Walking your dog safely after dark

When will you be walking your dog in the dark?

On Sunday 25 October 2026 the clocks go back an hour. After that, the after-work walk soon falls in twilight or darkness. The shortest day is 21 December: according to the Dutch government, it gets light at around 8:45 and the sun sets at around 16:30. By then the morning walk is in the dark too.

If you walk before and after work, in December you will not see daylight with your dog at all. You don't need to walk less, but you do need to plan differently: keep one familiar, well-lit route for the dark, and save the dunes, the woods and new paths for the weekend. How many walks your dog needs a day is covered in how often to walk your dog.

If you are out all day, your dog may not get a single walk in daylight all winter. A walk in the middle of the day solves that. In walking your dog when you work full time we list the options, from neighbours to a private dog walk.

How do you make yourself and your dog visible in the dark?

Drivers and cyclists need to see both of you, not just you. In 2021 the PDSA, a UK charity with its own pet hospitals, recommended through its vet Lynne James bright coloured clothing or a high-visibility jacket for yourself. For your dog she suggested a high-visibility dog coat or an LED collar or tag.

Reflective material has no light of its own: a reflective collar or lead only shows up when a headlight or bike light shines on it. An LED light makes its own light. That lets you see where your dog is sniffing, and lets others see them on a dark path with no traffic. A dog with a dark coat almost disappears without either.

Which route should you take after dark?

Choose a route you know, with pavements and street lights. Where there is no pavement or footpath, the Dutch traffic rules (Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens, RVV) say where you walk: on the cycle path, and if there is none, on the verge or the outer edge of the road. Keep your dog on the verge side.

That rule does not say which side of the road to walk on. Our advice: avoid narrow roads with no pavement after dark. If you must use one, walk on the side where you can see oncoming traffic, with your dog on the verge side, unless a bend hides you there. On a cycle path, keep your dog close: a long lead is hard for cyclists to see in the dark.

Crossing the road after dark

The PDSA gives a simple crossing routine: at the kerb, ask your dog to sit and wait. Once they are sitting calmly and the road is clear, give the signal to walk and cross together carefully. Reward them on the other side. In the dark that pause matters even more: you will spot a cyclist without lights late.

• A longer route with pavements and lighting beats a shorter one along a dark road.
• Walk without earphones: in the dark you hear a bike or scooter before you see it.
• Take your phone, and tell someone at home which route you are taking if you go alone.
• If your dog pulls hard, practise walking on a loose lead in daylight first. After dark you need to keep your attention on the road.

Can your dog go off lead in the dark?

Your municipality decides, and after dark it is wise to be stricter than the rule. In Wassenaar your dog must be on a lead in public places inside the built-up area, except in places the municipality has designated for it. That is set out in the Wassenaar general bylaw (APV Wassenaar 2024).

The PDSA advises keeping your dog on a short, strong lead attached to a well-fitting collar when you are near roads. If you want to let them run, only do it somewhere secured with fences or railings, so they cannot reach a road. After dark, that matters even more.

Your dog notices more than you do

Dogs need less light than people to see. Paul Miller, a veterinary ophthalmologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in 2001 that dogs can function in both bright and dim light. A reflective layer behind the retina, the tapetum, sends light back through the retina a second time. That improves vision when there is little light.

According to Miller, dogs and cats may detect movement better than we do in dim light. Most dogs ignore things that stand still at the edge of their field of view, but once something moves, they reflexively chase it. Detail, on the other hand, dogs see less sharply than we do. Your dog may pick up a hare or a cat moving in the dark that you cannot see at all.

That is why we recommend a lead after dark, even for a dog with a good recall in daylight. If you want to give them more room, use a long line somewhere far from the road, with a light on the harness. Where your dog may run free in and around Wassenaar is covered in our guide to free-running areas in Wassenaar.

In the dunes after sunset

If you head into the dunes after work, mind the rules of whoever manages them. In most of Meijendel dogs are allowed only on a lead, says Dunea, which manages the area. Dogs are not allowed at all in the Kijfhoek and Bierlap, parts of the Duintuin and the Monkeybos.

In Meijendel's grazing areas you may come across Galloway cattle, Konik horses and Drenthe heath sheep. Dunea asks visitors to keep at least 25 metres away and not to walk through the herd. In the dark you notice a herd late, so on a dune path a head torch and a short lead are well worth it.

What should you do if your dog runs off in the dark?

Don't chase: in the dark you lose sight of your dog even faster, and before you know it you are in the road yourself. Stand still and call cheerfully. If your dog does not return, report them missing to the portal where they are registered and to Amivedi, a Dutch foundation for lost and found pets.

In the moment

1. 1Stand still and call your dog cheerfully. Crouching down or taking a few steps the other way makes coming back more attractive than being chased.
2. 2Use your head torch or torch and watch where your dog's light goes.
3. 3When they come back, reward them warmly, however long it took. Do not scold, or they will be less keen to come back next time.
4. 4If they do not come back, wait where they ran off or at the start of the walk. If you have to go home, leave a piece of your clothing at that spot.
5. 5Report your dog missing to the portal where they are registered and to Amivedi, and tell the people you meet on the way.

Sort it out beforehand

Every dog in the Netherlands must be microchipped and registered, says the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). You report changes to the portal where you registered your dog, and that is also where you report your dog missing. Amivedi is a foundation that registers lost and found pets and works with animal shelters and animal ambulances, among others.

• Check now that your address and phone number at the portal are correct, especially if you have moved or changed your number.
• Give your dog a collar with a tag showing your phone number. In Wassenaar a dog on the road must wear a collar or other ID that clearly identifies the owner. A tag with a reflective edge also shows up in the dark.
• Give your dog a light after dark. If they slip away, you can see where they are heading for longer.

Around New Year

Bangs and flashes can startle a dog into bolting. Under the Dutch Safe New Year Act (Wet veilige jaarwisseling) there is a consumer fireworks ban: consumers may only set off category F1 fireworks, such as cap bangers, small fountains and sparklers. Associations or foundations with permission from the municipality may set off other fireworks at New Year. So do not count on a quiet night.

Around New Year, only walk your dog on a lead in the evening, in a well-fitting harness plus a collar so they cannot wriggle out. Keep the walk short and stay away from places where you heard bangs before. If your dog is very scared of fireworks, talk to your vet in good time.

Frequently asked questions about walking after dark