How do you get a dog to wear booties?

[lynchdogger]

Yah meathelmet you nailed it with that post. Years ago, Max got laughed at the night before while trying on the booties (this should be a non-friend event - or at least non-stoned friend!) and would never wear them. It was musher's wax for him and lifetime of licking those paws! He had the harriest paws! Legendary ski dog though! He's gone now - RIP. Tuckerman, the new addition to the family is in training and doing OK. I put the boots on one night recently and did the same ignored him. Tried to chew them off. Next day went for short xcountry ski and put the boots on at the last minute right at the trailhead. Off we went and although he stopped a few times in first twenty minutes to tug on them a bit he was too focused on the activity at hand. Was fine for rest of trip. Did the same with his pack earlier this summer and that worked well. Good luck.

[Woodlandclown]

My border collie is kinda a sissy too.

The first suggestion is to get good booties... and by good I mean simple.
Throw out the ruffwear and muttlucks and the other things that are awkward for them.
Pick up booties from www.dogbooties.com. Get the ones with the "Velstretch" fastener. Never look back. Jake was running through 5"s with a little crust on top playing frisbee and they stayed on great. We've run for over an hour on trails and they're all there when we're done. Personally I use the 330cordura for general use and the fleece for when we're walking and its -15.

The second suggestion is to put them on the dog and start playing with him. Don't do it at home on the floor, don't make a spectacle of him and "how cute he looks". Dogs get embarrassed, especially those as in-tune with humans as border collies.

Third suggestion....
well there is no third suggestion. The first two are all you need.

are these the ones that are bascially balloons? A friend uses them. I would like to try. Will have to check out site at home I am blocked! But not blocked from TGR--ahahahaha!

[crackboy]

My border collie is kinda a sissy too.

The first suggestion is to get good booties... and by good I mean simple.
Throw out the ruffwear and muttlucks and the other things that are awkward for them.
Pick up booties from www.dogbooties.com. Get the ones with the "Velstretch" fastener. Never look back. Jake was running through 5"s with a little crust on top playing frisbee and they stayed on great. We've run for over an hour on trails and they're all there when we're done. Personally I use the 330cordura for general use and the fleece for when we're walking and its -15.

The second suggestion is to put them on the dog and start playing with him. Don't do it at home on the floor, don't make a spectacle of him and "how cute he looks". Dogs get embarrassed, especially those as in-tune with humans as border collies.

Third suggestion....
well there is no third suggestion. The first two are all you need.

these are what i use and they are great. stay away from the fleece ones they suck, once they get wet they freeze. one thing i find useful to do is to pick up some coflex/vetwrap and go over the closure and up the leg a touch. helps keep them on better and if your dog will have a harder time getting them off.

[AlpiNord]

These recommendations reminded me to contact a musher friend and see what he says.

His response:

Try Bag Balm. Also, Pam cooking spray works ok and is better for dogs that lick their feet a bunch.

I heard back from Musher's and will order a sample supply, trim hair and give another try with the booties (and tape) and not make fun of our self conscious friend (it's damn hard not to roll on the floor laughing however....)

[fallguy]

i've got a golden ret. who loves the snow but but ends up with snow balls in her paws also. tried the ruffwear botties ( they're built bomber ) but she doesn't like them. acts like hers legs are broken as soon as we put them on. plus she has figured out that if she runs full speed she can throw one or more of them off. tried the vet wrap also at the top and she will run ahead a couple hundred yards and just sit down and wait for us then take off again. i think i'll give the dogbooties a shot.

[skideeppow]

The Musher's Secret sounds like a good option, right up my alley and much easier to apply than the booties. These recommendations reminded me to contact a musher friend and see what he says. (Also, looks like a good product to consider for our store, versus booties.)

Love this quote from their site FAQ's:



With or without a wick?

Thanks and Happy Holidays with new snow!

This only last a couple minutes, i went for a 5 mile x country ski on sunday and coated my dogs paws with it, he balled up within 5 minutes. I will try pam.
thanks

[linds-o-rama]

ruff wear better than granite gear. had those and they feel off all the time. ruff wear stay on better.

Thanks for the compliment! We've been working on a winter-specific dog boot for 2 years, and we are testing right now... if all goes as planned, it will be available in October 2010. It is going to be awesome.

My "professional" opinion on the topic:
- Don't put the boots on until you are at the trailhead. Let your dog do their thing ASAP, don't point and laugh... they will forget about the boots really quickly.
- Make sure they are the right size, and that the ankle strap attaches higher than the pads on your dog's feet. Also check out what the dewclaw is doing, and that it isn't flipped up funkily around the strap area.
- After a few minutes running around or what have you, make sure the ankle straps are tight enough, sometimes it's hard to gauge in the car.

I hope this helps, good luck! Feel free to PM me if you need more info, I'm all about dog boots right now.

[Woodlandclown]

Thanks for the compliment! We've been working on a winter-specific dog boot for 2 years, and we are testing right now... if all goes as planned, it will be available in October 2010. It is going to be awesome.

My "professional" opinion on the topic:
- Don't put the boots on until you are at the trailhead. Let your dog do their thing ASAP, don't point and laugh... they will forget about the boots really quickly.
- Make sure they are the right size, and that the ankle strap attaches higher than the pads on your dog's feet. Also check out what the dewclaw is doing, and that it isn't flipped up funkily around the strap area.
- After a few minutes running around or what have you, make sure the ankle straps are tight enough, sometimes it's hard to gauge in the car.

I hope this helps, good luck! Feel free to PM me if you need more info, I'm all about dog boots right now.

Cool! Winter specific boots need to be higher so snow doesnt go down in them..

[AlpiNord]

Thanks for the compliment! We've been working on a winter-specific dog boot for 2 years, and we are testing right now... if all goes as planned, it will be available in October 2010. It is going to be awesome.

My "professional" opinion on the topic:
- Don't put the boots on until you are at the trailhead. Let your dog do their thing ASAP, don't point and laugh... they will forget about the boots really quickly.
- Make sure they are the right size, and that the ankle strap attaches higher than the pads on your dog's feet. Also check out what the dewclaw is doing, and that it isn't flipped up funkily around the strap area.
- After a few minutes running around or what have you, make sure the ankle straps are tight enough, sometimes it's hard to gauge in the car.

I hope this helps, good luck! Feel free to PM me if you need more info, I'm all about dog boots right now.

Thanks for the tips. Our trailhead is the chiefly the backdoor. If they are anything like Dyvot's disk (currently buried in 30" of snow in the yard) or his collapsible water bowl, I'd be interested in adding them (and other Ruff Wear products) to our evolving 'active pets' section. Please give a shout when you have any samples available.

It's dumping again and need to play dog toe stylist.

[linds-o-rama]

Cool! Winter specific boots need to be higher so snow doesnt go down in them..

Oh yes, they will be taller... and SO much more! I'll post photos soon.

[smthgfshy]

+1 to XtraPickels

I'd add or reiterate to trim the hair between his pads. "Mushers Balm" is used to promote healing (increases blood flow) and there are several different kinds out there for active running and rest periods. Yes, go to dogbooties.com and get the simple, stretchy velcro closer strap. Put them on fairly snug with your thumb under the strap to get the right fit. If you stop your dog from activity for longer than say 30 min...take them off. Trim his nails too...down to the quick...and allow to wear down the edges for a few days (or take an embry board to his nails) to increase the life of your booties. In soft snow, us dogmushers will replace booties every 100 miles or so.

ps...the reason wolves and coyotes don't often have the same problem is that their feet are much more insulated from the snow. Also the hair is thicker and less prone to ice buildup. Yes, this is the reason most alaskans wear wolf and wolverine ruffs...this combo cuts the wind the best and resists ice depostion from exhalation.

[AlpiNord]

As an update (that may help others):
We've had recent success for short outings (up to an hour) using an olive oil cooking spray and working it in between the toes. Next I might try straight cooking oil. I'm not sure if there are any differences or advantages in the spray cooking oils than out of a bottle.

[Lurch]

As an update (that may help others):
We've had recent success for short outings (up to an hour) using an olive oil cooking spray and working it in between the toes. Next I might try straight cooking oil. I'm not sure if there are any differences or advantages in the spray cooking oils than out of a bottle.

Spray oils have lecithin to prevent the oil from pooling in one spot of the pan. Doubt it helps in this application.