Being active – Geocaching with your dog

For the DogBlog Stick Challenge 2023 I choose up a new popsicle stick every week with an activity on it, which we will do that week. Last week I took up the stick for Geocaching, something neither my boyfriend nor I had ever done. Untill now!

Preparing to go Geocaching with Your Dog

Because I had never been Geocaching before, I decided to read up first. Fortunately, there are several websites that I learned a lot from. Geocachen.nl is an extensive Dutch website with a lot of information, and Geocaching.com is the main website (it is also available in Dutch by the way). To be able to geocache, you do have to create an account with the second of the websites I mentioned earlier. You can choose a free account (I did this) or a paid premium account with more options.
In short, geocaching then comes down to looking for the location of a cache, possibly with the help of the special app or with GPS coordinates. On the aforementioned website geocaching.com you can find all caches, with information and some hints.
You choose a cache and go on your way. Once you have found the cache, you can open it. There are different types of caches, but all of them contain a logbook. There you can write the date and your name, so that the owner of the cache (and subsequent visitors) can see who has already found the cache. Some caches contain items called ‘swag’. You can take some of this with you, as long as you put something in the cache instead of the item you took. If you don’t have anything to trade with you, you can’t take anything with you.
You then put the cache back exactly as you found it, and you can then log your find online in your account.

Bring your dog

How does the dog fit into this story? Well, actually no different than usual during a walk. During geocaching you visit many different locations, and sometimes you walk a lot. Having a dog with you makes that a lot more fun! Moreover, it is the intention that you work inconspicuously during geocaching (that way it all remains a bit mysterious!), and with a dog you are often less likely to be noticed. In the app and on the Geocaching website, many caches state whether the cache is dog-friendly (whether dogs are allowed). Check this in advance!
Furthermore, your dog’s nose is of course much more sensitive and just plain ‘better’ than our nose. I will write an extensive blog about this in the future. But chances are your dog can track down other geocachers’ tracks and perhaps the cache itself with his nose. So it may be worth keeping a close eye on your dog’s body language as you search!
Just make sure your dog can’t break the cache, and that your dog is on a leash where required. Take plenty of drinking water with you during your walk (just like during every walk), and don’t forget the poop bags! A toy to play with your dog on the go, such as a tugtoy, can also be very nice, as can a supply of treats.

On the road!

So we also got to work, after I had made all the preparations. Skadi and Freyja got to come along. We chose a cache that was within walking distance of our house, so we just left home on foot. When we arrived at the cache, we started searching. This cache was a so-called micro cache, so a small one. Fortunately, we soon found it, and I filled in the logbook with our details. Meanwhile, the girls were playing and having fun. Taking pictures of the location of the cache is of course not allowed, that ruins the search for others, but I did take a picture of the girls in the same place where the owners of the cache took the picture that was on the website.
Then we just walked back home. It was super fun to do! We will definitely go geocaching more often, for example when we go to a hiking area or when we go on a day trip. Just going to check in advance which caches are nearby, and go!