10 Minute Dog Boots

Yes, my dog may hate the boots but when it gets colder than -20C she refuses to go outside. Her feet get cold and she will try to lift all of her feet at the same time, I find it to be quite sad.

These boots are made of fleece and have a nice grip pad on the bottom and more importantly no matter how much she plays in the snow they will not come off.

The fleece allows them to dry out quickly and the basic design allows for quick putting on and taking off.

All that said each boot takes less than 10 minutes to make. You will need to make 4 in most cases and they can go on any foot. Having made several of these due to wearing out I am able to make 4 in less than 10 minutes.

No dogs were harmed in this Instructable. She does seem to be embarrassed by having the boots on though...

NOTE(FEB15) Due to popular demand (Xena's) and Valentine's Day, I have made a set of booties out of pink fleece and those picture have been added to the steps... Enjoy...

Step 1: Materials and Tools

1. You will need several feet of a suitable material, I used black fleece which sells locally for about $6 per meter.

2. I used 4 - 2 inch circles of suede that I had from a previous project. Any durable material will work from canvas to cloth backed vinyl, Just make sure that it will not be slippery in the snow and on the ice.

3. 4 - 6 inch (approx) strips of double sided Velcro. I have found that this offers the best retention of the boot.

You will also need a sewing machine capable of sewing light leather and Velcro. Only if you have chosen these materials. You may have to use canvas or denim of your machine cannot handle the materials.

Standard sewing scissors and heavy duty thread are also required.

A pencil and a regular sheet of paper are also needed.

Step 2: Create the Pattern

It is best to have the boots fit your dogs feet snugly but not tightly. To do this you will have to trace one of yours dogs feet. The front foot is usually the easiest to trace.

After the trace is complete you will need to draw a rough outline which is greater than the size of the foot. This is shown in the third and forth pictures.

The total length of the boot is just short of the your dogs rear leg joint. In my dog's case that is about 6 inches.

The top part of the boot has a slight flare outward, this helps in putting the boot on your dog.

Using scissors you will now cut the pattern out from the full sheet.

Step 3: Prepare the Materials

The pattern in only half of the boot, you will need to fold your material and place the pattern along the fold near the "toe" end of the boot ans shown in the first picture.

Carefully cat the pattern out of the material creating a "bow-tie" shape. You will need to do this for each boot that your dog needs. Mine needed 4.

You will need to create a wear pad for the bottom of the boot for both traction and boot life. The wear pad should be about the same size as the dog's foot, It can be larger but this is not necessary.

I used an old roll of electrical tape as a pattern to cut out the circles of suede material, Again I did this 4 times.

Lastly you will need to cut 4 pieces of the Velcro material that is a least 2 times the width if the narrow part of the pattern about 1 inch below the flare at the top.  Mine were about 6 inches in length. This is to fasten the boot.

The last picture is the layout before sewing.

Step 4: Sew the Boots

First you will need to sew the wear pad in the foot area of the boot material as shown. A straight stitch around the perimeter of the material is sufficient, you may stitch across the wear pad if you dog has a huge foot, this will prevent slipping. The placement will be below your dogs foot pads when the boot is on.

You will now need to attach the boot strap in the narrow portion of the boot material above the wear pad. This will place place the strap in the narrowest part of your dogs leg. I like to make a box area with the straight stitch with at least one diagonal. Neither I nor my dog has ever ripped one off.

Now you will need to tightly roll the Velcro strap up to take it out of the way for final seam sewing.

Fold the material over at the toe edge so that the wear pad and boot strap are on the inside.

Sew along one edge from the toe fold to the top of the flare. I use a straight stitch no more than 1/4 of an inch in from the edge. Again neither I nor my dog has ever ripped open on e of these seams. At the flare run your machine in reverse about 1/2 to 1 inch to lock the edge.

Cut the thread and flip the boot around and sew the other seam in the same manner.

Repeat this for the other boots needed.

Step 5: Enjoy the Warmth

Push the toe fold out of the top flare to make the boots right side out.

Your dog's feet should easily slip into the boot. As mention before any boot can go on any foot...

The Velcro strap is wrapped snugly around the taper in the boot. Do not tighten too much or it will be uncomfortable for your dog. She (or he) will let you know by chewing on the strap if they are too tight.

Most dogs do not take to boots right away and prolonged high stepping is common. Try not to laugh as your dog will know and will take to hating the boots permanently.

The cold should no longer prevent the dog from walking and playing in the snow....

Comments

[CementTruck]

Very nice!

I've had a similar idea and have been looking for old, torn, worn out wetsuits (neoprene) so I could make a couple of sets for my dogs. I wanted to use leather pads for the bottoms and cut holes out for their toenails.

[Missy21]

Check thrift stores for tablet and laptop bags, and in the bags in general.

[snowf7]

Cutting holes for the toenails will allow slush and salt to get inside the boots and hold it next to the dogs' pads. This would defeat the purpose for outdoor winter use.

[ElizabethL158]

I am lucky baby wears anything but hats!

[weeniewawa]

thanks for this, My dogs were having trouble with the snow and I think it was their nails were trimmed too soon to the beginning of when they would be in it but I am not sure. I bought some boots at a chain pet store and had no luck at all. They may have been too big. I will try making these. I made a video of their experiences. as you can see, they don't like boots. https://youtu.be/6vpYZuLBHSM

[mlaiuppa.]

If they're coming off that easily they are too big.

You need to work up to them wearing them. You can't put all four on at once or when they need them. Start with introducing them with lots of treats. Let them sniff them, touch them to the tops of their feet, then rest their feet on the shoes. After a few days put them on just the front and then take them off. A few days, put them on both front feet and walk them around with lots of treats. After they can do the front, add the back. Expect the hopping as the back legs seem to be more sensitive to footwear. But if you go slow and use lots of treats they should be able to walk around normally in them in a week or two. Then practice with them at least a few times a week BEFORE you need them for the snow. Once it snows they should have no problems with the shoes and might even understand that the shoes help. I know my dog understands that the booties help her walk on slick floors.

[jpridgen1]

Great idea! My dog would bite me if I tried to put them on her.

[mlaiuppa.]

Try hot dogs and go slow. I had my dog sniff them and every time got a hot dog. Then touched them to her feet, hot dog. That was day one. Repeat as necessary. Stages one day at a time: Put the feet on top of the shoe, hot dog, touch the shoe to the top of the feet hot dog, sniff shoe, hot dog. Next: put them on front foot and take off, hot dog, etc. Next: Put them on both front feet and give hot dog. Take a step, hot dog. Take them off. Work up to all four feet and more steps. My dog got all four on her feet and walked the length of the front walkway and back in a week, but then she is very foot oriented and hot dogs are a high value treat for her. Patience, lots of praise and hot dogs and go very slow. Backtrack if necessary. But you should have your dog in them in at least two weeks.

[Daniel_Bell]

I
totally understand and empathize with your strife with all the dog shoes /
boots That are on the market.

I
have also tried sooo many brands and gave up last year but my baby girl cannot
walk On the salt or in the cold at all more than 10 steps so I was forced to
continue the search.

Well
I think I found exactly what we need, we’ve been using them for a month now and
both my Bella and I could not be happier. The brand is Neo-Paws and the quality
and their Velcro system is amazing.

We
went from 10 steps to 10 blocks again on all our walks and we are both thrilled
and grateful To not be locked up all winter as so many little doggies and their
humans are ;(

Their
website is www.neopaws.com
and they have a lot of other cool and warm things to buy.

[mlaiuppa.]

I don't live in snow but my dog does nosework and she objects to certain types of flooring. She would not walk in the lobby of the humane society or a local high school where we do some practice runs. I bought her some Hott Doggers from Muttluks and she took to them right away. Now she wears them on all of her trials that take place inside. That way I don't have to worry about her refusing to enter a room because she doesn't like the floor.

They are quite like, similar to this instructable only they use vinyl on the bottom and the top of the toe. The velcro strap goes all the way around the back. They are pricey and I've wondered if I could make a pair for when these wear out. I'll need to price the materials to see if it's economically feasible.

If she needed boots for snow, ice, mud or hot pavement, I'd look at some of the other Muttluk styles.

[LeahB53]

Excellent suggestion. I am trying neopaws before I attempt a DIY project. I had seen this brand on other sites; however, their site has their entire line and I found something that will work. Thanks!

[HollyHarken]

Thanks! Perfect timing! I need to make some boots for an old dog who keeps slipping on the slick floors. I think these will help her stand up while she's eating. Lately she's ended up with all 4 legs splayed out while she's eating. I have to pick her up when she's done. Living with an old dog sure is a challenge, but one that I'm up for!!

[mlaiuppa.]

Try an olefin carpet doormat and put it sideways with the bowl at one end. Room for her to stand and her claws can dig into the carpet a bit to give her traction.

[Chivo69]

I just put a towel down for my dog while eating I'm not good with sowing mechines

[Cynnanails]

I bought a small bathroom rug that sits in front of their dish, and they'll sit there while eating. A lot easier than putting boots on her, and probably comfier on her old bones.

[Bubblesnlipgloss]

Thank you so much for saving me $$$. I was going to buy some at Petsmart tomorrow but these are way better quality n will last longer! Now, I can make different colors for each coat!

[Bill WW]

We visited our daughter in NYC a few weeks ago after their big snow storm. I noticed many dogs with boots - later I learned it was to keep the salt, which had been used for de-icing, off their feet. The dogs would have licked the salt off bare paws, which makes them sick.

[Tireguy71]

Water freezes at 32 degrees F turning it into ice/snow. By adding salt, the ice is now in a liquid form, even when it is below the freezing mark. This “colder than ice” liquid is now able to soak your dogs paws, getting between his toes and saturating the hair that grows between them. Pour ice water over your own hand continuously for a minute sometime. Now imagine the water being even colder. The salt also dries out your doggy’s paws. Pulls the moisture from them, causing uncomfortable cracks in the pads of their paws. So now you have the below freezing cold, the dried, cracked paws, and salt getting into those cracks as well. OUCH!

[Bill WW]

Tireguy, you’re sure right. I agree this boot idea might not be too good for the dog. I just saw them in NYC and that is what I was told.

[stwbrry]

How do you think denim would be on the bottom of dog booties? Does the material have to be any kind of waterproof? is that part of the idea too? thanks!