Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Is there a boot for dogs that protects, stays on, and holds up?

Have any of you booted your dogs? I have a GSP named Pete who is well known at our vet's office. The receptionist and assistants know him by sight and shake their heads when they see us come in. Pete, what did you do this time? Well, this time he cut one of his pads pretty deep on something in the woods. I want to find a good pair of dog boots, but most of the products I've found, including BassPro's Redhead and Cabela's don't seem to hold up or stay on very well. Have any of you tried a variety of them and found one that works? Pete has the typical large paws and very slender legs of a fit GSP.

One of the biggest problems with dog boots is fit.

There is one brand that makes a set with two for the front and two for the back, because the feet and legs are different on a dog front to rear. The problem with these is that the soles don't last long on volcanic rock.

With all boots you will need to use vet wrap on the legs to prevent rubbing, then duck tape the boots to the vet wrap.

You have already answered your own question.

My GSP does not wear boots and doesn't need them; however he did get a nasty gash on the top of one of his front feet that required stitches this past hunting season. He is a big running monster and would blow through a set of boots in minutes.

A lot of the avaible boots would work for a dog that ran hiking trails; but IMO they aren't made for hunting dogs.

The rubber boots work pretty well for stickers and goat heads, but I don't know about protection from something that will open such a gash. Better than nothing I suppose.
Reba's method of "securing" them is as good as any. Even at that, expect to lose one or two every year.
The first time you put them on your dog you will see an amusing display.

I recently had a conversation with a bird hunter from Mt. He was visiting Az for some mearns hunting. He swears by the innertube boot. Says leather boots wear out quickly. Rubber boots are better but he likes the innertube boot the best.

Here is a link showing how to do it.

http://www.chukartalk.com/boots.html

Used to run the rubber booties on the labs out around Needles, CA.

They stayed on and lasted out in the desert, protected from goat heads and cholla. There were also some sort of flat purple tipped cactus that was hell on boots. I would get short spikes stuck in the leather sometimes.

Put em on good like suggested by Reba and watch the show til they settle in....

I'll second the inner tube boots. Buy a motorcycle inner tube the same diameter as your dogs foot. Cut into pieces about 8" long, slide over the foot and tape to the leg at the top. You can notch the top and trim them for a better fit.

Google.. ugly dog hunting website under protective gear for dog... I have them used them a couple of times, they work.. But mostly they stay on..
Never came loose at all....

And the dog will hate them....LOL

Tried a bunch of different boots on my dog and while they stayed on some he wore through in as little as 45min. I now buy vetwrap and GOOD ductape and just wrap his feet. I keep a pair of bandage sciscors and they com off in seconds. I get my vetwrap at Jeffers for around a buck a roll and order a dozen rolls or so befor season starts, use it to wrap my rifle for coyote hunting also.

I haven't had I a bird dog in years, but I used rubber boots with a thicker sole. I put the boots on as Reba said. Our soil was sandy to loam. They lasted well and protected from goat heads and grass burrs. Occasionally, I had to pull a mesquite thorn. First outing was better than a side show! Jack

In 2011 my GSP had very sore feet after one day of pheasant hunting in ND. During the off season I looked at booties and learned about the vet wrap/duct tape method.

Last fall on our ND trip I would just coil vet wrap around her feet and lower leg, cover the whole thing with duct tape and take her hunting. She would do the high-step for a minute or two but once we started hunting she was good to go. After a few hours it was occasionally necessary to touch up the duct tape, but in general it worked like a charm. I did notice that she lost a bit of traction due to the slippery duct tape, but it didn't bother her in the field.

It works great and is a LOT cheaper than any commercial booties. Plus, if you lose one in the field, you are not stuck looking for an expensive replacement.

I've used Lewis dog boots on my Lab hunting quail in Arizona for 9 years, and while she hates getting them put on, they work well with anything other than a big cholla or prickly pear thorn. I put gauze tape under them, chop the backs down to clear the upper pad on the front feet, and keep them on with duct tape. She wears out a pair in about 21 days(42 4 hour hunts) on the lava and gravelly slopes in AZ. I've found nothing else that deters cholla spines, and even these aren't great when they get thin.