Customer Reviews

Bark'n Boots Grip Tex Boots - XXS - BLACK

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Hello all:
This is the best boot you will ever buy! Our unit work Cadaver K-9's for local law enforcement in California. We used these boots in the recent Wild Fires, and they protected the dogs paws flawlessly! The soles of the boots are pretty much bullet proof (not really... a bullet would penetrate). Even with hot embers, the dogs were not affected at all. Mission complete due to Ruff Wear boots!

I really wanted to love these boots because they're streamline and minimal. I didn't like the look of the big clunky "bag" type of dog boot. However, a dog boot is only as good as its ability to stay on the foot. If the thing falls off, all the functionality of the tread and the protection against the ice and chemicals becomes moot. That was our biggest problem with this product. We tried the boot in a couple of different scenarios: on a walk, run, and playing in the backyard in snow. Needless to say, the boots started to fall off immediately when playing in the snow. With the smallest pull or pressure the boot would slide off because its not secured over any part of the dog's foot that doesn't flex when the dog moves so there's really nothing to anchor it in place. It doesn't go up past the dew claw/top of foot, all of which flexes when the dog moves. It was a little better during the run, however, three of the four boots still fell off at some point during the 35-minute run over mostly flat/plowed pavement. I understand you're supposed to tighten them up once you go outside into the cold, but even after replacing a boot and tightening once, it fell off a second time. And during even just a walk one of them fell off.

While I really like the heavier tread/sole on this shoe as opposed to some others out there, I simply can't stop every 5 minutes during a jog to replace the boot, or be constantly checking to ensure the boots are all still there. The other strike against this boot is that it is so shallow on the back of the foot that unless you're using the sock liner (which they recommend and we did not do initially) you may still get an ice ball lodged in the back of the boot as we did. If you're using a dog boot for anything more than simply going outside to go to the bathroom, I'd recommend a style that has at least two velcro fasteners and comes up the dog's leg at LEAST past the dew claw.

When i first decided that these would be an option for our dog, I probably made the same face you did regarding putting shoes on my dog. I bought these shoes for a specific purpose, running on asphalt in California. I have a pit bull/Doberman mix and she weighs about 65lbs, we were taking her on hikes, 3-5 mile walks and even running her, but she still got home with tons of energy. We purchased a system that allows her to run alongside my bike and everything was going great, we were hitting around 7-9 miles per trip. Unfortunately, when we got home from the first trip I realized that her pads were cracking and starting to bleed, so we purchased the ruff wear grip trex boots. It took a few times walking and playing to get her used to them, but now she is running full speed alongside my bike with no side effects. the only two problems that I had were sizing and abrasion.

We measured her foot width per the instructions from ruff wear, but the size we purchased was too big. We eventually took her in the car to REI and tried on different pairs until we found the ones that fit. Additionally, there is an adjusting period of making sure that they are tight enough to not fall off, but also not too tight that you cut off circulation to her paws. It took a few days to get it all dialed in.

Second, depending on how far, fast and long your dog is running or playing, the shoes may rub against her feet in the places were the shoes are stitched together. This problem is solved by purchasing the socks ruff wear sells; however, you can also get baby socks for much cheaper (and they work). Just remember that your dog sweats through her/his feet, so you have to monitor their behavior.

These are awesome and I would recommend them to any person with a dog that does any extensive exercise with their dog. I have never used them as snow shoes, so I'm not sure exactly how well they will work in snow.

My ADA Service dog, Zoot, has worn these boots-when needed, for two years. They work well protecting his paws in extremely hot weather or in freezing conditions. Living in Southern Cal, he is exposed to many different "ground" experiences. When the sun baked asphalt street, uneven cement walkways, hot sand of the beach, broken glass ground by street worn tires-can be a problem, I know Zoot's paws and feet pads are safe.

A good rule of thumb for Working Service Animals to have boots on: "When the ground is too warm for the handler's bare feet or when ground conditions are questionable-the Ruff Wears go on.

They are durable, washable and the fit seems to be comfortable for dogs. First five seconds after you have placee the boots on-they will end the "duck webbed feet" dance. Zoot wore Ruff Wear Boots for hours without troubles-since the first day of introduction.

So.. for Zoot, this was the correct "work boot" for extremely physical-working K-9s. Ruff Wear dog boots simply rock!

I picked these shoes up for my small dog when we thought that he might have to have hip surgery (turns out that procedure isn't done on such small dogs). This is his first winter in MN. When it's -30*F, he can't do all of his duty before his feet get too cold. He didn't know what to think of these sneakers when we first put them on him, but once he got out in the snow and realized that his feet were considerably warmer, he thought he was invincible. :)
We haven't tromped through embers, like the previous reviewer, but I'm thrilled to hear that they can hold up to such elements. We'll definitely bring them with when we go camping in the summer. :)

We ordered the ruffwear boots for our dog after he injured his foot.
They looked the better than all the other boots we considered. They are
very easy to put on our dog, they stay on well and are very durable.
We are very happy with them. Our dog doesn't seem to mind wearing them.

It feels like confortable e he is able to run with this pair of shoes. I loved them.

Used once and the velcro strip on one of the boots already started to seperate. Used twice (in the snow) and our dog lost one of the booties...not any better than cheaper products we've tried before.

My Golden is 5 and was injured about 8 months ago on a long hike where he wore down his pads badly and had to be off his feet for a week to heal. I didn't realize he was hurt until we made camp at night, and then I used gauze and tape and a ripped up T-shirt to try to protect his paws on the way out the next day. His paws never fully recovered. He had a hard time walking on gravel driveways and struggled on minimal hikes when he used to tackle them with ease. Then we found the booties. They are amazing!!! They protect his paws while hiking around the rugged southwest AND they stay on even when he is wrestling for a stick with our younger Golden! I can't believe I ever hesitated about buying them. I know they are pricey, but they are completely worth the money. As far as sizing, my dog is about 84 pounds and a large works well, but I do have to cinch them tight and that is almost all the way around. So, I would say they run a little big. We tried without the boot liners, but the boots do not stay on straight nearly as well. Sometimes when our dogs are tussling hard the boots will get turned around, but it's easy to spin them around again. Buy these!

I have big dogs that are generally ok for short periods so I dont make them wear them often, in large part b/c they'd fall off or spin around every 5sec & it was a nightmare during walks. A friend picked a used (like new) pair of these up for me from a yard sale & I did make them wear them the other day (we walk on a road & the salt after a snowstorm tears their feet up), 1 of them had these boots on...not a single problem, they didn't spin, slip, or come off once, meanwhile my other dog had the old cheap ones on & I stopped every 20 steps to fix them. I intend to order another pair & forget all about the old ones! I really didn't think they'd ever come up w/a boot for dogs that stayed put...but apparently they have :) Very happy w/them