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03 Equipment: booties




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This article is from the Hiking/Backpacking With Canines, by Terri Watson with numerous contributions by others.

03 Equipment: booties

Depending on the type of terrain, the weight of the pack, and the
dog's tendency to tear her footpads, you might wish to consider buying
some booties to protect your dog's feet. There are many different
types of booties, suited to different terrain. Many of the trails that
I hike in the Cascade moutains are somewhat rocky, so I use cordura
booties lined with a synthetic-type polar fleece. My dog Tika, a
Belgian Sheepdog, only needs them on her front feet; the back ones
do not get cut up easily. These are fabric booties that slide on like
a short sock, and are held in place with velcro that wraps around the
dogs leg just above the foot. You have to experiment to find out how
tight to make the velcro. You want it just tight enough to stay on the
dog's foot. Vet-Wrap is handy for keeping booties in place (but not
too tight), especially on rear paws. Keep an eye out for lost booties
until you have the right knack for putting them on, especially after a
scramble. My dog also gets sore feet in icy snow, so I use booties
there too. If you're going to be mostly in snow then I would use the
polar-fleece only type (no cordura on the outside) as they provide
better traction in those conditions. Another trick for snow hiking is
to put vasiline on the dog's paws to help prevent ice-balls from
forming between the toe-pads. I've heard that desert hiking may also
require booties, but since that's not yet in our repertoire, I'm not
sure what type of booties would be best. The main concern there seems
to be stickers and sharp plants (cactus, yucca bushes, etc.)

 

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