Can't find any dog shoes that fit

Question

I’ve been looking for shoes for my dog because I live in a dirty downtown area. I’ve tried and returned so many pairs because none of them stay on my dog’s feet. I test the shoes by letting my dog walk around the house in them, and they always end up getting loose or falling off.

My dog is a 13lb chihuahua mix. Her legs are very thin and her paws are relatively narrow, I believe. This means if I find a pair where the length fits, then the width is too wide and the paw is not snug inside.

• back: 1.26” x 1.65”
• front: 1.14” x 1.81”

It seems like most shoes don’t accommodate feet of these proportions. And due to her narrow legs, it’s hard to get a snug fit around the leg.

Any suggestions? Or are there any folks that made custom-fit shoes?

Answer 1

I went down the dog shoes path when I needed to protect his foot from a cut he had that a bandage didn't cover well. Most other people locally put them on to reduce grass allergies.

But the thing is, after trying three different brands, he kept shaking them off and absolutely hated the feel of walking on them. If you have a rare dog that enjoys the shoes, well done. You say you have a "dirty downtown area" do you have to walk your dog in this area because there are no local good dog parks, or for other reasons?

What I did a few years ago when he had issues with wanting to lick a wound on his foot, but was ok to put pressure on it walking, was to put a baby humans sock over his foot, then wrap it in plastic (if he was going anywhere wet). I would need to replace the plastic after every walk, but it was the best solution.

I taped the top of the bag tight enough that the sock didn't fall off, or if that is a concern, I put twine through both sides of the sock and ran that up to his body harness (that he was using for car travel anyway).

These things take a lot of effort each day, but they were the most useable solution I could find. Good luck!

Answer 2

Frame challenge: If your main problem is the dirt and dog shoes don't fit, why not establish a habit of cleaning your dogs paws when you return home? We have an old towel specifically for rubbing our dog dry on rainy days and keep it close to the door.

Since most dogs react fearful when their paws are held, establishing this habit can be challenging. It helps if you trained your dog to do "high five". For such a small dog, I suggest that you sit down on a bench, place the towel over your lap and put your dog on top. Try making paw cleaning a fun game, but not one where she bites the towel.