Dog Booties and Winter Hiking

[HikingBryan]

Hello All,

With consistent temps below freezing and the hopes for some steady snow to set up on the trails, I am now thinking about bringing Stella on winter hikes. Stelle the Advernture Chocolate Pup is 6.5 months old, loves to hike, is active and ready for the challenge.

But, before I brush the rust off my winter gear, I would like to get your thoughts on dogs feet and hiking in the snow.

What do you think?

Booties?
Vaseline?
Bare-Foot?

I may take her up to Lonesome Lake Hut this Thursday if the weather is promising, and want to be prepared.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Bryan

 

[dug]

My dog hated her booties, but hated frozen paws more. She would get used to the booties though. I put one on, and she held that foot in the air. Then the other, same thing. By the time the third got on she had to deal with it. Once she was moving, it was never a problem and she would get used to them.

They are a bit more slippery on some icy surfaces. And, probably buy two pair and bring some spares. She would lose them occasionally.

I tried the Musher's Secret with no luck.

 

[adkayaker]

Just ordered the new MSR snowshoes for dogs, the Canine Ascents-set of 4. Decent price for 4 shoes.

But seriously, I'll have to follow this thread. When taking my dog on winter walks, she gets snow or ice stuck within the paw and then stops walking or limping. Sometimes, I can't clear it out. It's one thing to happen on walks at home, would not want to worry on a winter outing far from home.

 

[audrey]

Having hiked with Labs for many years, I have found that problematic conditions are far and few between and I never did try booties.

However, with freeze-thaw cycles apparently more and more frequent as the years go by, it may be a good idea for Leo. At least to put them on occasionally so he is used to them in case conditions warrant.

When it does happen, it isn't pretty, and their paws are tender for days afterwards.

 

[Quietman]

I saw These at my local EMS store. I don't have a canine companion at the moment, but I thought that they were interesting. Vibram soles for dogs!

 

[smitty77]

Mushers wax seems to help a little. Boots are your best bet, and it took several tries before I could get all four on the husky. She fought me hard each time, once giving me a black eye by rearing up as I was standing over her trying to fasten the bootie. The back of a dog's head is REALLY hard! I though she broke my cheekbone when it happened. And bring extra because one or more will fly off, especially if the snow is crusty.

Dugan has a very good method to help keep those booties in place - she wraps VetWrap (flexible adhesive bandage) around the dogs legs just above the paw, then put the booties on, then duct tape over the top of the booties and VetWrap.

Good luck!

 

[una_dogger]

I've tried a few brands and have had success with Ultra Paws.

The main drawback I have found with other booties, eg Ruffwear, Muttlucks, and Griptex; are that they only have one strap and they fall off and get lost in the snow.

Ultra Paws have two straps, and a cushioned ankle area, so you can really strap 'em tight and they stay on. They are also a good value at 34.95 for four boots.
You can buy them here:
http://www.ultrapaws.com/Ultra-Paws-Rugged-Dog-Boots/productinfo/303R/

Mushers Wax, for us, has worked well for a mile or two, but requires constant re-application. Its sticky stuff that hardens in the cold, and I personally find re-applying it on a hike inconvenient, to say the least.

As an aside, RuffwearGriptex work GREAT in the Northern Presis in the non-winter months, as those rocks in that region are extremely abrasive and can do a number on paw pads.

I do not do a great deal of winter hiking with my dog as a personal choice, I try to limit her hikes to fairer weather winter days, packed snowshoe trails and reduced mileages. The snowballing of her coat and booties at the ankle line put alot of stress on her after several hours, and it just really stops being fun for her at that point.

One thing I've noticed with the booties, is that you are in many cases sacrificing traction for paw protection. For this reason, I generally only put front booties on. I've seen Terra put her front paws down and actually steer down icy patches. Its pretty cute to see. Having her hind feet stable seems to help her with "power steering". Also, carrying four booties and only using two leaves two for backup. We lost a bootie this weekend in the Carter/Moriah Range...if anyone happens to come across a medium, black Ultra Paw bootie somewhere between Stony Brook jct and Zeta Pass, please shoot me a pm!

Good luck with your decision and your winter hiking. Some breeds tend to ball up more than others, hopefully your dog will be one of the "lucky ones".

Happy Trails!

 

[bandana4me]

I bought Marley (my dog) a pair of booties last winter but had no luck getting him to wear them (of course I have a hard time putting a collar on him as well). I too have used musher’s secret but I have found that he is one of the lucky ones who does not have snow balling up in his paws.

Marley finished his W48’s last winter (he was 2 in March) and I had no problems with snow build up anywhere on him (he is a Husky). We went to the vet’s 3 times last winter for check up’s (I always worry that I push his limits) but the vet kept giving him a clean bill of health. We do walk a trail of at least 3-5 miles a day regardless of weather.

If you do buy booties, try them at home (of course with my location it could be a small Mtn. close by) first to see how your dog will respond. I always find it helpful to know what I am up against before venturing out for a long hike.

BTW the last snow storm we got here, you would have thought Marley won the lottery the way he was prancing thru the snow. I had a hard time getting him inside to eat!

 

[Maddy]

Bernie modeling his new boots winter of 09!
If you choose to get Ruff Wear I would highly recommend that you buy the exact right size and they need to be secured tightly. Once they convinced me that his legs would not get necrotic and I did what they recommended, all was well. I had to return the first pair because they were just big enough that he would flop out of them. They were very good about exchanging them. He now wears two different sizes XL for the front and L for the back legs.
I did notice they slip on ice but they have not come out with microspikes for dogs yet.
He most certainly did not like his boots at first but once I convinced him they were better than snowballs between the toes, he was good to go. (Very smart fella!)

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Mushers

We've not had much luck with boots. Emma hates them and we cannot find a good fit for her. Her paws are not much bigger than my thumb!

We always use mushers but the key to success for us is what Sabrina says:

"I try to limit her hikes to fairer weather winter days, packed snowshoe trails and reduced mileages."

A bigger problem for us than her paws is snowballing on her fur. It depends on temps and consistency of the snow. We usually know early on in a hike if she is snowballing and if she is we change plans. She can ball up in minutes and be carrying extra pounds of balled snow.

Always have an alternative plan! You must be flexible with your plans when hiking with a dog, especially in winter.

Her safety and comfort always come first. There is no hike or list more important than the safety and comfort of all the "Dogs" in our pack.

KDT

 

[WinterWarlock]

I didn't see it noted anywhere, but do any of you have the fur between your (dog's) pads trimmed? I admit to not knowing enough - is it a benefit or a problem for them?

 

[Maddy]

Yes...Bernie gets his feet fur trimmed with grooming. It might help a little but he always gets snow and ice balls between his big toes.

I think it depends on what kind of dog you have.
Some do, some don't, and to varying degrees.

 

[sardog1]

I didn't see it noted anywhere, but do any of you have the fur between your (dog's) pads trimmed? I admit to not knowing enough - is it a benefit or a problem for them?

It's a benefit to trim pad hair. Be sure the blades are sharp, or you'll be pulling hair and getting some understandable negative feedback from your friend. (This is one of those things to start doing on a very young puppy to train them to accept it.)

It's important to note that breeding for the right foot construction and hair type plays a big role in dogs' suitability for winter hiking. As demonstrated in this thread, some dogs never have a problem, some do occasionally, and some should hike only in non-snow conditions.

I had a SAR colleague in WA who had to trim the coat on her long-haired German Shepherd Dog to avoid the balling issue. I've seen Goldens and Australian shepherds that needed it too.

 

[WinterWarlock]

It's a benefit to trim pad hair. Be sure the blades are sharp, or you'll be pulling hair and getting some understandable negative feedback from your friend. (This is one of those things to start doing on a very young puppy to train them to accept it.)

It's important to note that breeding for the right foot construction and hair type plays a big role in dogs' suitability for winter hiking. As demonstrated in this thread, some dogs never have a problem, some do occasionally, and some should hike only in non-snow conditions.

I had a SAR colleague in WA who had to trim the coat on her long-haired German Shepherd Dog to avoid the balling issue. I've seen Goldens and Australian shepherds that needed it too.

Thanks...this helps. Grace is a two year old flat coat retriever, and she definitely has the ice balling up issue...I wasn't sure if the pad hair helped with insulation, or just made the balling up issue worse.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

I saw These at my local EMS store. I don't have a canine companion at the moment, but I thought that they were interesting. Vibram soles for dogs!

Quite frankly, if you're going to use something that expensive you'd better tape them on. They're way to expensive to lose out on the trail.

Personally, I'm a strong advocate of allowing a dog to use its claws on the ice. I always carry booties, nevertheless, in case of injury or signs that pads are taking a beating.

 

[Maddy]

These are what Bernie is wearing in the pics.
Just keep in mind that they still skid on ice, at least Bernie did. As Sabrina mentioned I think they would be really good on rock and rough terrain but MrB only wears in the winter.
You can probably get them cheaper if you do a web search and I got free shipping last year.

I think the ones UD uses in winter are less expensive, and if I had not already purchased mine I would have bought those because of the double straps.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Without getting too far off track, do many worry about warmth for your dogs? I took Grace out to our local park last year right after a big snow, and she wandered around up to her chest for a couple hours. Then all of sudden she seemed lethargic and 'out of it' (and her tuongue looked blue/purple) - I guessed it was the beginning of hypothermia, but wasn't sure.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Without getting too far off track, do many worry about warmth for your dogs?

Yes! I never had to worry about it with my Airedale Duffy, but with my 'little guy' even though they have almost identical coats, Lauky is a third the size of his big brother and I do watch it closely and I use a coat with him which I never did with Duffy. I was under the impression that shivering should be a first sign of hypothermia. Whatever, one advantage of a dog the size of Lauky is that I can fit him inside my ski jacket if I have to.

 

[Hikes4fun]

I'm w/ Sabrina on Ultra-Paws..We tried a few but none came close to performing as well..Here's Shiloh last January on Donaldson

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Without getting too far off track, do many worry about warmth for your dogs? I took Grace out to our local park last year right after a big snow, and she wandered around up to her chest for a couple hours. Then all of sudden she seemed lethargic and 'out of it' (and her tuongue looked blue/purple) - I guessed it was the beginning of hypothermia, but wasn't sure.

I think you jinxed us with that one. Lauky and I hiked all last winter without a problem, but today it happened.

I was breaking trail up Cannon with Lauky right behind me. We were about half way up when I turned around and noticed that he was shivering. Besides being cold, the temps were in the teens, I think the big problem was that I had to break trail in the new snow on a trail that is fairly steep and we couldn't move at our usual pace. Lauky was walking slowing behind me and I think he just wasn't moving fast enough to stay warm.

The shivering wasn't all that bad, but I decided not to push it. There is always another day to hike but only one Lauky, we turned around and were fairly quickly back at the car. Once the car warmed up, Lauky did too.