[go5]

Hi All,

I have starting taking Kane on bike rides. Not too fast just a strut pace and have noticed that his large pad starts to wear through and cause a sore. At first I gave him the rest and let it heal but it has happened again.

Anyone else have sensitive pads or problems like this? Do you do anything or is it just the way it is.

Thanks

 

[dobebug]

Hi All,

I have starting taking Kane on bike rides. Not too fast just a strut pace and have noticed that his large pad starts to wear through and cause a sore. At first I gave him the rest and let it heal but it has happened again.

Anyone else have sensitive pads or problems like this? Do you do anything or is it just the way it is.

Thanks

How long are these bike rides and are they on cement or asphalt?

Typically when you start to road work dogs by bike you need to slowly build up both their stamina and the pad toughness otherwise you definitely run the risk of ending up with a sore footed dog.

There is an endurance ride that some European dogs participate in (and I think they are also offered in a few places in the States as well). I remember the description of how a dog was usually prepped for that ( I can't remember how long the ride actually is--probably because it's usually given in kilometers but I thought it worked out to around 20 miles. But I've been told that it takes six months to a year to prep the dog for that.

Twenty miles is nothing to a bike rider but for a green dog it waaay too much.

So the problem may be that you are trying to bring him along too fast.

 

[MeadowCat]

How old is Kane?

I've had good luck using a combination of Musher's Secret and Tuf Foot for Shanoa's pads; they are pretty sensitive. You might also try dog boots.

 

[JoshG]

We use Ruff Wear Grip Trex for our girl when we run her (or rollerblade with her) on the streets/sidewalks. They are short, like a shoe, rather than a boot, and have Vibram soles (meaning they last forever). They're expensive, but well worth it. We've purchased cheaper boots, only to have Eva rip through the soles, or to have the buckles (which sit on the very thick Dober-ankle) cause sores themselves.
Bark'n Boots Grip Trex Dog Boots from Ruff Wear

We also use BagBalm, which is an antiseptic balm for chapped, inflamed, sore, cut teats (yep, cow utters). It works really well to help soothe and heal damaged/irritated pads, without removing the callus. The callus is so important for them to build up, but you don't want the pad to dry-out, resulting in deep cracks and splits (which are uber-painful!).
BagBalm - Canada

 

[go5]

How long are these bike rides and are they on cement or asphalt?

So the problem may be that you are trying to bring him along too fast.

How old is Kane?

Thanks for the replies.

Th bike rides are typically 5 km or less and I really don't move that fast. He is 18 months.

This happened in the winter too when I brought him to an indoor dog park and they had rubber mats on the floor, the rubber cause the same tearing on the bottom of his feet.

 

[Alisha Kirby]

If it's on pavement, this could be the reason for the sores. Think about how our own feet get sore when we walk around/push off on the bottom of a pool. Also, I don't know were you are located, but the pavement may still be warm to hot. Could they be due to blistering? I think most dogs develope protective callouses, but this takes time too. I would say take it easy for a few days then start with a one mile distance (1/3 of 5K) first and work up to 5K.

I am interested in these boots JoshG, but I am wondering how long it took to get your Dobe used to them? I can only imagine Izzy stepping like a dressage horse for a few days before she would get used to them. Any tips?

We use Ruff Wear Grip Trex for our girl when we run her (or rollerblade with her) on the streets/sidewalks. They are short, like a shoe, rather than a boot, and have Vibram soles (meaning they last forever). They're expensive, but well worth it. We've purchased cheaper boots, only to have Eva rip through the soles, or to have the buckles (which sit on the very thick Dober-ankle) cause sores themselves.
Bark'n Boots Grip Trex Dog Boots from Ruff Wear
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[JoshG]

It definitely did take her some time to get used to them.

At the beginning, she was being a princess, and she'd walk on the tip-toes, rather than pushing her weight down and standing with her feet flat – the soles are thicker, thus, not as flexible as other “shoes”.

Honestly, even though she walked funny at first, when we got moving, it didn’t seem to affect her gait at all. I also really enjoyed not having to trace back to find lost shoes; although, they do make her sound like a horse on the pavement. People definitely look around when they hear us coming… Sigh… Oh well.

She’s been wearing boots since she was about 4 or 5 months, so she’s pretty good with them. The only things I can think of that you may want to consider in helping Izzy overcome the barrier of awkward-rubber-thingies-strapped-to-her-feet are:
- only bring them out to have fun, and always keep it positive with lots of high-value reinforcement
- teach her to put her own feet in them, rather than you shoving her feet in (THIS WAS REALLY HELPFUL!)**
- When they are on for the first couple tries, keep her moving, and keep it a decent pace – the slower the walk, the more awkward and unnatural the gait
- After you’ve done a couple quick test runs, keep them on for a good duration of the evening, and feed Izzy her dinner throughout her shoe-wearing endeavor inside the house

It really wasn’t that bad though.

*Teaching a dog to put its paws into a pair of shoes is no different than teaching it to “shake a paw”. You can do it several ways, but choose whatever method you are most comfortable with. We chose to shape the behaviour, but if Izzy knows “paw”, try it with the shoe in your hand, then slowly progress to holding the shoe open so her paw lands almost in it, then progress to her putting more pressure with her paws, etc.

 

[Alisha Kirby]

Thanks JoshG, you have been very helpful, I really appreciate it!