Dog Paw Booties

My dog has sensitive paws and also compulsively licks them (which we've been working on and are now going to try allergy med, but it's probably OCD).

Anyhow, before the snow / ice / salt / de-icer period arrives, I was thinking to try booties. Cesar also recommends them to prevent frostbite.

Has anyone used them for their dog before? Did your dog tolerate them?
Can you recommend a brand/type?
TIA!

Re: Dog Paw Booties

We've been using Ruff Wear for years. My past dog Buddy could careless that they were on his feet but our dog now (Casey) hates them. she will freeze up and just stand when we put them on. It took her a while to get use to it and a lot of treats. If you do get them just make sure you get your dog familiar to wearing them and put them on for a couple of minutes and take them off, lots of phrase and treats.

Re: Dog Paw Booties

my dog has fuzzy feet, but the pad get crack and he chews them, so when it's raining or something we put booties on them. We've tried many varieties but he either won't walk in them or they don't stay put (I have a pair like the one below if you'd like them)
What I found work are these:
PAWZ
they're essentially balloons, but they are effective and I think it's because he can still feel the ground when walking and he's still protected

Re: Dog Paw Booties

Thanks so much for your reply and the tips on getting him used to it! Those are so cute too!!

Re: Dog Paw Booties

we actually use a balm called "Mushers Secret" It's a waxy balm that is non-toxic. at the beginning of using it you apply it every walk, but after about 4 days you only need to do it once a day. My dog will not tolerate anything on his paws, so this was a solution recommended by our dog walker. It was fantastic! we lived in brooklyn and he walked 4xs a day for at least 30 mins per walk and we had zero issues with cracked, dry paw pads.

http://musherssecret.net/

this site has some great articles on positive dog training and dog stuff in general. here is an article on selecting the best boot for your dog
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/4_1/features/5020-1.html

ETA: the mushers was great also with rock salt. i tried walking him around any obvious patches of salt, but ya can't avoid every bit. plus one other thing to know about mushers is you need to be a little mindful that the wax may create what looks like a grease stain your pants if he puts his paws on you right after you've freshly applied it. so also be careful about the floor surface you're on when applying.

oh, and mushers is good for healing cracked paws b/c it protects and moisturizes the area. so if your dog has "hot spots" on the paws from the compulsive licking, it could help. maybe ask the vet about it.

Best of luck! rescuing a dog is a lot of work, but seeing the progress they make because of your efforts is so rewarding. plus it is an extremely special bond

Message edited 1/13/2012 10:26:33 PM.

Re: Dog Paw Booties

Thank you so much! That musher's secret sounds great!
I just got something similar to the PAWZ and he let me put them on (which shocked me!) but then seemed confused and wouldn't even stand up in them!

This whole experience is quite a learning process but without a doubt extremely rewarding. We just love him soooo much, it's amazing!



Thanks again, all!