Hiking boots?

[Andres]

Hey all. We live in Santiago de Chile, a city that lies in a valley at the foot of the Andes, with several hills and mountains around. This last weekend was Romeo's first time hiking a hill and it blew his mind, so we're thinking about taking him every weekend (we do go biking and running to the hill without him). He didn't complain about the road either in the asphalt or the dust trails, but we're wondering if we should get him to use those little boots for dogs. I don't want him to hurt his paws, but also I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable by using them. 

Any experience or comment about using them (or not) for hiking for 2, 3 hours uphill for 4, 5 miles is more than welcome!! 

PS: here's a picture of him conquering the city

 

[bradl]

Unless you're walking on volcanic cinder or something unusually abrasive I would not worry much. Check his pads for damage from time to time after a hike and if he slows down. The pads may become rough (and may look it) but should not be cut or bleeding. I forget how old he is. An adult Cairn (say 2 or older) should be able to easily walk a couple miles no problem and more depending on condition and interest. If you let him tell you if/when he's had enough it sounds like you will be fine and having enjoyable hikes. Have fun.

[Kathryn]

I agree with Brad. We live in Minnesota, where the winters are cold and snowy.  I tried to get boots for our older cairn Oban, and he absolutely refused to walk if we put them on him.  He would simply sit for however long it took for us to take them back off.  His feet get cold in the winter, and walks are shorter.  Also, we sometimes have to rinse them off after the walk when the city has put salt rather than sand on the streets for traction when the roads are icy.

We used to spend part of each winter along the California coast, and Oban was my constant companion hiking along the ocean, jumping around in the rocky tide pools (once he grabbed and swallowed a small hermit crab -- yikes!), and hiking up the hills and into forests. In many of those places, the terrain is quite rough.  In all that time, Oban never seemed to complain about sore feet, and I never saw any evidence that his feet were harmed.  

Cairns seems to have naturally rough paw pads. I suspect given their penchant for digging, this is a good attribute.  And honestly -- Oban could out-hike me any day of the week -- he is always ready to go.

In a place as beautiful as where you live, a cairn is the perfect dog for outdoor activities.  Enjoy your hikes!

[Sam I Am]

With our winters boots are a must as are coats . Our dogs both are great about getting their boots put on which also works out if a foot is injured and we need to keep it covered . They just leave them alone. 

[Pogo Taishi E.]

On 11/5/2020 at 12:11 AM, Sam I Am said:

With our winters boots are a must as are coats . Our dogs both are great about getting their boots put on which also works out if a foot is injured and we need to keep it covered . They just leave them alone. 

Do you have winter boots and coats recommendations? 

[Hillscreek]

I used Musher's Wax for my guy's feet. Very good protection on most surfaces. Go to Amazon or Chewy.com. He would not/could not wear / booties. I only used it in winter snow and ice. He did not mind me putting it on . 

On regular rough surfaces like trails in the pic you posted I didn't use anything. His pads thick. Looked rough but did not split. I recall a post reminding us of the cairns ancient job of digging down to underground burrows through rough terrain. Hence the desire to dig, the big front paws and the solid pads.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Hillscreek