I went camping this last weekend and Vino (Pitbull mix) went on a 5 mile hike. On the way back to camp (after 3.25 miles of hiking), Vino's feet got very sore. So sore he would refuse to walk at all. I carried all 60 lbs. of him a quarter of a mile before I sacrificed a towel to cover his feet with. I checked his feet and there were no tears, cracks, cuts, or raspberries (the pad worn down so much it's red). They were just very, very tender (I only put his paw in my hand and he pulled his foot away). The terrain was rocky in some places, which I'm sure his what made his feet so sore (but I guess 5 miles is a long way for little puppy paws). We made it back to camp alright and after a day off his feet, he was back to normal. 

So now that I'm back home, I've been researching some good dog booties for him to wear when we go hiking. There's been a lot of booties directed at protecting against snow, ice, salt, and that sort, which is nice but not exactly useful to me since we will probably only use them in the summer/spring on rocky or semi-rocky terrain. 

I've looked at Muttluks, Neo-Paws, Ultra Paws, and Canine Equipment. I'm leaning towards Canine Equipment or Ultra Paws. Does anyone on here use dog booties or know which ones are well made? I also saw "Musher's Secret", a cream/wax you put on your dog's feet and protects against cold and hot terrains, salt...etc. Does that stuff work or does it just help make the pad tougher and healthy?

Any recommendations, reviews, or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I have no recommendations just wanting to giggle out loud that you named your dog wine. XD p.s. vino=wine in italian

Lol, I know :) It's actually short for Valentino but we also live in Napa (wine country in California) so it sort of just fit. People laugh at it all the time when I tell him his name. I thought Vino was better than Tino, or Vinnie, or Val.

Haha yes it is xD 

Out of those 4, the only ones I've tried are the Muttluks and they were almost impossible to put on.. and once I got them 'on' they certainly did not stay on :p I ended up returning them. Now I just use the rubber Pawz boots during the winter.. My guys are northern breeds so they don't really need the warmth, just protection from salt and ice balls. I don't think those would be suitable for hiking though, they'd probably get shreded.

I've never heard of dog booties! I need to look into this.

Uni: Yeah, I kept seeing that in the Amazon reviews. Even the 5 star ratings were saying they were hard to put on, and then slipped off easily while walking.

Sam: I guess a lot of people use them, especially in areas with snow/ice.