Walking a dog in the rain: what to expect, and walks with trees
Yes. No law stops you walking a dog in the rain. Choose a walk you can cut short, expect mud and keep to the path anyway, and dry your dog's feet, legs and tummy when you are back. About four in ten walks we have measured run under trees for a third or more of the way, but trees are cover, not a promise of dry.
Yes, you can walk a dog in the rain. The question is which walk to choose and how to come home, so here is the short list, what the sources say about wet and mud, and what we can tell you about trees.
Pick a walk you can cut short
Choose one you can turn round on. A there-and-back walk lets you turn for home whenever you like, which a loop does not. It is the same advice as for a dark evening: walking a dog in the dark.
Trees give cover, not a promise of dry
We can say how much of a walk runs under trees. We cannot say how much rain reaches you there, and we do not measure rain at all.
For each walk we check how much of its line passes under woodland, and a walk counts as wooded when that is a third of the way or more. Across the 79 regions the app covers, about 42 walks in every 100 are wooded.
The numbers
| Under trees | Share of walks |
|---|---|
| For a third of the walk or more | about 42% |
| For less than a third | about 58% |
That is a share of the walks we hold, not of every walk in Britain, and it says nothing about which woods are near your door. It is cover, not a roof.
Mud
Keep to the path. The Countryside Code says: "Stay on marked paths, even if they're muddy, unless wider access is available, such as on open access land." Read 7 October 2026, from the version last updated 26 May 2023. The Countryside Code.
Looking after a wet dog
The RSPCA's winter advice says that "cold, wet conditions can cause pets to become chilled" and that "animals with shorter coats may be more likely to feel the effects of cold weather". It also says to "thoroughly wipe their feet, legs and tummy after a walk or time outside during cold weather". The page carries no date. Read 7 October 2026. RSPCA, pets in cold weather. You know your dog. One that shivers or slows down is telling you the walk is over.
What the app does
We do not choose a walk by the weather and we do not say a walk is dry. We count how many walks run under trees, and that is all we claim.
Questions this answers
- Can I walk my dog in the rain?
- Yes. No law stops you, and most dogs cope. The RSPCA says cold, wet conditions can chill a pet, and that animals with shorter coats may feel it more. Keep the walk short if your dog is shivering, and dry it when you get back.
- Where can I walk my dog in the rain?
- Anywhere you would walk it dry, with a shorter route and some cover if you want it. About four in ten of the walks we have measured run under trees for a third or more of the way. That is cover, and it is not a promise the rain stays off you.
- Should I keep to the path when it is muddy?
- Yes. The Countryside Code says to stay on marked paths, even if they are muddy, unless wider access is available, as on open access land.
- How do I look after my dog after a wet walk?
- The RSPCA advises wiping a dog's feet, legs and tummy thoroughly after a walk in cold weather, when there may be grit on the ground. It also says animals with shorter coats may feel the cold more.
Read next
- What makes a walk hardWalking a dog in the dark: when the clocks go back, and what to chooseThe clocks go back on 25 October and sunset in Leeds jumps from 17:51 to 16:49. What the Highway Code asks after dark, and how to pick a walk you can cut short.
- What makes a walk hardWalking a reactive dog: the first step out of the doorWhat owners of reactive dogs say they need from a walk, in their own words, what the app asks and checks before it suggests one, and what it cannot know.
- What makes a walk hardCows and dogs: why cattle follow a dog, and what to doCattle see a dog as a threat, most of all cows with calves. What the Health and Safety Executive and the Countryside Code say, and what to do if cows charge.