Key Takeaways
- Just like humans, dogs often need small boots, affectionately called booties, to keep their paws warm or otherwise protected from environmental hazards.
- The big downside to dog booties is that the craftsmanship that goes into them often makes them quite costly.
- However, if you have the right materials or skill, you can craft your own easy DIY dog boots at a fraction of the cost.
Dogs’ paws have evolved to withstand many different kinds of environmental hazards, but sometimes, they could use some extra protection. That’s why dog booties were invented. Much like footwear for people, dog booties are meant to make dogs’ feet more comfortable and better protected in whatever environment they may be walking in. However, their specialized construction often drives up the price. If, like me, you sometimes find yourself going through several pairs within a short amount of time, that price tag can be quite prohibitive. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to make your own dog boots to protect your dog’s paw in any environment or situation. The great thing about DIY design plans is that you can follow or modify to your own tastes. Designing your own DIY dog booties not only let you protect your dog’s paws as much as possible for cheap, you’re also completely in charge of the style, size, and other useful features. Take a look at some of my best designs here!
Why Your Dog May Need Booties
While you might find that dog boots are extremely cute, they are much more than adorable gear. They are actually really practical. There are a number of useful benefits to dog boots.
Insulates Dog’s Paws: The most obvious benefit of dog shoes is that they can protect your dog’s paws from extreme temperatures. This is especially useful if you live somewhere extremely hot or cold, and your dog isn’t of a breed adapted to that environment. A dog who wears dog boots is unlikely to suffer from frostbite or burns from walking on extremely hot or cold surfaces.
Prevents Injuries: Dog shoes or boots can also protect your dog’s paw from injuries like cuts and scrapes from glass, thorns, and rocks.
Helps Avoid Allergic Reactions: While it may be hard to believe, some of our furry friends are allergic to grass. When such dogs contact grass, they may experience excessive sneezing, hives, runny nose, itching, and diarrhea. And if not grass, it could be some other mundane thing often found on the ground that you may not want your dog coming into contact with.
Provides Traction: If you and your furry friend go for hikes often, you’ll love that dog shoes provide outstanding traction for your dog. In addition, dog shoes will ensure that your dog is much more comfortable during the hike. The same goes for slippery surfaces like frosted-over roads or muddy trails.
Save Hardwood Floors: If you’ve raised a dog in a home that has hardwood floors, you probably know that a dog’s paw can do a lot of damage. Dog shoes can easily keep hardwood floors in top-notch condition.
The Best Ways to Make Easy DIY Dog Boots
Making your own dog boots is easy with these tried and true designs. Some of them require you to know how to sew and perhaps own a sewing machine, but others simply need you to have certain common household objects on hand.
Improvised DIY dog booties
Sometimes you need to whip something up quick. These designs let you protect dog paws with ordinary household objects in a short amount of time. They can be quite inelegant, but if you absolutely need to protect dog paws immediately — or if you lack sewing skills — these will do in a pinch.
Balloon Dog Booties
These are perhaps the easiest dog booties to make, as long as you have balloons or a similar material on hand. These are the DIY equivalent of disposable rubber boots, but can be made for a fraction of their cost.
The first thing that you need to do is select a balloon that will fit your dog’s feet perfectly. Try to see that the balloons you choose are made of thick, high-quality materials because they will provide the best protection. If balloons aren’t available, try to find similar waterproof material such as small rubber gloves.
Then, all you have to do is blow the balloon up a little and slip them over your dogs paws.
If you’re worried about the balloons slipping off of your dog’s paw, or if you think that the elastic at the mouth of the balloon is too tight for your dog, you can create more secure and comfier booties by putting baby socks on your dog before you put on the balloons.
Duct Tape Dog Booties
Duct tape dog booties are another great, no-sew option for dog owners. All you’ll need for this project are four scraps of fabric, duct tape, two shoelaces, and scissors.
Start the project by cutting out four rectangles with the scrap fabric. The rectangles should be large enough to completely cover your dog’s feet.
After cutting four rectangles, place them over your dog’s paw, using duct tape to secure each rectangle in place. Avoid catching any of your pup’s hair in the duct tape.
What you should end up with is essentially a makeshift shoe that’s soft fabric on the inside and tough, secure duct tape on the outside. Create a shoe tongue by cutting a small slit on both sides of each bootie.
The last step is to punch lace holes with the scissors, and loop the shoelaces or some ribbon through them to secure the booties.
This can be a bit tricky to make in such a way that’s aesthetically pleasing, but if done right, you’ll have a highly reusable set of booties on your hands.
Higher-Quality Designs
If you want something more reusable and generally higher in build quality, these designs are your go-to. Be warned that you will need at least some level of sewing skill to do these correctly.
Non-Slip Dog Booties
Non-slip dog booties can also be quite easy to make, provided you have the needed supplies. You’ll need two pairs of non-slip socks, ribbon tape, needle/thread, and scissors.
The first step is to cut out a rectangle around the anti-slip area of the socks. If you have a small dog, you’ll want to have about 1 centimeter on one side and 2.5 centimeters on the other side. If you have a bigger dog, remember to scale the measurements to their paws.
After cutting out the rectangle, lay the material flat with the non-slip side facing up and then fold in half. Sew around the edges using back or straight stitches. Make sure to leave an opening on the 2.5 centimeters side. When that’s done, it’s time to practice your sewing skills and start sewing along the toe side in a slanted line.
Once you’ve sewn the sides together, you can cut the excess fabric to make it neater. If you want a polished look, you can hem the edges of the bootie as well.
Flip the bootie inside out and then cut about 30 centimeters of ribbon tape. Cut the ribbon tape in half and sew both ribbons on the very top portion of the bootie. Test them out on your dog to find the ideal tightness, and you’re done.
Crochet Dog Booties
For dog owners who know how to crochet really well, crochet dog booties are a wonderful choice. The supplies for this project include one roll of yarn, ribbon, measuring tape, needle, and a crochet needle.
If you have advanced crocheting skills, these dog booties won’t take long to make. Before you start crocheting, remember to measure the width and length of your dog’s paws to determine how wide and long to make the dog shoes. Be sure to add a couple of inches to the length.
Once you have these measurements, create a simple slipknot and then form about seven chain stitches, going around in a circle. Make the pup shoes by using the double stitch to form stitches around the circle. After creating the dog booties to the appropriate height, weave the ribbon on the top of each bootie.
If you need extra protection, you can also layer some leather onto the booties if you have some loose leather lying around. You’ll have to wrap them up tightly around the crochet booties or socks, similar to how you would wrap the duct tape around fabric when making duct tape booties. You will also need a leather sewing needle for this, and some strong polyester or nylon thread to secure it together. Try to use a single piece of leather for each boot to minimize the chances of your dog feeling uncomfortable.
How To Get Your Pup To Wear Booties
When you try to put dog booties on your dog for the first time, there’s a good chance that he will be puzzled. To reduce any resistance, you’ll need to encourage your pup to create a positive association with the dog boots. The following are some great ways to get your furry friend to wear the boots you just made him.
Introduce Your Pup To The Dog Booties: The best way to get your dog extremely familiar with these new items is to let it sniff the dog boots. This will familiarize them with the material and make it feel less alien once they’re wearing it. You can also set them next to your dog’s crate, food bowl, or bed.
Let Your Dog Wear The Boots In Short Increments: Once your dog becomes familiar with the boots, let him wear them for short amounts of time. The ultimate goal is to get your dog used to wearing the boots.
Use Positive Reinforcement: Whenever your dog responds positively to the boots, you should reward it with some tasty treats, a new toy, or a trip to the dog park.
Remain Patient With Your Dog: In most cases, a dog will not get used to wearing boots overnight. For the best results, try to be patient with your dog. Your dog will eventually enjoy wearing its new gear.
Conclusion
Even though it’s fairly easy nowadays to get dog boots from a pet store, DIY dog boots are becoming increasingly popular.
One of the reasons why dog owners prefer DIY dog boots is because they can be customized to a dog’s foot far better than the products you can find on store shelves. DIY dog boots are also really affordable and fun to make. Since DIY dog boots are extremely comfortable, dogs love this new gear too, which is important because the overall goal of pet owners is to make their dogs happy.
The best type of dog shoe for your dog will depend on exactly why it needs this new gear. If your dog loves playing in the snow, a balloon dog shoe with a sock may be a great option. Maybe you want to protect your dog’s foot from hot pavement. If this is the case, a crochet dog shoe will do the job.
When making DIY dog shoes, always use premium materials. By using high-quality materials, your dog’s feet will be protected from virtually any element. Many high-quality materials can be found around your house or at a local store.
FAQ
1. Can you use socks as dog boots?
Yes, human socks are a fantastic material to make your own DIY paw protectors. If a dog bootie is made with a non-slip human sock, your dog is unlikely to slip on extremely slick surfaces.
A non-slip dog bootie is fairly simple to make. You just need a non-slip human sock, needle, thread, scissors, and ribbon. After cutting the non-slip part, you basically just sew the sides together and then attach the ribbon to the dog boots.
2. Can I use balloons as dog booties?
One of the most common types of DIY dog boots is made with balloons. These dog booties are extremely popular because they’re extremely easy to make. All you need for this project are balloons, baby socks, and scissors.
If balloon dog booties are made with socks, they will keep your dog warm and prevent it from slipping. Just make sure you use thick, high-quality balloons.
3. How do you make duct tape dog boots?
Duct tape dog booties are one of the easiest types of boots to make. For this project, you’ll need four scraps of fabric, duct tape, old shoelaces, and scissors.
The first step is to cut the four scraps of fabric into large rectangles that will cover your dog’s feet. The next step is to wrap your dog’s paws with the scraps of fabric, and then use duct tape to secure them in place. Lastly, create a tongue in the dog booties and lace them with an old shoelace.
4. How do I get my dog’s booties to stay on?
There are many great ways to secure a dog bootie to your dog’s paws. For many types of dog booties, you can use ribbon or tape to secure the boots.
If the ribbon or tape doesn’t work, you should ensure that the dog boots aren’t too big. You can always make another set of dog boots if they won’t stay on. For the second set of dog boots, make sure to pay close attention to the measurements.