Fall is a great season to spend time with your dog. The weather cools down enough to take more walks, and the crisp leafy blanket underfoot is fun for everyone to play in. It’s also the perfect time to find new dog-friendly locations to explore, like your local corn maze or apple orchard.
To help you prepare for the upcoming fall, here are a few of our favorite dog-friendly activities.
The 15 Fall Activities to Do With Your Dog:
1. DIY Fall-Themed Bandannas
With the days growing shorter and steadily colder, there are plenty of times when you and your dog will need to stay warm. If your dog needs a new bandanna or a collar, this is a great time to update their style.
While you can find bandannas and collars at your local pet store or an online shop, spending the day at home gives you the perfect opportunity to try your hand at a DIY project. Choose fabrics with a fall color scheme, or use Halloween materials for those chilly October days.
2. Explore a Corn Maze
A great fall activity is navigating your way through a corn maze. There are plenty of places with miles of paths that are welcoming to dogs. Pack water and a few snacks, remember the poop bags, and enjoy a day exploring the winding paths through corn trails. If you have a larger maze near you, it’s also a good spot for an interesting hike.
Your dog might even surprise you by finding the way out first. Just ensure that you keep them leashed, and respect your fellow maze guests by picking up after them as you find a solution to the maze.
3. Do a Fall Photo Shoot
The vibrant colors of fall make for beautiful pictures. As a dog lover, your photos likely feature your dog in one way or another. Head out to the park or your backyard to take advantage of the changing colors and the leafy blanket on the ground.
Dress up your dog in a Halloween costume, show off your matching DIY bandannas, or just photograph them as is. With a bit of planning, you could also let your dog’s canine friends join in. However, you decide to photograph your dog, have fun and pack a picnic to enjoy your day out.
4. Go Hiking
If you’re not fond of photography, you can still enjoy the seasonal colors. Find local nature walks or hiking trails, and take your dog on a day trip. If you live by the mountains, the best fall views can be found on the trails when you reach the peak.
Your dog will enjoy the change of scenery too. Exploring a hiking trail that you rarely visit gives them a chance to get away from their usual walking route around the home and enables them to put their noses to the test.
5. Go Trick-or-Treating
Fall brings Halloween, sweets, and trick-or-treating for the kids. If you and your family already dress up for Halloween to visit the neighbors for sugary goodies, include your dog in the celebrations. Give them their own Halloween costume — you can DIY one if you have time — and let them carry their own bucket.
They won’t be able to eat any candy, but there are plenty of dog-friendly treats that they can have instead. You can make a few at home or share with other canines that you meet while outside.
6. Host a Canine Halloween Party
Even if you only have furry, four-legged children rather than tiny two-legged humans, you can still enjoy a Halloween celebration. Decorate your house, host your own Halloween party with dog-friendly snacks, and dress up in matching costumes.
You can invite your dog’s canine friends and run a costume party or keep the party as a family-only event. You might prefer a smaller party that includes just you, your dog, a blanket, and your favorite Halloween movie.
7. Do a Horror Movie Marathon
Halloween might be an expected part of fall, but it’s not the only reason that you might want to break out the horror movies. Fall can get chilly, and your evening walk is likely to be much earlier to take advantage of the remaining sunlight. With the dark evenings, though, you and your dog likely have a great deal of free time on your hands.
A movie marathon with your favorite horror films is a great excuse to grab a blanket and your favorite drink to fend off the chill in the air. Your puppy can join you on the couch for a cozy cuddle session.
8. Make Pumpkin Puppy Treats
Your dog might not be able to partake in all the regular candy that we usually enjoy during the fall season, but there are a few fall treats that they can share with you. Pumpkin, whether you carve your own or buy it canned, is a tasty and healthy treat for your dog. It’s also one of the best foods to help you get into the fall season.
Pumpkin is also a natural remedy for many stomach upsets because it’s easy to digest and full of vitamins and minerals.
Remember to only buy unsweetened canned pumpkin without any additional flavors to make sure the treat is as dog friendly as possible. Don’t feed your dog the raw pumpkin that you scoop out during pumpkin carving.
9. Pick Apples
One favorite thing for many fall lovers is apple picking. Many apple orchards, like corn mazes, are dog friendly, so your four-legged friend can accompany you on your apple-picking adventure. Harvesting apples also gives you plenty of fresh fruit to make applesauce, apple pies, or other apple treats for Thanksgiving.
Apple is safe for dogs too. It’s full of vitamins and minerals, and many dogs love the fresh crunch of the fruit. Cut the apple into cubes or more slices, but be sure to remove the core and seeds before giving it to your dog.
10. Plan a Puppy Play Date
A significant benefit of fall is the cool temperatures. While finding a cool enough day for a puppy play date in summer can be a challenge, fall gives you plenty of opportunities to spend the day at the park. Invite your dog’s best canine friend and their family, pack a fall-themed picnic, and get away from work for a bit with doggy tag and fetch.
If you have enough space at home, you don’t even need to leave the house. Invite over a few puppy friends, and let them play in the yard or chow down on homemade doggy treats.
11. Play in a Leaf Pile
By the middle of fall, the ground is riddled with a crisp blanket of freshly fallen leaves. They rustle and crackle and make for interesting adventures whenever they get piled up. Eventually, these fallen leaves will need to be gathered up, but yard work doesn’t need to be a chore.
When you head outside to rake up the leaves, let your dog join in the fun too. They’ll adore chasing after stray leaves and bouncing around in the pile to listen to the rustling or find their wayward ball.
12. Do a Spa Day
During all these fall adventures, your dog is bound to get mucky, especially on rainy days, when the leafy blanket becomes more mud than leaves. During inclement weather, when your dog just refuses to stay clean, take a break for a spa day.
It’s the perfect time to catch up on any grooming tasks that you’ve been neglecting, like thoroughly brushing their fur or trimming their claws. A spa day doesn’t need to be handled by a professional groomer either; you can treat your dog to a day of pampering in the comfort of your home.
13. Take a Walk to the Pet Store
If you want to go shopping with your dog, pet stores are among the best, dog-friendly places to check out. Fall also gives you the prime opportunity to walk to your local store if you live close enough. Wait for a nice day, pack water and a bowl for your dog, and take a stroll through the city.
Encourage your dog to pick out a new toy or spoil them with a new, fall-themed collar. You might even meet a cute puppy or two being socialized by their owner.
14. Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin patches are staples of fall and plenty of them welcome dogs too. If you still need to pick out the perfect pumpkin for Halloween or you simply want to make fresh pumpkin treats, a pumpkin patch should be on your to-do list. It’s a great way to support your local farmers too.
Your dog might not be able to help you with the carving or baking treats, but they can still join in the fun by sniffing out the perfect pumpkin.
15. Work on a Puzzle
Rainy days can be gloomy for everyone, your dog included. There are plenty of activities that you can do while stuck indoors, though, including breaking out that puzzle that’s been in the closet for years.
While you work on your doggy-themed fall puzzle, remember to give your dog a challenge of their own. Fill a puzzle toy with their favorite treats, or hide a few snacks around the house. The game of hide-and-seek with all these treats will encourage your dog to use their nose to sniff each tasty morsel out and keep their brains active.
Conclusion
Fall means bright colors, crisp leaves, short days, and cool weather. It’s the perfect time to try dog-friendly activities like baking dog-safe treats for Halloween or picking apples for Thanksgiving desserts. Or, get out of the house by visiting a corn maze or pumpkin patch, and show off your matching DIY fall bandannas or cozy sweaters.
Whatever you and your puppy get up to this fall, remember to pack pumpkin treats and have fun!
Featured Image Credit: Jumpstory
