Are boots necessarry for the trail?

[mibrahim]

I have an 9 month old Black Labrador Retriever mix named Orvis. We rescued him about 6 weeks ago and I want to take him backpacking on section hikes on the AT. He has a Ruffwear Palisade's Backpack and will be carrying his own food and water eventually. I usually do about 10-15 miles per day and want to make sure that he can handle it and be comfortable. I wanted to know if dog boots are necessary or needed to protect my pups paws? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[kayak karl]

all dogs paws are different.
should dogs carry water? i heard the shifting weight of water can hurt them.

[Goonky]

Hey there,

I've been section hiking with my soon-to-be two year old mutt Charlie. He was also a rescue, got him at 9 weeks.

I live in Maine where the terrain is rougher, and I have not put booties on him. We've been out for 5 days at a time and done a big chunk of the 100 mile wilderness. I check his feet regularly and he's been fine.

I do carry some of this: http://musherssecret.net/

and put that on his feet at night when we are in rocky terrain.

Others may have different advice, but my experience is that he hasn't needed them.

[Slo-go'en]

It depends. An indoor dog which is suddenly taken out on a rocky trail can have issues. An outdoor dog who runs around on pavement a lot probably won't have issues. It also depends on the trail. In NH which has a lot of abrasive granite rock is tough on dogs paws. PA is pretty rough too.

[Boots and Backpacks]

Plain ans simple. Your dogs feet are most likely going to get some raw spots. This is going to happen to any dog that isn't used to walking 10-15 miles a day. We're been taking our backpacking since she was 6 months old, and is now almost 6. I've tried boots, and she didn't like them at all! Some dogs don't mind them, but if you're an oz counter you're not going to want to carry them. We've been using mushers wax for years, and that tend to help some. If your feet hurt at the end of day, so do your dogs! If you want to get him used to carrying a pack, you need to start out with it empty, and then gradually add some weight.