Does my dog need running shoes?

Dogs are minimalists. No shoes.

Hot pavement will encourage quick turnover. Let Fido continue to run barefooted.

Yes, and pooch glide.

slick roofus wrote:

Yes, and pooch glide.

What's funny is that I think she might need that. She barely has any hair on her chest, so her harness has been chafing her chest and armpits.

I don't trust runner dog races because the testing is almost nonexistent, very similar to testing in Kenya.

Pupdate: I still have not gotten her any shoes, but her paws are getting worn down so getting worried. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but I don't want it to get to that point.

Instead of dog shoes, I heard of a product called Musher's Secret. Is anyone familiar with this or tried it on their dog?

http://www.amazon.com/Mushers-Secret-Pet-Paw-Protection/dp/B0002XIZXY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

If you're taking your dog on regular 8- to 10-mile runs in the summertime, there are other things you should be more concerned about than footwear even if you no longer live in Texas (assuming you ever did -- I'm going by your handle).

A lot of dogs will gladly overheat without letting you know it, because most of them they like to please their people. So it's a good idea to avoid the sun, find places along the way where she can jump into a river or pond, and encourage her to pre-hydrate by tainting her water with a bit of something sweet so that she drinks more than she normally would before you head out. You say you run on roads and sidewalks, but if there's any way you can head for softer surfaces for at least half of your runs with your dog, you'll be doing a total of about twelve major joints a big favor.

I don't think you need the booties if you've already worked her up to longer runs without them -- the calluses dogs develop are pretty thick, and what you perceive as "worn down" is probably benign. I used to routinely take my yellow Lab on runs longer than 10 miles and I never noticed any problems with his feet (although again, we were on trails for at least 75 percent of his weekly mileage, which was often at least 40 a week).

It's helpful to do some running on pavement so that you don't have to trim her nails, which isn't nearly as traumatic as it looks, but still sucks.

KMB wrote:

If you're taking your dog on regular 8- to 10-mile runs in the summertime, there are other things you should be more concerned about than footwear even if you no longer live in Texas (assuming you ever did -- I'm going by your handle).

It's been well documented that TRG has never lived in Texas and has never said a nice thing about Texas. "tx" in her handle means "therapy" as in "running is her therapy".

You've haven't been around here long have you?

Take Fido to some trails...let him run on soft surfaces for a change. Might do you some good as well.

The closest trails to my house don't allow dogs.

What are your dog's PBs? What distance(s) is she focusing on?

My dog not need shoes but they need a cage as they both fight too much. They both are opposite and never be friends. I am thinking to buy them a separates dog run https://www.inthemarket.ie/product-category/dog-runs/

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

My dog runs about 4 days per week, so roughly 30-35 miles/week. She's the first dog I've ever had that actually enjoys running, so looking for some input from others.

I really like Ruffwear products and have bought her a harness, collar, leash, reflective jacket, Cloud Chaser (softshell jacket) and evaporative cooling jacket. She's a little spoiled, but she's my most reliable running partner.

What I'd like feedback on is the booties they make. Are they really necessary? We run on pavement and sidewalks, so the main concern is when it starts getting hot. I don't think it gets *that* hot here, but I also wear shoes when I run and am not a dog.

You should always replace your dog at between 300-500 miles. Sometimes you can’t tell, but your dogs cushioning has started to compress. Based on what you are saying I would retire this dog to being my grass cutting dog, or a walking dog.

Hope this advice is of zero help.

-Chuck

Please don’t run your dog in the middle of the day when it’s hot. Take Fido out in the early am. If you can’t run your dog on trails then just leave your dog at home. Other options would be soccer or baseball fields or even dirt roads. Save it for the weekend s or when you can travel to these spots. You don’t need to have your dog on every run.

Mans best friend wrote:

Please don’t run your dog in the middle of the day when it’s hot. Take Fido out in the early am. If you can’t run your dog on trails then just leave your dog at home. Other options would be soccer or baseball fields or even dirt roads. Save it for the weekend s or when you can travel to these spots. You don’t need to have your dog on every run.

Sir, my dog is Fidelius the Great, he who once was a wolf, he who rules the wolves, King of wolves, first of the pack, ruler of the great grass field, he who sits the leather chair. How dare you refer to Fidelius as a mere Fido! Those are racing words! I will race you!

Spammer revived a 4 year old thread, fools!

Is Fido Update?

Thank goodness humans came along to correct what millions of years of evolution had screwed up in dogs.

Shoes are ok, but your dog may not like them. Another possibility that my vet recommended was to spray "tuf-skin" on the dog's pads. It will keep the dogs pads from drying out and cracking. But I would caution running any dog that much on asphalt and concrete. Dogs will run until their hearts give out. And that much running on hard surfaces isn't great either.