[Dechi]

Our winters last 6 months and I am depressed at the thought of not going for a walk at least a few times until spring. Both dogs hate it, snow up tp their bellies, icy, watery roads, no sidewalks and so on. I would still like to try again, this time with boots and warmer coats.

Merlin is 6 pounds with long, delicate legs, Beckie is 8 pounds with long, not so delicate legs. I need boots that sill stay on and will not become wet from the mushy snow/slush or absorb the salt. I need them to be warm as well. It can get to -40F around here (of course we won’t go outside then but it’s just to show you how cold it gets).

Show me what boots you use for your toys !

 

[For Want of Poodle]

Since no one else has bitten - not a toy poodle, but my mom uses Pawz boots for her 11 lb yorkie. She dresses the yorkie in the boots, a sweater, and a winter jacket/shell thing and takes her out to -30 or so. The yorkie, when so dressed in -20 C, will happily trot along for as long as my mother is willing to be in the cold (15-20 min). If a boot falls off - she's asking to be picked up within about 1-2 min.

Although the pawz are not insulated, they keep the feet dry and provide a barrier against the snow (think about the difference between even a pair of socks vs bare feet on cold floors, and then make that floor covered in ice water, and the socks waterproof). She had muttlucks, but they fell off and then the dog was still cold. I've heard of someone putting cotton balls in the bottom of the pawz on cold days - no idea if it's a good idea.

The pawz come in 12 packs, I believe, and one pack lasts her about a season, maybe 2 (they start to wear out and get holes in them). she has "Pawz Jawz" - a vise thingy that opens the top of the boot so she can stick a dog foot in. I've tried putting them on the dog without the jawz thingy, and it is WELL worth the (eyebrow raising price of) $15 for two pieces of plastic with a hinge.

 

[Dechi]

Since no one else has bitten - not a toy poodle, but my mom uses Pawz boots for her 11 lb yorkie. She dresses the yorkie in the boots, a sweater, and a winter jacket/shell thing and takes her out to -30 or so. The yorkie, when so dressed in -20 C, will happily trot along for as long as my mother is willing to be in the cold (15-20 min). If a boot falls off - she's asking to be picked up within about 1-2 min.

Although the pawz are not insulated, they keep the feet dry and provide a barrier against the snow (think about the difference between even a pair of socks vs bare feet on cold floors, and then make that floor covered in ice water, and the socks waterproof). She had muttlucks, but they fell off and then the dog was still cold. I've heard of someone putting cotton balls in the bottom of the pawz on cold days - no idea if it's a good idea.

The pawz come in 12 packs, I believe, and one pack lasts her about a season, maybe 2 (they start to wear out and get holes in them). she has "Pawz Jawz" - a vise thingy that opens the top of the boot so she can stick a dog foot in. I've tried putting them on the dog without the jawz thingy, and it is WELL worth the (eyebrow raising price of) $15 for two pieces of plastic with a hinge.

Thank you ! I will look into those. If good enough for a Yorkie, even more so for a poodle I would think.

 

[Skylar]

Dechi, I tried those Paws on my minipoo and thought they were too tight on her legs. I found them hard to get on, but I didn’t realize there was a Pawz Jawz tool to help.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I used Pawz on my mini when we lived in Toronto. They kept the snow from accumulating between her toes, but, more importantly, they protected her from the very painful salt.

I recommend trying the largest possible size first and going from there. I eventually figured out a good technique for putting them on, but it was tricky at first.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

This thread is bringing back memories of the more traditional insulated velcro boots I tried before Pawz. Multiple times Gracie lost one, and it always seemed to be left behind in a busy intersection.

I'd not even realize she'd lost it until she'd start frantically yelping and tip, stiff-legged, over onto her back in a snowbank.


That dang salt!!! Really hurts.

 

[Dechi]

This thread is bringing back memories of the more traditional insulated velcro boots I tried before Pawz. Multiple times Gracie lost one, and it always seemed to be left behind in a busy intersection.

I'd not even realize she'd lost it until she'd start frantically yelping and tip, stiff-legged, over onto her back in a snowbank.


That dang salt!!! Really hurts.

Yeah, the salt is so hard on their pads !

 

[nifty]

I second the suggestion of the PAWZ. They are like really strong rubber balloons in appearance, and while they take some practice to get on quickly, I found I got the hang of it pretty quick. The beauty of that tight rubber closing and balloony foot part is that once they are on they STAY ON and the dog's toes have room to spread inside too.

Upsides: 1. waterproof, 2. comfortable - once they get used to having anything on foot, they seem not to notice them 3. they STAY ON and this is the most vexing thing about boots so it is a BIG upside to PAWZ>4. Inexpensive, especially compared to more expensive fabric ones which don't even stay on!

Downsides: 1. Not insulated (but honestly, it's been my experience that as long as my dog's paws are not getting soaked in icy water and not stinging with salt, then she doesn't find the cold as much as you'd think (we live in Chicago, so it gets plenty cold). Possibly that rubber style also traps some body heat inside, too). 2. If your dog is a runner/fetcher, these are just not strong enough to withstand the friction of hard running paws on cement, pavement, gravel, etc. (Dulcie walks sedately to the park in these with no trouble, then after a round of fetch, the PAWZ are shredded :-( Then obviously, they become useless as water, salt etc will all flood inside.

Bottom line: For dogs who love to simply take walks and explore and are not going to run hard scrambling after a ball, peeling out around corners etc., then PAWS are paws down the best thing to get for paw protection from salt, water and snow. Can't beat them. Inexpensive and they stay ON>

 

[Dechi]

I second the suggestion of the PAWZ. They are like really strong rubber balloons in appearance, and while they take some practice to get on quickly, I found I got the hang of it pretty quick. The beauty of that tight rubber closing and balloony foot part is that once they are on they STAY ON and the dog's toes have room to spread inside too.

Upsides: 1. waterproof, 2. comfortable - once they get used to having anything on foot, they seem not to notice them 3. they STAY ON and this is the most vexing thing about boots so it is a BIG upside to PAWZ>4. Inexpensive, especially compared to more expensive fabric ones which don't even stay on!

Downsides: 1. Not insulated (but honestly, it's been my experience that as long as my dog's paws are not getting soaked in icy water and not stinging with salt, then she doesn't find the cold as much as you'd think (we live in Chicago, so it gets plenty cold). Possibly that rubber style also traps some body heat inside, too). 2. If your dog is a runner/fetcher, these are just not strong enough to withstand the friction of hard running paws on cement, pavement, gravel, etc. (Dulcie walks sedately to the park in these with no trouble, then after a round of fetch, the PAWZ are shredded :-( Then obviously, they become useless as water, salt etc will all flood inside.

Bottom line: For dogs who love to simply take walks and explore and are not going to run hard scrambling after a ball, peeling out around corners etc., then PAWS are paws down the best thing to get for paw protection from salt, water and snow. Can't beat them. Inexpensive and they stay ON>

Thanks for the insight. After reading this, I don’t think they would be good for Beckie, as she runs back and forth the whole walk and pulls a lot. She would most probably tear them really fast.

I’ve found some in a store near by for 19$ per dog, which is reasonable. I’m going to go with the dogs as soon as possible to try them on. I’ve already found some warm coats for 16$ each at Walmart, which was surprisingly cheap. They’re a little bit big but they will be perfect nonetheless. Better too big that too tight when you want to keep warm.

 

[Mufar42]

maybe this can give you some ideas
https://drfoxmag.com/10-best-dog-boots-compared-reviewed/
And for winter coats I have heard that foggy mountain coats are great. I live in the south so we really don't have a need.