[Caroline_K]

Hi! I have a 9 y.o Samoyed male. I know you are supposed to walk your dog for more than 30 minutes, but if I walk him for max 30 minutes, his paws get torn up and start bleeding. I've tried using booties for his paws, but he feels very uncomfortable and does not walk correctly at all (he tries to shrug the shoes off). Is there a way to get his exercise in and make him a bit happy? He's been looking depressed for the past few weeks, and I don't know what I can do to make him happy again.

 

[Knute]

Dog boots are an unusual feeling for a dog.

I use dog boots in extreme cold or extreme heat. The key is training, which is mostly getting the dog familiar with the odd feeling.

Try putting the boots on with treat for each paw, follow with a jackpot treat when all 4 are on. Allow the dog to dance and kick and walk funny for a while. Treat when they begin to adjust. Now, let the dog wear the boots for a short time, remove and give treat. Next time you put on the boots do the same routine but increase the time to wear. Work your way up to 30 minutes or so.

My dog doesn't like the boots. He will dance and walk funny until we go outside, then all is normal. He forgets about the boots

 

[RonE]

People around here sometimes use dog booties in the winter to protect from ice and, especially, from salt. Dogs seem to get used to them and associate them with a walk. I've seen dogs roll on their backs, with their feet in the air, to facilitate putting their boots on.

Not my dogs. They walk like they have four broken legs. In fairness, I never took the time to acclimate them since they generally haven't had problems with their paws.

What kind of surface are you walking on that's tearing up his pads? That just doesn't sound normal.

 

[Knute]

Is the dog pulling on the leash? This can cause the paws to slip on the surface effectively sanding the pads with course grit.

Another thought. You may need to take short walks on the surface to "toughen" the pads. Essentially, build the strength of the pads.

Although, I would think a 9 yo dog would have mature, strong pads.

 

[parus]

Maybe try Musher's Wax.

 

[Caroline_K]

Let me try to answer all of your questions. I'll try your boot trick, @Knute! It seems like really good advice. As for the pulling on the leash, he does pull on the leash, but little. I usually give him three to four feet of distance from me (depending on how populated the area is with cars if so, he'll be right against my side or so) so he can sniff around without pulling. But, the pulling on the leash may be causing the wounds. However, I sometimes rollerblade with him, and he pulls little to none when I rollerblade. @RonE, I try to walk on sidewalks, but in my area, not all streets have them. If there's not a sidewalk, I try to have him walk on the grass as to not hurt his paws by walking on the rough asphalt of the roads. @parus, I'll have to try that out too! Hopefully, it'll help.

With him being a Samoyed, I would think that his paws would be made for walking and running since Samoyeds are herding dogs. Or is that just my faulty logic? Anyways, I really hope all of your tips will help! Thank you.