Dog boots, ridiculous or not?

DelanaMomma

Ok so I never really gave thought into putting boots on a dog, but now that winter is here, my 5 year old rescue (beagle/aussie mix) loves and NEEDS walks. The problem is that her feet get so cold that we can only take short walks even though she wants to keep going! She holds her back feet up and limps, I put Vaseline on her pads to help keep them from getting chapped or anything. Due to this issue I have given serious thought into buying her some boots, I have even taken the liberty of measuring her paws. Does anyone else use boots? Do they work and stay on? How do I acclimate her to wearing them?

DelanaMomma

Sorry for the second post, but I forgot to mention that I have had her not even a week yet, she trusts me already so she should let me put them on, but she was severely abused before and I am afraid of stressing her out, is this going to be an issue? I can slowly introduce them to her and use yummy treats..

Tess

I've tried boots. Its difficult to get them to stay on. They can be useful if you are walking your dog where there is salt on the sidewalk though.

I do find dogs get acclimated to cold, over time, with lots of short outings.
It was below zero this morning, and my dogs still went out with me for about half an hour, running through the snow. We don't use boots on them.

Congratulations on your rescue. She's a very lucky girl!

And welcome to dogforum.

DelanaMomma

Thank you , and yes we do live in an area with a lot of salt which was another of my worries. I might try it out and see what happens, it can't hurt her so it may be worth it, as long as we can get them to stay on and they don't prove to be a waste of money!

Tess

Look for some made for dog sledding. That type is the most likely to stay on.

DelanaMomma

That is a great idea Tess, thank you!

ruthcatrin

Also take a look at a product called Mushers Secret. Especially if the boots won't stay on. It'll help her pads, and keep snowballs from forming on her toe hair. Some of it is just that she needs time to get used to it, but boots, or the like, will help. Note: if her feet are really sensitive she may have trouble with hot pavement in the summer, something like Mushers Secret will help with that too.

ZoesMom

Zoe has boots, she had to have them when her paw got hurt and it had to stay clean. She wears them, they don't bother her. It's funny when I first put them on it takes her a minute to acclimate to them she high steps for a few minutes and then walks normally.

JJJ

Try this

OliveLove

I too have been contemplating this issue... the snow has FINALLY began here in Tahoe, and while Olive is super into it, I'm wondering if I should take some sort of precaution for her little footsies. My roommate Anna and I took her out on a little 1 hour walk this morning and she didn't seem bothered at all. She loves the snow actually, and it was quite adorable... I'll have to post some pictures. I'd like to take her on snowshoe hikes though, going a few miles at a time, so I'm curious about if other high altitude users on these forums use boots and which ones they like best.