There are several reasons that a dog might need boots – to prevent injury, for protection from the cold, or to manage difficult terrain. In the case of my fur-baby, Mino, he needs them to protect his paws from injury. We’ve tried various different dog boots and these are certainly the best I’ve found so far. Sadly though, they’re still not good enough for our needs. Here’s the review.
They’re nice enough to look at, made of a relatively pliable rubber sole and weatherproof Houndtex uppers. They also have 3M Scotchlite reflective strips – a helpful extra if you walk at night.
In theory, they’re hand-washable, though I’ve never bothered washing them.
The size I use for Mino is XL. The sizes available are S, M, L, XL, XXL.
The size guidelines are:
S Jack Russell Terrior, Tibetan Spaniel
M Cocker Spaniel, Spanish Water Dog
L Border Collie, Golden Retriever
XL Giant Schnauzer, Boxer
XXL Leonberger, Great Dane
This is what Hurtta says about their boots:
The weatherproof Outback boots protect your dog’s paws in difficult conditions and challenging outdoor activities.
The boots are easy and quick to put on and stay firm on the paws thanks to the flexible velcro fastening mechanism.
The flexible Softshell material, ergonomic design and pliable rubber soles make the boots comfortable and unobtrusive to wear.
Hurtta Outback Boots For Dogs Review
The boots are indeed easy enough to get on. In fact, of the 3 boots I’ve used to date, these are by far the easiest to put on. They open up nice and wide so you can safely guide your dog’s paw in. Be careful not to snag a claw on your way in – I put Mino’s boots on with a slow twisting motion so his nails can’t get stuck on entry.
If your dog is wobbly on her feet, I’d advise you to put the boots on with your pup lying down, preferably with her legs out to the side so she’s not putting pressure on her paws.
The boots are held on by a velcro strip that you wrap around your dog’s ankle. I find I have to wrap it twice, trying to make sure that the strip sticks to the velcro on the boot itself both passes. I then tuck the end of the velcro strip under itself so it doesn’t flap about when walking.
They are quite lightweight and at least in Mino’s case, it hasn’t ever seemed to bother him having them on.
The Downside
So far so good, but here comes the problem. The upper fabric is Houndtex, a ‘durable, breathable, water and wind proof material’ produced by Hurtta. For dogs wearing the boots for extreme sport or cold weather protection, this fabric will probably be fine. For dogs that knuckle though (they drag their feet, grazing the ‘knuckles’) this fabric is far from adequate.
In no time at all, the boots begin to desintegrate, with the sewing coming apart along the front seam and holes appearing on the uppers.
We’ve been using these boots for 4 months, and initially I needed to buy a new pair each month. Mino was walking for around 20-30 minutes a day. Then his neurological problem (wobblers) took a turn for the worse and his back end became weaker. His walks were reduced to 10 minutes a day, by which time he was too tired to walk more.
Then the Covid-19 lockdown meant he couldn’t go to his twice weekly hydrotherapy sessions anymore. I decided to get him a wheelchair to extend his walking time, which it did – we were back up to 30+minutes a day (see the wheelchair review here).
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The downside was the boots. Instead of lasting a month, they now wore down in just 2 days. I was astonished at just how quickly they broke. At £20 a pop, this was going to be the most expensive dog walking ever.
I just got the wheelchair last week, which coincidentally occurred at the same time that he had new boots. Day 2 out with the wheelchair and I realised that the uppers had worn through already and he was grazing his knuckles. You can see in the video how he scrapes his paws along the ground.
A Quick Fix
I haven’t yet found a more durable dog boot that is better suited to Mino’s needs. So as a quick fix, I am gluing the rubber soles from old pairs of Hurtta boots to the uppers of the new boots, to extend their life.
It looks a little weird, like I’ve put his boots on back to front, and it certainly makes the boots heavier, but it protects the boot, and more importantly Mino’s knuckles.
He’s not at the point yet that he needs to have his rear legs up in the stirrups, so for now I’ll be doing a lot of cutting and pasting to make Frankenstein boots…
So How Good Are The Hurtta Outback Boots?
For most uses, I think the boots are great. They’re stylish, easy to put on, and lightweight and comfortable for the dog. If your dog drags their feet though, these might not be best.
If you know of any better boots, do let me know!