It may sound a bit strange at first, but there are good reasons to put shoes on your dog. And no, these reasons do not involve a Halloween costume. Dog shoes are made to protect the paws of a dog. Protect them against what exactly and how to get a dog used to wearing shoes, that can be read in this blog.
Dog shoes
Dog shoes can be fitted on to a dogs’ paw through Velcro tape. The purpose of the shoes is to protect paws against extreme weather, sharp objects or for medical reasons. With extreme weather, think about very cold or warm weather. Those temperatures pull into the pavement. Hot asphalt can burn a dogs’ paws and cold asphalt can freeze them, which might lead to medical issues. Besides this, things like glass can be on the ground and a dog can stand in it. When a dog has an injury on their paw, a shoe can protect the wound from infection and unnecessary exposure. For these cases, there are special types of dog shoes. For extra information, a veterinary can be asked for advice.
Dog shoes get sold in pairs of two. This is done for two reasons. The first one being that sellers still assume that dog shoes are only used for medical reasons. Should a dog need four shoes, it might be better for them to just not walk for a little while. The second reason is that a dogs’ hind paws are generally a little bit bigger than their front paws. When dog shoes are being sold in pairs of two, it will make it easier to get the right size. And getting the right size of dog shoes is very important. Too tight means that blood circulation can get cut off and will be uncomfortable for the dog. Too big of a shoe means it will fall of the paw. To get the right size, a dog’s paw must be measured. Especially the width of the paw is important. A dog needs to stand right up to be sure the paw will be the same sizes. With this information, it will be clear what size a dogs’ shoe needs to be. Does a dog fall in between sizes? Advised is to get the bigger size.
Getting used to it
Getting a dog to wear the shoes is the next step. Most dogs are not big fans of suddenly wearing shoes, just as they need to get used to wearing a cone after a surgery. The easiest way is to train the dog to wear the shoes with treats. Begin with letting the dog sniff the shoes. This will make sure that they don’t see the shoes as a threat. Put one shoe on the dog and immediately give them a treat. Pull the shoe off again and give the dog another treats. Try this a couple of times, spread over the day (or multiple days) to be sure that the dog gets used to it. When they walk with the shoes for the first time, most likely the dog will walk somewhat strange. They should get used to it eventually, though!
Seeing a dog in shoes can be quite funny, but it especially helps the dog and its paws. And that is the most important part.
