snowy feet

A

AWSUE

New member
I am new to this forum so may have missed past discussions on this topic.

Just got back from 4 days of hunting pheasants in the snow with temps in the teens and twenties. Most of the was soft but where it had drifted there was a crust and the dogs usually broke through. Snow balls between the pads and some minor abrasions didn't stop the dogs (or even slow them down) but if we had hunted for a few more days they might have had some pretty tender feet.

Please let me know what you use under these conditions and how effective it is. Thanks!

AWSUE

PS - you may see this twice....posted to Training section by mistake.:(
 
I won these at a raffle this fall and couldn't be happier with how well they stay put. $90 seems like a ton of cash for dog boots but imho they are worth their weight in gold if you have a dog who is susceptible to frozen pads or iced foot fir
 
you do not ned dog boots you need to trim the hair away from your dogs pads and that will help the other thing you need to do is b attantive to them at the end of every field just check them over a little and pull off any forming snow or ice balls
 
I've trimmed Toby's hair on his feet as short as I can and he still gets huge ice balls... thus the boots.
 
The dreaded snowballs! I have been known to actually use MY teeth to get some of that stuff out of my Cocker's feet! I keep her feet nicely trimmed, but I still have the same problem at times too. The best solution I've found so far is to move to Texas...haven't had the problem down here yet!

Seriously though, I am hesitant to use boots when there is snow on the ground simply because I know how important it is for the dogs to be able to use their nails on slippery surfaces. I feel that I'm risking injury if I put boots on during conditions like that. So, when the snowballs start to form, I usually just take a minute to remove them and continue on. Usually we can both use a little break anyway, and I think that it helps to form a stronger bond with my Cockers when I can remove a source of pain from them (like the snow, or thorns, etc). I suppose if their feet got raw and sore to the point that they couldn't get around like they should, then I'd probably consider booting them up. Right now I'm using these boots http://www.jimsdogboots.com/. The guy lives 20 minutes from me, and I haven't had any problems with them yet. I've only used them when there are sand burrs, and when Macy got a cut on a pad in KS though. Still they seem like they'll last for a while and won't come off in the field.
 
Musher's Secret

In addition to what the other fella's have said about trimming the hair around and between the pads, I also use Musher's Secret barrier wax. I rub it on my boy's pads and between them as well to keep snow from sticking to what hair is left between his toes and pads.
 
Freebyrd17 said:
In addition to what the other fella's have said about trimming the hair around and between the pads, I also use Musher's Secret barrier wax. I rub it on my boy's pads and between them as well to keep snow from sticking to what hair is left between his toes and pads.
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So your saying it works good?

I saw a small video clip over at Gun Dog supply on it's use and in that clip they were using it to protect the pads from getting torn up due to sand burs etc.

For those that like the boot idea, but are concerned over boots being overly slippery on snow, try the Lewis brand dog boots as they are made of rubber.
 
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birdshooter said:
So your saying it works good?

I saw a small video clip over at Gun Dog supply on it's use and in that clip they were using it to protect the pads from getting torn up due to sand burs etc.

For those that like the boot idea, but are concerned over boots being overly slippery on snow, try the Lewis brand dog boots as they are made of rubber.
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It does work well for me. Keeps the snow from sticking to his fur between his toes. He also doesn't seem to care about it so doesn't lick it off. My one bit of advice would be to not put it on anywhere your dog might be running on carpet, it's a bit tough to get out of that. ;)
 
I use Mushers Secret, my GSP doesnt get ice in his feet and i dont have to worry about boots hindering him if he needs to swim, it is slick on the kitchen floor so be carefull, used it quite a few times with really good results even in 2 feet of snow and lots of ice
 
EEK said:
I use Mushers Secret, my GSP doesnt get ice in his feet and i dont have to worry about boots hindering him if he needs to swim, it is slick on the kitchen floor so be carefull, used it quite a few times with really good results even in 2 feet of snow and lots of ice
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X 10. Saved my Montana trip. Use it on a regular basis.
 
I am taking my GSP waterfowling on saturday and there will be alot of snow, ice and water, i will report on how the Mushers Secret does in the water
 
I have two Brittanys. One has trouble with snow in her paws and the other doesn't. They have different coats and the one with the shorter, straighter coat doesn't have any trouble with snow. She also has "tight feet", as my breeder calls them, and that also makes a big difference. I've used Musher's Secret and it works okay but you have to keep re-applying it as it doesn't last very long. I've also used Vasoline with about the same results.
 
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