashing lights on my backpack

I also need to see clearly. So I chose a frontal. There are dozens of different models and at all prices. Some that can be recharged or others with batteries (to be avoided: thanks to the battery budget and not at all green!). I am rather in favor of putting the price on it. At night, it is better to see clearly and far to identify the danger. There are often several levels of intensity. I won't be able to help you much in his choice. I advise you to read and rummage through the blogs where there are comparisons.

Of course, Musher also needs to be visible. Wow, race! Musher is equipped with a canitraction harness with reflective strips on which I fixed a light strip and luminous necklace on which I fixed an additional light, a light tracking system. I also equipped the elastic lanyard with a light so that the vehicle that we might pass can get an idea of ​​our overall size… I opted for equipment with a fixed light, nothing flashing. Like us, I'm pretty sure that this flashing light can bother them.

You may as well decide to run with him in free. It is therefore all the more important that you can spot your dog quickly and well. Equip it with a fluorescent vest so that it is visible. It also exists in mode reflective bandanna. I find it less effective because smaller. I also discovered fluorescent dog coats. There are now even fluorescent and even luminous riding harnesses. In short, a whole range of equipment to walk or run with your dog in safety.

I also present my opinion on lots of other luminous and reflective products in the article: “Walk at night with your dog”. You can find more tips there!

When I choose lighting equipment, I pay attention to its waterproof side… Musher is a Labrador who will never, ever avoid a puddle of water. So you need equipment that is resistant and not just to small splashes! I also look at the battery: rechargeable or battery-powered? If it is battery-powered: will I be able to change it myself? I am not a fan of the light gadget that we use one winter and then throw away. A little respect for our planet anyway!

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Running at night is a bit of a special feeling: you are more alert to noises and smells. You come across more wild animals. You have an entire playground to yourself. What freedom! Musher and I both love running at night. Except that it is also a time when I feel more vulnerable, more in danger. Oh, I am not a big fan of wild boars, but they are not the ones I fear the most. The one I fear is the crazy guy hiding in a bush, watching his prey and who ends up in the sad news pages of your local newspaper… or worse, in the show “Let the accused enter". I am a bit of a scaredy-cat in life, it's true... but my fears are unfortunately fueled by nasty stories about female joggers whose bodies are discovered from time to time by hunters or mushroom pickers... Running alone, when you are a woman, is not without risk. But since fear does not avoid danger, I refuse to stay cooped up at home all winter on the pretext that it is dark...

My dog ​​is the first bulwark against helmet cracks that I can meet. Musher is black and of medium height; it's a labrador. At first glance, she can dissuade a zinzin tempted to come and piss me off, but she's a bit “potato” bitch who says hello to everyone and who, past the surprise effect, isn't really scary. She is not an attack dog and she shows no signs of aggression which is fine in everyday life but not effective against psychos.

So I decided to run equipped and adopt some good reflexes. I share with you my little tricks for running alone and safely when you are a woman, well as safe as possible… The first is of course to leave with my charged phone in your pocket and my external battery in the trail bag in my back. When you go running or walking with your dog, it's to clear your head, think about something else, relax... but you have to stay connected for your safety! A fall (at night it's more frequent than you'd like...), a damaged pad, any problem: you have to be able to prevent it!

Above all, I advise you not to run with music in your ears when you run with your dog, night or day. So you keep an attentive ear to avoid any danger for both of you, like a car coming up behind you, a boar that will soon come out of the bushes...

For me, one of the best defenses against weird types is noise. There are whistles, which I advise you to have around your neck to catch it easily, or even audible alarms that are easy to trigger in the event of a problem. There are also apps like Red Panic Button ou My Panic Alarm which alert your loved ones in the event of an emergency and allow you to be geolocated. Tear gas or pepper spray are also a good solution, but in the event of a "surprise", you have to be able to take it out of your pocket and orient it correctly so as not to take everything in the face... it's starting to do a lot for equipment to be used in panic mode. I always have on me, on my belt, in evidence (!), a knife. That I do canpaddle, canicanoe or any other sport, I have it on me at all times and in plain sight. First of all, it's very useful for picking mushrooms, getting out of old fishing nets, spreading a little Nutella on bread when it's snack time, but it sends a little message to the crazy people I might come across like "Don't bother me, I'm not going to let them do it to me."

To avoid being spotted, change routes often. It will save someone from waiting for you where you go every Thursday evening… I'm a bit of a counter-example in this area, but of course, the first piece of advice is to avoid running in areas that are too isolated. For my part, I think that there are fewer crazy people per square meter in the middle of the vineyards of my pretty countryside than in a park in the middle of a big city, but I don't have proof of that. thing is certain if you come across someone you don't feel, trust your feelings and don't hesitate to turn around or go home sooner than expected.

In any case, the first thing to do is to tell someone that you went running with your dog. Indicate your route and your running time so that someone can panic if you don't come back with your dog and call the emergency services. I use Strava to track my running performance. This app also allows my friends who are connected to it to follow my outing in real time. So, when I leave, my boyfriend always keeps an eye on the app and therefore knows where I am.

The very last piece of advice I can give you is to join a group of canicrossers… Running between canipotos is great and much safer. And if you don't have any groups or clubs near you, find a friend who would like to come run with you or follow you bike with his dog or alone.

I hope I didn't scare you... I'm more of a fan of night runs with my dog. As such, I can't see the hills and long straights so my running experience is very different from during the day. I love the freedom I have at night, feeling alone in the world is quite exhilarating but you have to equip yourself accordingly so that running at night with your dog remains a pleasure.

👋 Musher's great deal

Dog food, supplies, care, vacations… the dog budget can quickly add up. So with Musher, we created the Advantage Card : the very first card that brings together useful discounts to save money all year round, on everyday expenses or those on holidays. 💸 See all 34 available discounts