dog boots

T

turtle

Active member
Anyone have advice on booting up my lab for pheasant season? Momma says either get boots for the boys lab or it stays home. I know someone uses them. Do the pros out weigh the cons.
 
I use duck tape. Just take a water bottle and wrap the duck tape around with sticky side out for one wrap. Tear some shorter pieces and cross over the bottom. Then wrap with the sticky side in one or twice around. I then cut two slits in the upper part of the boot for fitting around the dogs leg above the dew claw and use smaller strips of tape to secure.

I know it seems a little redneck but it's cheap and can be made on the fly where as I have lost too many expensive boots in the field.

Works great for the sand burs in south west Kansas.

Good hunting
 
By golly I like that idea thanks for posting! I have lost boots too. I have also used a strip of terry cloth wrapped around the foot and duct tapped to the leg. Dog looked like a Tennessee Walking horse high stepping it for the first few srides. Foot protection is a good idea and rally a help in places with cactus! I had a Brit that stepped just right on a soybean stalk and it penetrated between her toes. I discovered the puncture that night and thought it to be only a puncture. I disinfected it and reluctantly let her hunt the next day. She did not limp a step, but that night when I went to clean her foot wound again a two inch stem came squirting out! Boy did I feel bad. Glad though that it came out and caused no further problems. Still cannot believe how that dog hunted all that day with that stem in her foot. Sure fooled me, and I call myself having looked good at the foot!
 
I have a buddy in sek that duct tapes his dog. Thinking maybe tape the boots on. Best of both worlds?
 
Try taping each leg of your dog....apply a layer of your tape of choice (mine is medical tape).....

Then slip your boot of choice over the tape and apply another layer to boot and bottom layer of tape.

This will ensure a nice fit and keep the boots on all day...

Motorcycle tire (inner tubes) work really well and are not expensive at all....
For a cheap and rugged boot....they came in very handy several years ago while hunting quail on the Pratt Sandhills area......loaded w/ sand burrs....ouch!

Hope this helps....
 
I posted the same question last year and Shadow recommended these.
http://www.lcsupply.com/LCS-Cordura-Burr-Boots/productinfo/CBB/

I ordered some and they seem to be good, but I don't have too many miles on them so it's hard for me to give a personal testimony. Shadow thought they were the best thing out there. They look green/gray on the website, but the ones I received were hunter orange, which was a pleasant surprise in case one slips off (I might be able to find it).

I'm sure that thread is still out there somewhere...
 
I like Lewis dog boots. They are all rubber with vent holes. Lewis boots can be ordered in pairs which allows you to get a larger size for the front. My Brittany wears large on the front and medium on the rear. They are kept on with tape. I use duct tape. Before I put them on, I wrap two layers of Johnson & Johnson stretch adhesive tape around the dog's ankles including over the stoppers as a padding and to prevent chafing. On the front pair, I cut off about 3/4 of an inch off the rear flap to prevent it contacting the stoppers. If the boot edge contacts the stoppers it will rub a raw spot.
 
Just buy a cheap pair of boots. When you round the corner and momma is out of sight, throw them in the glovebox until you get back home.:D

I've never had good luck with boots and haven't seen many places where the dogs need them. A well bred dog should have proper foot conformation to handle the vast majority of hunting conditions without boots.
 
there are certain places where good boots are a real benefit.....pad conditioning can be an issue as well, hunting 5 or 6 days consecutively can be hard on any dog's feet. a lame dog half way through a road trip is not a very satisfying situation. you just need to know your dog.
 
Where we hunt in Kansas theres not a lot of stickers or cactus but I did pick up some boots last year for dealing with crusty ice. Got em from dogbooties.com. 330 Denier Cordura w/Velcro, 6 boots for 15.00. They come in blaze orange and also have others with heavier material. The couple of times I've used them they worked great.
 
Tucker said:
Where we hunt in Kansas theres not a lot of stickers or cactus but I did pick up some boots last year for dealing with crusty ice. Got em from dogbooties.com. 330 Denier Cordura w/Velcro, 6 boots for 15.00. They come in blaze orange and also have others with heavier material. The couple of times I've used them they worked great.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
Jeff T momma says kiss her rear Bows feet are just as tender as mine. Tucker thanks for the bootie site. We are going to try several different boots on him. Guess little turtle put it in perspective telling me to run barefooted across the pasture last night. Fat boys don't run let alone barefoot.
 
How do you recommed pad contitioning. I live in Florida and last year we did not do well in the Kansas ice and snow. Shw illnot wear boots., but I am still trying to find a way to keep them on her
 
I use motorcycle tubes, 2 in. medical tape around legs and secure with duct tape. For the most part I don't use boots, roading starts this time of year at a slow pace (3-4 times a week, 15-20 min. per workout) which helps condition the feet. By Sept. I am adding time, distance and pace to build endurance but also toughens the feet to handle hunting several days a week.
 
Richey said:
How do you recommed pad contitioning. I live in Florida and last year we did not do well in the Kansas ice and snow. Shw illnot wear boots., but I am still trying to find a way to keep them on her
Click to expand...

Make sure to cut all the hair you can from between and around the dog's pads; otherwise ice and snow balls form which are painful for the dog.
 
Jim's Dog Boots. http://www.jimsdogboots.com/

These work very well and I've never had to tape them on.

For those having a difficult time making their dog wear boots there is a fairly simple process that goes something like this. Put on one boot and let the dog get use to it before putting on any more. Once the dog is comfortable with one boot but on another, etc. Worked great for me. It also helps once you have all 4 boots on to do something the dog likes so they forget they have them on.
 
Zeepo said:
Dogbooties.com are the best boots out there. I never hunt my dogs without boots, only way to go.

GW
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absolutely, the weather is so damn hot down here in Texas, it is hard to road my dogs and get their feet toughened up before season, so i use their boots too, lose a few, wear a few out, but they will keep my dogs going for 5 and 6 day consecutive hunts. at $2.50 a boot, they are well worth it. sold some extras for what i paid for them to some guys in Gettys last fall and they were thrilled to have them.
 
Put me down as a fan of Lewis Dog Boots. I boot my dogs quite frequently when hunting in far southwest Kansas. Sand burrs and goat heads are tough, but running though the rock and outcroppings chasing quail in the southwest part of the state will take the pads off of any dog.

I've never lost a Lewis boot and my dogs don't have a problem wearing them.

I'd really like to use another brand as Lewis boots are time consuming to put on properly, but I've never been able to keep another brand of boots on a hard running dog. There's is a "trick" (and and art) to putting Lewis boots on.

The key is to put a 3/4"piece of athletic tape (sticky side out) around the leg (careful not to tight!) where the top of the boot will go. This allows the boot to move freely on the leg as needed. Put the boot on the dog. The rubber adheres to the tape on the leg extremely well. After the boot is on and stuck to the 3/4" strip of tape; the outside of the boot is taped (duct tape) from the top of the foot to the top of the "sticky side out" tape. When the two tapes adhere to each other the boot is not going to come off and no dirt or debris will get between the boot and the leg. The interior tape can be (and needs to be) somewhat loose as the dog's foot will not allow it to come off. NONE OF THE HAIR OR FOOT HAS ANY TAPE STUCK TO IT.

I use a pair of medical scissors to remove the tape and all 4 boots come off in less two minutes. The tape is then peeled off the boot and is ready for the next day. The entire removal process takes about 5 minutes per dog.

It's a bit hard to explain, but after running thousands of miles using the method, I've yet to have a dog lose a boot or have the hair rubbed away.

One note about dog boots, I've yet to find one that will turn away all cactus needles. When you know you'll be running though acres of prickly pair, I've taken a pair of welders gloves, cut them up to make a sole and used rubber cement to paste the sole to the bottom of the Lewis boot. You need to do this far in advance, so I usually keep a couple of sets with this modification in my trailer.

You guys that are using boots that use Velcro have my respect. They go on very fast and very easily. I am simply not smart enough to keep them on my dogs. My record time before losing one of those types of boots is 15 minutes. They usually come off, on or right after, the breakaway.

Lastly, motorcycle inner tubes work very well also. The main problem I have with those is getting them the right length. But I put them on just like I do the Lewis Dog Boots. Cheap, very available, effective, and a bit thicker than the Lewis boots. They keep the cactus out better but let in some debris.

Point!
 
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Point! said:
Put me down as a fan of Lewis Dog Boots. I boot my dogs quite frequently when hunting in far southwest Kansas. Sand burrs and goat heads are tough, but running though the rock and outcroppings chasing quail in the southwest part of the state will take the pads off of any dog.

I've never lost a Lewis boot and my dogs don't have a problem wearing them.

I'd really like to use another brand as Lewis boots are time consuming to put on properly, but I've never been able to keep another brand of boots on a hard running dog. There's is a "trick" (and and art) to putting Lewis boots on.

The key is to put a 3/4"piece of athletic tape (sticky side out) around the leg (careful not to tight!) where the top of the boot will go. This allows the boot to move freely on the leg as needed. Put the boot on the dog. The rubber adheres to the tape on the leg extremely well. After the boot is on and stuck to the 3/4" strip of tape; the outside of the boot is taped (duct tape) from the top of the foot to the top of the "sticky side out" tape. When the two tapes adhere to each other the boot is not going to come off and no dirt or debris will get between the boot and the leg. The interior tape can be (and needs to be) somewhat loose as the dog's foot will not allow it to come off. NONE OF THE HAIR OR FOOT HAS ANY TAPE STUCK TO IT.

I use a pair of medical scissors to remove the tape and all 4 boots come off in less two minutes. The tape is then peeled off the boot and is ready for the next day. The entire removal process takes about 5 minutes per dog.

It's a bit hard to explain, but after running thousands of miles using the method, I've yet to have a dog lose a boot or have the hair rubbed away.

One note about dog boots, I've yet to find one that will turn away all cactus needles. When you know you'll be running though acres of prickly pair, I've taken a pair of welders gloves, cut them up to make a sole and used rubber cement to paste the sole to the bottom of the Lewis boot. You need to do this far in advance, so I usually keep a couple of sets with this modification in my trailer.

You guys that are using boots that use Velcro have my respect. They go on very fast and very easily. I am simply not smart enough to keep them on my dogs. My record time before losing one of those types of boots is 15 minutes. They usually come off, on or right after, the breakaway.

Lastly, motorcycle inner tubes work very well also. The main problem I have with those is getting them the right length. But I put them on just like I do the Lewis Dog Boots. Cheap, very available, effective, and a bit thicker than the Lewis boots. They keep the cactus out better but let in some debris.

Point!
Click to expand...

takes a damn tough dog to hunt that terrain in SW Kansas, your method is just right for that hostile area....for farm ground where i hunt, the 300 cordura boots, with elastic velcro wraps work great....they would offer no protection where you encounter rock and cactus....the Lewis and motorcycle inner tubes work great, taped exactly as you said.....good work.
 
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