Mary Allen
Winter is coming and it’s time to safely equip your four-legged friend with the right dog lighting. It gets light later in the morning and dark earlier in the evening. So some dog owners have no choice but to take their earliest and latest walk in the dark. You can find out here how you can still travel safely with your dog.
Possibilities of Dog Lighting
Flashing collars
Many a dog owner will know this: In winter it not only gets cold, but the visibility also gets worse. It doesn’t matter whether fog, darkness, or heavy snowfall are to blame. The dog has to go out and actually you want to continue to allow it to run freely and sniff undisturbed.
Flashing or light collars can help here. These usually have two functions:
- You can switch to the permanent light
- You can set them as flashing lights
The trick: when the light is not switched on (when your dog is walking on the leash or you are walking across an illuminated street), the collar reflects (headlight) light. So it’s also useful if it’s not switched on.
Luminous collars and rings
The luminous neck rings are also very popular. These dog collars are not intended to be attached to a leash but are simply placed around the four-legged friend for better visibility. The lights consist of a plastic ring that is equipped with special light-emitting diodes along its entire length. They are either operated with batteries that are used in the collar itself, or they can be practically charged with a USB stick. The light collars are very bright and always ensure that you know where the dog is, even at a great distance, and that it is always clearly visible to others.
However, you have to make sure that you order the right size: for dogs with long fur, the collar can be a bit too big; with short-haired dogs, it must fit well so that it does not slip over the head.
Our tip: The light can also be attached to the back of the harness wearers. So you always see your dog, no matter what long or shaggy coat he has.
Luminous pendant
The last possibility is pendants that are hooked to the collar or harness. Here again, there are turn signals and those that donate continuous light. A big disadvantage is that you only see light when your dog is facing you or slightly to the side and not when he is running away from you.
Dog Lighting Problems
As useful as such a dog light is, caution is required when using it. Putting a luminous or flashing collar on a sensitive dog may stress it or even ‘freeze’ it in its movements because it feels uncomfortable with such a ‘foreign body’.
In general, it is important not to overdo it with the lighting. We also recommend attaching a permanent light to the dog’s back if it reacts irritably to glow-in-the-dark lights or collar tags.
Reflection Can Help
Of course, dog lights aren’t just there to make your dog more visible to you, they’re also there for safety. Other walkers, cyclists, or pedestrians recognize early on that something or someone is there and are not frightened. After all, all school children are told to wear clothing that is clearly visible in the dark, and almost every satchel has a pretty reflector dangling from it. So why not also with your animal darling?
There are different variants here: From reflective lines to collars and harnesses to safety vests, everything is included. There is also a fashionable alternative for dogs that don’t like walking with a harness or vest: the reflective bandana! Of course, wearing reflectors (preferably with a safety vest) also makes sense for the dog owner. Especially on dark but busy roads, reflectors help to make the dog and owner visible to drivers.
Another useful tool for dark days is a flashlight or headlamp. The latter is particularly practical because you can also go jogging or cycling with your dog with it, as you always have both hands free.