Snow Boots?
Since we win the Golden Snowball award regularly here in Syracuse (http://goldensnowball.blogspot.com/), I'm thinking it will be a good idea to get snowboots for Benson. We have several hundred acres of land available for snowshoeing right outside our back door, and we (the uprights) bought really good, handmade mukluks for ourselves a few years ago - well worth it, by the way. We want to bring Benson along on our hikes when the snow comes, but I am concerned about her paws, especially her pads, getting too cold. Any advice on good doggie snowboots? Or am I overthinking things? |
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cold isn't the issue- SNOW EGGS/BOULDERS are! If you get as much snow as you say, then boots will be a MUST! We get snow one or two times a year, and this is what my girls experience: of course Luna also rolls her head in the snow- do they make hoods as well as boots?!? |
| Here in Ottawa we get a fair amount of snow and without boots you get the snow boulders. I tried a pair of muttluks on Ziggi and they didn't work. Muttluks have a long sock before the boots and I found it hard to get the boot on properly because of the sock. Ziggi would take 5 steps and the Muttluks would be off. Then I bought these bark'nboots skyliner by Ruffwear and they are great. They're easy to put on and they stay on. I think she has gotten one boot off once and we walk in a forest through heavy snow. The Muttluks won't every stay on just walking down the sidewalk. I'm a big fan of the Ruffwear boots. |
| Diane - here's the good news, having raised my first OES in the Syracuse area: yes, you get lots of snow but it's not generally prime snowballing snow. I only very rarely had an issue. Very rarely have an issue here in WI either. Dawn probably has some insight into the snow quality needed to create snowballs, as it's important for people who do sledding with their dogs, I imagine. I do know that if you keep the hair between the pads well-trimmed you tend to have less problems. That said, a local friend with a rescue dog with allegedly tender tootsies (I'm not sure it's that so much as friend likes to dress her up  ) has a vast assortment of booties to pick from, so there must be lots out there. And Dawn may have some insight into mushers' preferences. And thanks a lot for bringing up the S word...     Actually, I spoke to my Mom last night and she said she was thinking she needs to ger her snow tires on as there have been rumors of something in the works out your way. Didn't it just STOP snowing out there maybe 2 months ago?  KB |
I have the fleece lined Muttluks that I used on Ben and they do have the sock but also a velcro strap to secure them. They never came off of Ben and I had no trouble putting them on him. If needed I'll also put them on Teddy this winter. However, I don't think I'll need them as I already put my order into Mother Nature for no snow this winter!  Let's hope she got that message.  Cindy |
[url] [/url]No idea what to get, just to show you we can even have that problem here in New Mexico......but not again this year.....the drought continues. We may get no snow once again. I bought some neat "shoes" for Jack from http://www.ruffwear.com but I don't remember if they had snow shoes, muluks or whatever else would work. |
4 my OES wrote: I have the fleece lined Muttluks that I used on Ben and they do have the sock but also a velcro strap to secure them. They never came off of Ben and I had no trouble putting them on him. If needed I'll also put them on Teddy this winter. However, I don't think I'll need them as I already put my order into Mother Nature for no snow this winter! Let's hope she got that message. Cindy Oh, I'll second that order for you if you'd like! Kristine  |
| One of billies friends on facebook makes custom boots for oes. I cant remember who it was, ill put a post and see if she answers bit there all colours and velcro fastenin full leg boots. Get back to you soon! |
| It really only an issue if you get the wet heavy snow. If it's the dryer snow (non-snowman building type ) it will mostly brush off and just be a bit wet when you come in. Most important is the feet - to keep the hairs trimmed out of the web spaces to prevent ice balls from forming between the toes as it sticks to the hairs. This hurts and leads to gnawing on the feet and they can actually make a sore or open area from doing this. If you want to keep the powdery snow off, boots or garments can be worn. The ones we have are the ones used for sled dogs, they are made out of a thick polar fleece. They are like moccasins for dogs - they still contour to the ground, they can still use their nails for traction, but the snow doesn't ball up. They aren't super tall - real sled dogs don't worry about snow on their legs after all. But when Chewie was a pup and we were showing, I used a kid's long sleeve t-shirt and paired it with the boots. Then all I had wet was the upper rear legs, groin and butt. Out in NY I know you are a lot warmer on average in the winter than here, so I would be quite cautious about covering the whole dog - you don't want to have them overheat. I wouldn't do it here either, actually, as when we are out we are usually pretty active. The link to the boots is: http://www.kondosoutdoors.com - and its the polar fleece - not the other materials that you want. PS - And I want snow - dog sledding here we come!!  |
| If you have face book look up isabel brodin great boots, think i need some for billy too some, we may not get lots of snow but we sure get the mud! Also www.shaggylamb.com Hope this helps |
Thanks for all the quick answers! (And I'm so sorry to mention the "S" word this early!  ) I don't think snowballs will be a big problem for us. What we get here in Syracuse is pretty light and powdery (as opposed to the wet, slushy "wintery mix" we got when we lived in Delaware. Yeech!) And fortunately, Benson is really good already about letting me shave between her pads. We'll definitely check out all these links (and any more that come up)! |
| We go out dog sledding for miles and miles, and I've never needed the boots. Actually I only have them in case it is sharp or grainy mostly (like after a thaw and refreeze) to protect the pads from super abrasion or getting cut. BUT - I did use them against the clay mud out in ND one wet fall when we were at a training camp - and they worked fabulous. They still got a bit wet, but NO clay was on his feet. And this stuff is nasty - it dried like concrete and doesn't dissolve well. Amazing (in a bad way!)! 1st time out wearing them w/ the big team:  And at break time leading his own team :  And this is the cart behind us in the previous photo - the one with the lady in the red coat. Here's a closeup of what we were dealing with and why I elected to use boots!  |
Mad Dog wrote: 4 my OES wrote: I have the fleece lined Muttluks that I used on Ben and they do have the sock but also a velcro strap to secure them. They never came off of Ben and I had no trouble putting them on him. If needed I'll also put them on Teddy this winter. However, I don't think I'll need them as I already put my order into Mother Nature for no snow this winter! Let's hope she got that message. Cindy Oh, I'll second that order for you if you'd like! Kristine Oh yes please do! Cindy |
I'm loving the snowball pictures . . .  |
| I would plan on having snowballs galore. with the lake effect our snow here can get moist and just right for snow balls. Bella and I do skjorring and if she doesn't wear her boots she has to keep stopping to get the snow and ice from between her toes. I try to keep her in front of me and on the tracks so her legs don't get all balled up with snow. If she goes off track for very long she comes out with snow balls up to her belly. |
got sheep wrote: The link to the boots is: http://www.kondosoutdoors.com - and its the polar fleece - not the other materials that you want. PS - And I want snow - dog sledding here we come!! Just thought I'd post a "Thank You" for this link. I ordered a set of the polar fleece boots for Benson, and they came very quickly and fit just right. We were going to wait to use them on a long snow-shoe hike, but when the temps went below zero in the last couple of days, poor Benson was struggling with cold feet! She'd lift them up one at a time, or even flop down on her side to pick them up off of the freezing snow during her early morning/late evening walks. So on went the boots, and she's much more comfortable on her walks now. We're only using them when it is hovering around 0f / -17c or less, and we're not going to try a long walk for another week or so, since she is still on restricted activity after spaying. But I'm definitely sold! Can't wait to see how they do on our next snowshoe outing!  |
Jonsey wrote: got sheep wrote: The link to the boots is: http://www.kondosoutdoors.com - and its the polar fleece - not the other materials that you want. PS - And I want snow - dog sledding here we come!! Just thought I'd post a "Thank You" for this link. I ordered a set of the polar fleece boots for Benson, and they came very quickly and fit just right. We were going to wait to use them on a long snow-shoe hike, but when the temps went below zero in the last couple of days, poor Benson was struggling with cold feet! She'd lift them up one at a time, or even flop down on her side to pick them up off of the freezing snow during her early morning/late evening walks. So on went the boots, and she's much more comfortable on her walks now. We're only using them when it is hovering around 0f / -17c or less, and we're not going to try a long walk for another week or so, since she is still on restricted activity after spaying. But I'm definitely sold! Can't wait to see how they do on our next snowshoe outing! I'm glad they are working for you They are a nice family owned company and I never have been disappointed with anything we have ordered from them. I have tried other boots...but their's are still my hands down favorite! |
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