Thanks Natalie!!! she has never coursed before but she is super fast!!! so hopefully we can plan to come down sometime and I will watch for you guys to be up in our area too!
Winter boots
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I was searching through the archives and came across a few postings on dog boots that were dated back to 2007 so I wanted to see if anyone had any recent luck finding a good pair?
I live in Minnesota and right now it is bitter cold and snowy outside. My basenji will not walk 2 feet without a pair of boots on. I have ordered many different kinds but they either don't stay on, cause blistering to the point of bleeding or rub his knuckles raw. Has anyone found a true pair that actually stays on during walks (and jumping in the snow) keep their feet warm and are soft inside (I know it is asking a lot but my poor little guy is miserable and winter has just started for us!)?
Loni/Minnesota
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I would be interested in this as well. I bought a pair a long time ago, but they didn't stay on very well even indoors so I returned them before taking them outdoors. Although it was hilarious the way it made Tayda march around…she kept picking her feet up really high each time she took a step.
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I would love to hear ideas too…Wisconsin has record cold and snowfall this month so far, and Tosca can only walk outside for like 5 minutes before she starts picking up her legs cause she is too cold. I think if I were to try boots, she'd be very, very picky about them, but I'd love to try them if anyone has any suggestions of ones that have worked for them.
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For some reason my B looks forward to the cold. We had a few mornings where it was down to -12F, and he was excited to go outside. I was not excited.
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Hot Paws. expensive but have lasted Blaze over eight years. He also hates when he wears them, but prefers them over the -48C. He's also dragged them through the river, and came back with all four intact. They are the same booties used to protect the search dogs after 9/11
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Do you know a website I can find them on?
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Guess it would help if I called them by the correct name… They are called Muttluks and I bought them at PetSmart.
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Thank you! I will give these a try.
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I have Muttluks for Magnum, but they do not stay on when he's romping around in the snow. Maybe I'm just not tightening them enough, but I'm afraid of cutting off his circulation. (I live in MN, too.) There was a more recent thread about booties that had a couple of other suggestions on it. I'll see if I can find it.
Here it is:
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It's fairly hard to cut off thier circulation with the way that the velcro clasp is. I pull it tight around the bone, then fasten it. They have never come off, even when playing with other dogs.
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We have never had luck with Doggie Boots. We tried the Muttluks from Petsmart and returned them. We are in Central IL and we have gotten down to some bitter cold the last few days but apparently our Basenji does not seem to mind going out in it. After having Ice Storms the last two days it started to warm up so we took him to the dog park and just let him run. He seemed to do alright even without a sweater or coat. I do worry about him getting cold or hurting his feet. I have thought about getting some of that elastic type bandage you can get for people that sticks to itself and wrapping his feet, but so far he has shown he is highly adaptable to the weather.
It is possible we did not size him properly or just did not have the right size. We bought two different sizes and neither would stay on.
I would appreciate any ideas because I certainly do not want him to hurt his feet or get frost bite.
Thanks
Jason -
Any updates as to the effectiveness of muttluks? Being from New England it can get brutal and oakleys feet tend to be sensitive, last winter there were many times he stopped and wouldn't move and I had to pick him up or ice got caught in between his pads and he would cry…I know he won't like them at first but my concern is them staying on..their disclaimer says they are recommended for greyhounds as their feet are large compared to their tiny ankles, and since basenjis are sighthounds as well I wasn't sure...
???
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I have used Muttluks when it is really cold. They don't usually come off if they are tightened sufficiently. I think some Basenjis can do well without boots…..my second girl could take temperatures down to 10F for over an hour when we went cross country skiing, and she did it barefoot. But -30F required boots for sure! (and a very short trip outside!).
In the city where there is salt as well as snow I think boots become a lot more important.
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I live both in the city and Oakley is a big baby, since I don't have a yard we are out walking three times a day..two strikes against me…I don't want a repeat of last winter where he would start lifting his legs off the ground then squealing as if in pain; although to his defense there were times ice was stuck between his pads...I just didn't want to invest in them if they wouldn't stay on
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.I just didn't want to invest in them if they wouldn't stay on
I understand your concern. I've had boots come off when I didn't pay enough attention to tightening them, or when my dog got too exuberant in deep snow, but at least in the city you will know right away if a boot comes off and you should be able to replace it. They are a bit of a pain to put on…...you have to make sure the foot is all the way to the end of the boot, and then tighten the strap sufficiently. If you are lucky and have a cooperative dog it isn't hard to do. My guy doesn't like boots, but is resigned to the fact that I am going to put them on, so he might as well cooperate! He also doesn't chew them, although I'm sure he would if left unsupervised.
I guess the only way to be sure if Muttluks are for you is to get some and try them. Unfortunately they are not cheap!
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lol…nothing's ever cheap when it comes to Oakley!! Oakley doesn't get rambunctious outside, he's leashed so there is only so much craziness he can get into...so hopefully that will work in my favor..I've heard that petco sells them and while I don't favor that store it would be easier to try them rather than ordering,waiting and/or possibly returning...
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We use the muttluks for Mowgli and Miika and they do stay on, they are on the second pair already as they used them so much the old ones have holes in the bottoms - i think this is mainly from the salt on the roads. The pups love them and don't mind wearing them and are a must up here in northern Alberta.
