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Gray Blazer
08-29-2007, 14:01
I got a new puppy that I'm training to hike with me (my wife insisted after I told her about the bigfoot tracks I saw and the bears). She's a chocolate Lab (the dog, that is. My wife's Puerto Rican) and I think she's going to be a good one! I was researching the dog forum and getting lots of good info. My question is: What about dog boots? Someone told my wife the dog would need boots out in the woods. I'm thinking if I'm walking her twice a day on pavement, that's making her paws tough enough for handling walking on the AT. Anybody have opinions or facts about dog boots. Thanks in advance.

wrongway_08
08-29-2007, 14:55
Watch walking on pavement, dog pads will crack apart - they dont toughn up like your own feet do. Pet stores do sell a wax that can be applied to the pads to help them but remember to reapply the wax through out your hike/walk.
Also remember that walking them on pavement or at the beach will burn your dogs pads! This causes extreme pain to your new dog. I saw a lady walking her dog on the beach, the dog was yelping and the dumb lady couldnt understand why - I sure as heck did not see her walking bare foot on that hot sand, dont know why she thought the dog would like it!
REI sells a nice set of boots for dogs (Ruff wear?). They have a good rubber sole with a really nice grip on the bottom. Also they fit well. Just remeber, start only with 10 or 20 minutes a day around the house/yard and check the dogs pads after each use. make sure there are no rub spots causing him/her pain. Slowly increase the time till your up to 1 hour or 2. Then take him hiking for a day, check his/her pads and as long as there are no hot spots, keep expanding the time untill he/she is up to full day hikes.
If your dog starts trying to pull them off, that could be his/her way of sayn they hurt for some reason, dont punish him/her, instead find out why it hurts and take care of the problem. The younger you start, the easier it is to get your dog use to them. Start by playn with his feet, get him/her use to you washing between his toes and all, this will help him have less of a adjustment time to the boots
Hope this helps!

chiefdaddy
08-29-2007, 15:55
VASELINE!!! it works on the pads also!

I'm planning on getting a small pack for chief and some boots. He did the NC section with me and had nothing at 5 months old lol poor guy got broken in big time.

I seem to be feeling blue lol

superman
08-29-2007, 16:08
I got a new puppy that I'm training to hike with me (my wife insisted after I told her about the bigfoot tracks I saw and the bears). She's a chocolate Lab (the dog, that is. My wife's Puerto Rican) and I think she's going to be a good one! I was researching the dog forum and getting lots of good info. My question is: What about dog boots? Someone told my wife the dog would need boots out in the woods. I'm thinking if I'm walking her twice a day on pavement, that's making her paws tough enough for handling walking on the AT. Anybody have opinions or facts about dog boots. Thanks in advance.

Winter is a white german shepard and never had any paw problems from hiking. I trained her on the Long Trail and it was the best investment of time I ever made. She does wear boots in the winter when we're going to be in the ice and snow for a while. Winter has a thick set of winter boots and a thin set. She adapted to them fast. I just hiked a section of the Long Trail and it was the first time that I hiked without her in years. She was so fired up to hike but at 11 years old with arthritis in her hind end she will only do easy walks from now on. It tore my heart out to see how sad she was as Pat drove my blazer away. Winter has been the best hiking companion a person could have. Enjoy your new friend.

LIhikers
08-29-2007, 16:53
It tore my heart out to see how sad she was as Pat drove my blazer away. Winter has been the best hiking companion a person could have. Enjoy your new friend.

I know how you feel. My wife and I recently decided that there'll be no more multiday backpacking trips for our 11 year old shephard, Arrow. He's still OK for long day hikes but I don't know how much longer that will last either. He loves the outdoors and gets all excited when he sees us pick up any of our camping gear or packs.

SteveJ
08-29-2007, 18:19
I got a new puppy that I'm training to hike with me (my wife insisted after I told her about the bigfoot tracks I saw and the bears). She's a chocolate Lab (the dog, that is. My wife's Puerto Rican) and I think she's going to be a good one! I was researching the dog forum and getting lots of good info. My question is: What about dog boots? Someone told my wife the dog would need boots out in the woods. I'm thinking if I'm walking her twice a day on pavement, that's making her paws tough enough for handling walking on the AT. Anybody have opinions or facts about dog boots. Thanks in advance.

I agree with Superman - the only time I've had problems with Phoebe's paws have been on 2 - 4 day trips to Shining Rock when we've had ice / snow. When we got home from a trip last winter I noticed that she had split paws on two feet - we'd hiked most of the weekend on ice / rock. Otherwise, her paws have always been fine (she's done about 350 miles of trails with me - mostly weekend trips). I hear a lot of good things about udder balm from the yahoo traildog group - evidently it's best to get it and start using on a daily basis a month or so before your hike. I have never tried it on Phoebe before, but do plan to get some before our next icy hike....(how's that for a dream - getting away in the crisp, cool weather to hike and camp in the snow.....hard to imagine since the temps in Atl have hovered around 100 for most of the month of August!)

That being said, if I planned on going away for more than a 3 or 4 day trip, I'd probably invest in a good pair of boots in case she did have an injury.....

Congrats on the new pup!

Steve

FHDogs
08-30-2007, 01:57
Vaseline is great for the pads. It's common practice for sledders to use vaseline on their dogs paws. My dogs (small ones) only wear boots in the worst of weather, and that's because we live in New York City where there is way too much salt being used.

furthur
08-30-2007, 06:57
kelsey-my 11 yr. old lab had to leave the trail due to a split paw pad . her pads cracked during climbs in nc/tn and finally gave up in va. next time i think paw boots might br in order for the rocky stretches especially n. pa.
tried cortisone cream treatments nightly for several months before she finally succumbed

Alligator
08-30-2007, 12:30
Doggie boots (http://www.rei.com/product/724151) on sale at REI.

peanuts
08-30-2007, 15:14
also check with your vet, about taking your puppy on hikes, that can damage their still growing and joining joints and cartiledge(sp).

wrongway_08
08-30-2007, 15:27
http://www.rei.com/product/747456?vcat=REI_SEARCH
These are the Ruff Wear brand, you can see the grip the have. Also they dont run up the dogs leg so there is less chance of rubbing the dogs leg.
Just another option.

The dogs in the photos (hit the zoom button) are real camera lovers. Looks like they got trained to smile while posing for the shot. :)

Scout61
08-31-2007, 15:34
Another vote for Ruff Wear booties - but only use them when the ground is frozen. Our usual weekend hike can be very uncomfortable for a dog once the ground has frozen/thawed/frozen etc. Large areas can be like an ice rink while other are very sharp and would cut her feet.
The first few times we put them on her she gimped around like we had broken all four of her legs - (shameful admission - it make us laugh so hard we videotaped her!)
In the summer we try to keep her off of hot pavement - the boots would probably makes things worse, as dogs perspire through their pads..

superman
08-31-2007, 16:52
The first few times we put them on her she gimped around like we had broken all four of her legs - (shameful admission - it make us laugh so hard we videotaped her!)

LOL, dogs seem to be pretty thin skinned about wearing dog boots at first. Some dogs will actually not go along with wearing them if you laugh at the dog. You need to praise the dog and say complimentary things. I know this sounds weird but it seems to work.

frieden
09-03-2007, 11:29
Congrats on the new pup, Blazer! Did you post a photo of her in your photo album?

I have been discouraged against boots for Ed from many vets and working dog groups for different reasons, but they would be good to have for certain cases (like snow/ice). It would be a good idea to train her with the boots, so she is used to them, but I wouldn't use them for general hiking.

Because we lived in the suburbs when Ed was a pup, I had to deal with the pavement/paw problem. The long trail we hiked by the house was paved, and he almost went lame because of worn pads. I solved this by creating two commands - "on trail" and "off trail". When I want Ed to walk in the center of the trail, I say "on trail". When I want him to walk on the side (off the pavement), I say "off trail".

Ed and I just got accepted to a very important 11-day trip to Belize and Guatemala in Feb. We'll be inspecting some re-forestation efforts, and learning about their eco-tourism efforts. We'll be spending a lot of time in the rainforests, so I'm going to attempt to train him in boots again. We'll also be spending a lot of time in small boats/canoes, so avoiding crocs will be an issue. You remember the alligator problem we had at the FL Gathering, don't you Blazer?

superman
09-04-2007, 10:12
Winter didn't like being in my canoe until I put one of those cheap little throw rugs with the rubber backing in it. my canoe has a smooth fiberglass floor in it.

wrongway_08
09-04-2007, 10:19
I couldnt even get my other dog near my canoe - he would growl and bark at it. We took it in the back yard and I tried to get him use to it that way. It didnt work, just more growling.

Gray Blazer
09-04-2007, 10:36
The dog forum is cool. I am learning a lot from all you members. Thankyou! I can't believe we haven't gotten flamed yet. Maybe there's too many scary dogs here. I uploaded a picture of Blaze and it's in my gallery. Frieden, I think it's healthy for dogs to be wary of gators, especially if they are from TN or Ohio.:sun

frieden
09-05-2007, 23:04
I can't believe we haven't gotten flamed yet. Maybe there's too many scary dogs here.

I uploaded a picture of Blaze and it's in my gallery.

Frieden, I think it's healthy for dogs to be wary of gators, especially if they are from TN or Ohio.:sun

I'm the scary dog in here (The Goat is the good cop), and I have a zero tolerance policy. Ok, it might have something to do with being mentally unstable, who knows.

She is just lovely! Nooooooo, she's not spoiled already at all, is she?

Why do I think that was a football gator reference? I'm a vegetarian now, but I remember what gator meat tastes like! ;)

hopefulhiker
09-05-2007, 23:13
I saw lots of dogs with little dog boots/pads on during my 05 thru...

superman
09-05-2007, 23:38
When Winter hiked on the Florida Trail we called her Gator Bait. When Winter hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail we called her Bear Bait. When she hiked in Vermont we called her Democrat Bait (humor).
About the only thing that she didn't like was rain in her eyes. I found that I could make a garbage bag hood for her holding it in place with her pack and then she was happy again.

Gaiter
09-06-2007, 00:38
i don't know about hiking w/ dogs in the snow, given i've never seen more than 1/2' of snow in my life, but i do know a bit about their pads and i might be repeating some of whats been said:
i used a working dog pad formula to build up my dog's pads but that wasn't enough after a month of hiking, maybe its something for a bounce box?
this link has a few options, but check w/ your vet i used the one on the top: http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/products.asp?CID=0&area=dog&dept_id=650

also i carried two booties but never used them, but then we never hiked in the snow.
in reguards to my dogs paws, i was sure to build them and condition them but after one month of hiking there were signs that she was on the verge of getting cracks, i sent her home, i don't know if those would have turned in to cracks or not, i don't know if carring the paw treatment or at least boucing it would have helped, and its something i'll never know because i won't take her hiking for more than a month ever again.
talk to your vet!!!!.

superman
09-06-2007, 09:30
Dogs are like people except that they have four-paw drive. Some breeds do better in the out door activities than other but it's really an individual thing. Then there are those other issues such as how strong the dog feels it has to give the warning or be the protector. Even dogs within the same breed have a broad range of physical and mental abilities. How many types of personality and temperament are there? I will always remember Winter stopping to look back at me as we hiked just to smile at me.

There are pictures of Winter in this:
http://groups.msn.com/OldGUYthenandnow/shoebox.msnw

Appalachian Tater
09-07-2007, 00:00
I'm not trying to flame but if your dog's feet "crack apart", perhaps the dog shouldn't be doing whatever it is that's causing that to happen. Too bad dogs can't speak human because some humans don't seem to be able to speak dog.

Jim Adams
09-07-2007, 00:39
OK lets break this wide open now!
Lightweight trail runner booties or traditional leather?

geek

Gray Blazer
09-07-2007, 07:14
Put on your seatbelts and hang on! ;)

chiefdaddy
09-08-2007, 11:15
Chief does speak human and on top of it would break his neck to get to the trail and hike day in and day out.
If my knee hurts or my toe skin splits does this mean I don't like hiking or need to be there? lol

tanpuma
09-08-2007, 11:59
I hike with my dog and backpack extensively with him also. We train together on trails, so I think his feet toughen up to the trail dirt and rocks. ** Pavement is different to thier paws so It wouldn't prepare his feet for hiking.
I have a friend with large assistant dog who walks on sidewalks mostly in town. When this friend joined me on a short backpack his dog split his paw pad. My dog never had a problem. I do carry booties for sharp rocks and or ice/snow conditions.
No, sidewalk training is not equilvalent to trail training for toughening up paws.

superman
09-08-2007, 13:55
Chief does speak human and on top of it would break his neck to get to the trail and hike day in and day out.
If my knee hurts or my toe skin splits does this mean I don't like hiking or need to be there? lol

I suspect that Winter is multi-lingual and I'm the one who doesn't understand. She always keeps me on the right trail and tells me when it is time to go. When we finish hiking for the day she is ready to play while I am ready to sleep. I'm pretty sure that she assumes that I'm handi-capped because I only have two paw drive. people would ask me how Winter got over some mountain or other...the answer was "easier than me."

Adam B
09-16-2007, 14:01
My guy has two types of boots. One is just kangaroo leather and the other is fleece. All is homemade because there is several realities with dog boots, first the dog will lose one at some point, so always have 1 or 2 extra boots. I always have 2 complete sets that he carries. Second is since you will replace them it is cheaper to make them yourself. Sled dogs often go through a dozen or so pairs in a race because wear and loss. It is very easy to make them and you can custom make them to their feet so they stay on better. The first time I cut out a rough pattern and then pinned them on his feet to get the right fit. Now I just use the old one for a pattern.

Adam

Rouen
09-26-2007, 22:25
Ed and I just got accepted to a very important 11-day trip to Belize and Guatemala in Feb. We'll be inspecting some re-forestation efforts, and learning about their eco-tourism efforts. We'll be spending a lot of time in the rainforests, so I'm going to attempt to train him in boots again. We'll also be spending a lot of time in small boats/canoes, so avoiding crocs will be an issue. You remember the alligator problem we had at the FL Gathering, don't you Blazer?


I had great success getting my male to wear boots by taking him out for a walk immediatly after putting the boots on him, being outside and going for a walk seems to keep their minds off the weirdness of having boots on.

frieden
09-30-2007, 10:16
I'm sorry I've been off the board for a bit. I'm having chicken issues.

It looks like Goat has been doing some work in the dog trail forum. I would be very disappointed to find out that some of you weren't playing nice.

I would love to make my own dog boots! What are the best materials? Does anyone else make their own dog boots? Would wool/sheepskin interior keep the pads moisturized?

Rouen
10-01-2007, 00:03
I wouldn't use anything that holds moisture in, my dogs feet sweat like most adult mens feet do. thats one of the reasons why Ruffwear changed thier bark'n boots design.

Gray Blazer
10-01-2007, 07:32
I wouldn't use anything that holds moisture in, my dogs feet sweat like most adult mens feet do. thats one of the reasons why Ruffwear changed thier bark'n boots design.

Dog socks??? :confused:

frieden
10-01-2007, 09:18
Dog socks??? :confused:

Ok, the Challenge of the Month is to come up with wicking dog hiking socks! Remember, they can't slide into the boot while walking, and they can't cut off circulation. Good luck! :-?

Rouen
10-01-2007, 17:18
ruffwear makes moisture wicking(in warm conditions) socks for dogs. if you really want to go the home made route you could take a look at theirs, might give you an idea. :jump

frieden
10-01-2007, 20:15
ruffwear makes moisture wicking(in warm conditions) socks for dogs. if you really want to go the home made route you could take a look at theirs, might give you an idea. :jump

Are you serious?

Rouen
10-01-2007, 22:24
Are you serious?

of course :p
you could make sock liners :-?

Adam B
10-01-2007, 22:41
It isn't hard, my guy has booties made from wicking fleece and hiking boots made from leather. Very shortly he will have nylon overboots but that has to wait until mine are done.

Here is a link to making them, http://www.uberpest.com/booties.html but really it is easy to just fit them to your dog and then reuse them as the next pattern.

Uncle Silly
10-10-2007, 13:15
also check with your vet, about taking your puppy on hikes, that can damage their still growing and joining joints and cartiledge(sp).

Just hiking with your puppy won't be damaging; however, putting a heavy pack on a young puppy will be. (But use common sense -- a 20-mile day probably will be harmful to a puppy, while a 5-mile day should be fine.)

I think the standard wisdom says wait until the dog is at least a year (maybe more -- like 1.5 years) before putting a full pack on. (Putting an empty pack on a young pup, so they're trained for wearing it, is OK.) Naturally, start the older dog out with an empty or lightweight pack, then gradually add weight until they're fully loaded. Dogs are like humans -- maximum pack weight should be no more than 1/3 of the dog's body weight.

mrburns
01-20-2008, 21:26
I wouldn't bother buying any kind of dog boots until your pup is full grown and obedient on and off leash...

1) Off leash: a pup is more likely to scamper around and cause a boot to fall off... yeah, took me 15 minutes to find two lost dog boots in the snow one time.

2) On leash: my dog wore through her mutt-luks very quickly when I bought them for her because she wasn't leash trained yet and was pulling every which way... the boots couldn't hold up to that kind of abuse.

One other note... I'm guessing by the breed that your dog had all of its dew claws removed so maybe you don't have to worry... but my dog still has her front ones. Most of the boots on the market have straps that chafe on that claw so keep an eye out, the boots may cause more problems than they solve.

I no longer bother trying to use boots for my dog in any conditions... for me that means staying on shady trails in the hot summer and limiting our time outdoors when the weather is below 30.... and when there's snow, stopping every 30 minutes or so to get the ice balls out from between her toes.

desdemona
01-21-2008, 01:26
I've always wondered about the booties, but she has seemed ok. The only thing is that sometimes she gets a stone or burr in her paw, but then she will limp and I figure it out pretty fast, for a human. :)

She just ran thru the ice today which surprised me. I certainly didn't run thru it. I worry more about the cactus so I really watch what we are going thru. OTOH, I have never seen dogs with booties around here-- I have seen some dogs go off leash and off the path and into who knows what all. (They aren't supposed to.)

She is now passed out from our adventures today. I'm sorta tired myself.

--des

docllamacoy
02-01-2008, 20:27
I'd skip boots on the AT unless you are going to be hiking on ice. Dogs sweat out of their feet and get blisters from boots just like we do sometimes. The terrain on the AT is just not that rough compared to the desert, for example. Coy never wore boots on the AT and didn't have a problem. Ice and extremely hot ground would be my only concerns. Of course, all dogs are different so this is just personal experience.

doggiebag
02-01-2008, 20:45
I'd skip boots on the AT unless you are going to be hiking on ice. Dogs sweat out of their feet and get blisters from boots just like we do sometimes. The terrain on the AT is just not that rough compared to the desert, for example. Coy never wore boots on the and didn't have a problem. Ice and extremely hot ground would be my only concerns. Of course, all dogs are different so this is just personal experience.
My personal experience with the doggie boots were not good. You are 100% correct. After a day with the booties on - my dog developed some blisters after only 10 miles. He was much happier without them. I'd hang on to them just in case we have to do some road hiking on salted/treated roads. Otherwise they did not seem to work for my dog. It all depends on the breed I suppose.

Nest
02-01-2008, 21:53
So would you suggest the paw wax or some kind of paw cream instead of the boots?

gungho
02-01-2008, 22:02
My personal experience with the doggie boots were not good. You are 100% correct. After a day with the booties on - my dog developed some blisters after only 10 miles. He was much happier without them. I'd hang on to them just in case we have to do some road hiking on salted/treated roads. Otherwise they did not seem to work for my dog. It all depends on the breed I suppose.

That's great to know. I have a Lab that is 18 months old and I hope to eventually start taking her on our hiking adventures. I have always wanted to know the pros and cons of the dog booties. Thanks for sharing the info:)

doggiebag
02-01-2008, 22:11
So would you suggest the paw wax or some kind of paw cream instead of the boots?
My Cattledog did over 1,700 miles last year with me from March till late October. We started in Springer and worked our way NOBO and his pads just toughened up naturally. I believe it's a matter of conditioning that saw us through our trek. We just toughened up naturally. Though that may not be an option for some (we had the luxury of really getting our trail legs). I never tried any type of pad treatments for him so I really can't say as to their performance. We did it the old fashioned way ... we hiked :).

Gray Blazer
02-01-2008, 22:51
Well here's a report on Blaze, the chocolate Lab. We've been out hiking 5 times, day trips only. She's great on the trail. She stays right by me like a service dog when I'm going thru rough spots. I keep her on a leash. She carries her own backpack and seems to love it all. I will be getting a set of boots for her prolly just for the FT as sandspurs are the one thing that will take her down fast.

mrburns
02-01-2008, 23:16
I posted earlier in this thread saying I don't bother using the boots anymore since I hadn't had great experiences with them...

However, I was talking to my dogs vet about our thru-hike plans and he recommended bringing a set along even if she doesn't wear them all the time, so I'm going to take his advice to be safe. I was going to include them in a bounce box, but all four of the boots together only weigh 2 oz, and it will probably be more effective than mcguivering a bandage some other way on the trail without them if she splits a pad.