How would you feel if you had to walk around outside in your bare feet several times a day? Yes, that’s bare feet, no socks or sneakers, and not on a fun surface either – think skating rink or fry pan rather than beach or soft grass.

Rather than sand you are talking about walking on burning hot surfaces in the summer, and ice-cold snow in the winter, navigating dirt, caustic chemicals and salt used to melt that pesky ice. It doesn’t sound like much fun, right? Yet that’s what our dogs have to put up with when we take them out on a walk.

Ways to protect your dog’s feet from the weather elements

The good news is that there are several options on the market for pet parents to puzzle over, and to spend cash on, to try to give their pooch some protection. Let’s take a closer look at them here.

Winter protection products for a dog’s feet

Exposure to ice and snow can leave even the hardiest dog with paw pads that crack or peel and cause your pet pain and trouble they don’t deserve to put up with.

There are a few basic things you can do to reduce the risk of suffering involved, including:

‘Natural’ and handy remedies

·         Keeping the dog’s nails trimmed properly, along with the fur between their toe pads. These things both help your dog spread their weight more evenly on the cold surfaces, although they don’t offer great protection.

·         Rubbing a lubricant like Vaseline directly onto your dog’s paws can help create a barrier to protect their pads being damaged by substances like ice, salt and cracking.

·         Scattering non-irritating anti-slip substance such as sand or gravel around your home, and encouraging others to try the same, or look out for pet-friendly chemical solutions.

·         Always wash their paws with warm water as soon as you get home. This helps a dog’s feet feel warm and comfortable again as well as removing all traces of chemicals, and salt which your dog will most likely lick off themselves and ingest.

Accessories designed especially to solve this problem for dogs

·         Walkee paws, an ingenious invention designed to act like leggings for dogs, providing protection for their paws while fastening in a comfortable way on the top of their body, forming a kind of supportive sling. Walkee Paws avoid the uncomfortable feelings that dog booties create, and makes them possible for dogs to wear them with ease.

·         Dog booties or socks, which look cute and do the job but many dogs find difficult to walk in. It may take a decent length of time to train your dog to use them, and many will fail.

·         Peel and stick pads. These are easy to apply and help protect against burns from hot sidewalks. They are not always easy to keep on your pet.

There’s enough choice to avoid having your dog suffer in extreme weather, but you do need to try several products to find what works best for your pet.