What’s in my Dog Walking Bag?

Pack Smart, Walk Smart

When I first started my dog walking business, I was faced with the task of picking out the items to bring on my walks. I went over what I would need routinely, but I also wanted to be prepared for any situation, so I looked online for suggestions. I quickly realized this wasn’t so straightforward.

Sure, I couldn’t forgo the essentials, but there were a lot of “just in case“items that could quickly fill all the available space in my bag, forcing me to treasure hunt for the items I actually needed. Of course, this would be most inconvenient when grabbing a treat to distract a reactive dog from another one walking on the other side of the road. And, as expected, most of the time, the just in case items were never seen again because, in reality, I never used them. Once my shoulders and back started to ache under all that weight I knew I needed a change.

With some trial and error, I’ve fine-tuned my dog walking kit to be lightweight, practical, and efficient. Carrying too much can slow me down, but missing an essential can make a walk frustrating. After countless walks in all kinds of weather, I’ve built a system that works.

Here’s exactly what I bring with me—and what I keep in my car for backup—to ensure every walk goes smoothly.

Here is my checklist

1. My Go-To Dog Walking Bag

I couldn’t start this checklist without mentioning the bag. After all, the amount and size of the items I can bring when out, depends directly on the type of bag I’ll have with me.

I’ve experimented with all kinds of bags in my quest for the perfect dog-walking setup. I gave a backpack a shot, but trying to grab a treat in a hurry felt like an Olympic sport—twisting, reaching, and nearly toppling over in the process. Then, I tried a fanny pack. Great in theory… until I realized a determined pup could nose-dive straight into the treat pouch attached to the strap and help themselves to the treat buffet (leaving nothing for later).

After some trial and (hilarious) error, I finally landed on my trusty crossbody bag—hands free, quick to access, hard for sneaky snack thieves to raid, and just the right amount of storage for everything I need. Victory! 🎉

I use a crossbody bag that I found on Amazon. It was very inexpensive (around £10) and very similar to the more expensive COCOPUP dog walking bags (which, by the way, are super cute!). My ideal bag has:

✔️Main pocket – Holds essentials like my lead and extra poop bags.

✔️Internal quick-access pocket – Perfect for things I don’t need often but, when I do, I need to grab fast.

✔️External pocket – I use this for keys because the last thing you want is a hole in the backup poop bag roll after it’s been bouncing around with your keys.

✔️Poop bag dispenser pocket – Built-in for easy access.

✔️Ring on the strap – Useful for attaching either a tennis ball holder or a treat pouch.

2. The Essentials

I keep my bag stocked with the must-haves. The first three can easily be carried in pockets and are for the minimalist walker (and maybe for me if for a few days my shoulder hurts), but I don’t think I can go without all the items in this list:

• Lead – Always ready to go.
• Keys – Because getting locked out is never fun.
• Poop bags – I carry a roll in my bag’s dispenser.
• Extra poop bag roll – Why, you ask? You never know when a roll runs out mid-walk, and you don’t want to be caught unprepared.
• Doo Doo Tube – A portable poop bag bin clipped to my bag for hands-free carrying. It keeps the smell contained and prevents the bag from tearing due to accidental collisions.
• Treat pouch – Held on the strap with a clip, easy to close with a zip, and designed with dual compartments for dogs with different tastes.

3. The Extras ( but still very important)

There are a few things that come down to personal preference, but I find them useful for some unfortunate situations I don’t want to be unprepared for:

• Tissues – For runny noses and those accidental hand-to-poop encounters. (Let’s be real—it’s not a matter of if but when it will happen.)
• Pocket-size hand sanitizer – To deal with the above-mentioned accidental encounters. Once the tissues take care of the mess, the hand sanitizer helps kill off any lingering bacteria. It’s nowhere near as good as washing your hands, but when the closest sink is 30 minutes away on foot, it’s the next best thing.
• Dog repellent spray – For protecting your pup in case of an aggressive off-lead dog.

Pro tip! A tissue with some hand sanitizer doubles up as a make shift sanitizing wipe.

4. Weather-Ready Without the Bulk

There are a few items that rotate in and out of my bag depending on the season—kind of like my own little dog-walking wardrobe change!

Cold Months ❄️

Lightweight waterproof coat – Keeps me dry and makes an umbrella unnecessary (unless it’s absolutely pouring). A bonus feature of my winter coat, are the extra pockets, giving me extra storage space for whatever else I need.

Warm Months ☀️

Water bottle for the dogs – For a small party of one or two dogs on a walk under an hour, a small bottle is best. I prefer a compact one to refill before each walk. This is because carrying a bigger one would just make me sweat… which would mean needing an extra bottle for myself. (And let’s be honest, I’ve never had a dog finish a whole bottle in an hour anyway.)

My Car Stash

Think of my car as a Mary Poppins bag—but for dog walking! I know I need way more items than I can carry to truly be prepared for every situation. So I make the most out of my car and i keep a crate with more items. It’s stocked with backups of all my essentials and more, ready to save the day!

✅ First aid kit (for dogs and humans) – For unexpected scrapes or paw injuries.

✅ Leads – Different styles for different walks. I usually have a standard leash, a retractible one, a slip lead and a long line.

✅ Extra poop bag rolls – Just in case I forget to refill my dog walking bag.

✅ Extra treats – To refill my treat pouch in between walks.

✅Tennis ball stash – Because we often lose them in the tall grass.

✅Towels – Ideally more than one in case an unexpected mud bath calls for an emergency cleanup.

✅Water & Snacks – Walking dogs is basically a workout, so my car doubles as a pit stop to refuel. After all, who said that only the pups were going to get treats?!

✅Wipes – Because drool and mystery messes shouldn’t get to come for a ride with us.

✅Umbrella – for when a waterproof coat is not enough.

Fun Fact! These items live in my car permanently. I can’t tell you how many times I have found lost dogs and it has been handy to have leads available.

Final Thoughts: A Setup That Works

Every professional dog walker or responsible dog parent has their own system, but this setup has helped me stay organized, prepared, and mobile without feeling overloaded.

Did I miss any must-haves? What’s in your dog walking bag? Let me know in the comments!