Prior to receiving the 1000 Denier Cordura Booties Tundra had never tried dog boots before. It was an amusing experience for us to watch her reaction. The “VELSTRETCH Brand Fastener” on them made them very easy to put on and take off. Not only was I was thankful for this, but I am sure Tundra appreciated that as well for how fast they could go on and off or easily adjusted to fit her leg. She didn’t struggle when we put them on but as with all new boots she did that special walk.
If you’ve ever tried dog boots before you’ll notice right away that they look quite different from other items on the market. At $3 a boot the boots durability ranges from a soft fleece boot to a Toughtek 9000 boots. They also come in a variety of colours and we got the BRIGHT neon pink colour (so bright we won’t be losing these!). You even get to choose your closure option – we received the VELSTRETCH closure but you can also have a hook or a loop. While the lack of shape and structure that many other boots would have may turn some away, our testing found that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If your dog has tried any of the harder bottom boots you’ll know that it can sometimes be difficult for them to ever adjust to walking. The soft almost sock like feel of these boots make them perfect for dogs who are new to boots or are body sensitive. And if you end up with the wrong size, like we have may had for Tundra, their affordability means you aren’t breaking the bank to get a new pair. The boots sizing runs from XXXS to XL which covers most paws from 1.5″ to 3.5″ wide but there are some jumps in sizing. Unfortunately one of the gaps in sizing is right where Tundra should be. Their XXS is 1.75″ and the XS is 2.25″ meaning all the 2″ paw pups out there will either have to size up, size down, or pass on these.
Tundra is typically more of a “natural” dog where she does completely fine in all elements and nothing seems to bother her (cold, snow, rain, rocks, etc.). These boots are advertised as water resistant so we used them on a few hikes. While the water resistance worked well we found that the lack of grip in our wet west coast weather meant she was slipping and sliding a little bit more than we would like. We do some pretty steep hikes so it was too much of a safety hazard for us to keep them on her.
That said, our fellow Trail Testers who live in dryer climates or tested them in winter didn’t face the same issues we did. In fact, they have become the favorites of those in dryer climates or who have used them in snow. They are a great solution to keeping those dreaded snowballs from forming in paws and offered just enough protection from the cold to keep your pups paws safe from things like frost bite. It should however be noted that the material is thin and these, on their own, would not be suitable for extreme cold. They so have a fleece version which you could use as a liner to increase their warmth. While we will skip out on using them during our current wet weather I think these would be absolutely perfect in the winter time for all the salt on the ground! Not only would they be helpful for winter elements, I am also going to give them a whirl for when we do our local walks in the summer and the pavement is extremely hot.
The material and ease of taking them on and off makes them versatile for something people might not normally think of dog boots for. I think they would be perfect for protecting a paw injury or when you need to keep your pup from licking a paw raw/licking ointment off their paws. I tested this out with some paw pad protector on Tundra and the booties definitely kept her from licking the ointment off her paws. They could even potentially even be used to keep your pup from scratching themselves if they are going through an itchy phase. You know, like when us humans were kids and got chicken pox and we all got threatened to have the oven mitts taped to our hands?!
Overall these boots are priced very well for what you get and would work well for lots of people trying to protect their dogs paws from all sorts of elements. At $3 a boot they are worth giving it a try if you are looking to get something to protect your dogs paws. Just remember that they are not a forever boot, they are the type of material that will wear out quicker than others, especially being used on abrasive surfaces.
These boots would be best for: those looking for affordable boot options, dogs with different sized paws, dogs who are new to boots, dogs who are body sensitive, those wanting to keep their dogs paws dry, protection from winter elements, over-all paw protection
These boots may not be ideal for: dogs who go on lots of abrasive surfaces, those looking for longer lasting boots
Review by: Guest Trail Tester @tundra_theheeler
Where to buy? Dogbooties.com
2 replies on “Dog Booties 1000 Denier Cordura Booties”
I’ve never had dog boots slip off our dogs feet as much as what your photos show. I’d say either they don’t fit as they should or they weren’t put on properly. Maybe snug them up a bit more and see how it goes? For my older girl who needs booties, if they slipped that much, they’d make her trip over her own feet.
Having tried the ruffwear winter boots, I had concerns about the comfort of those boots for my samoyed. With huge paws, and lots of fluff and somewhat skinny ankles underneath the fluff, they performed okay. I really had to tighten the front boots to be secure. After two trips on those I switched to these Cordura boots and won’t go back. They do a great job of allowing natural foot movement, dont create hotspots, prevent snow balls forming on the paws…the list goes on. My dog doesn’t do the awkward boot dance with these on. Super cheap and great customer service. I recommend singing the end of the velstretch closure to prevent frays.