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 On: 2008-03-23
These are very well built but just wouldnt stay on the dogs feet. They wanted to turn on his foot from the first time we put them on. I like the tread and how there are constructed. If they were higher and had two straps to hold them on I would buy a pair again to see how they work.
 On: 2008-03-03
These boots really fit and after an initial getting-used-to time the dogs didn`t care about wearing them anymore.
The customer service was absolutely first class!
On: 2007-09-10
Like some of the others who have reviewed these boots...I had some problems with the boots flipping, turning and spinning on my dogs back paws. Ruff Wear has come out with socks/boot liners that help a lot. I got some toddler socks for the dog to wear under her boots and they helped but the Ruff Wear socks arent as hot as cotton and dry faster if your dog is a mud magnet like mine.
 On: 2007-07-20
These boots display great quality materials (Vibram sole, neoprene/cordura uppers), smooth stitching and great craftsmanship. They are far better than anything else available such as Walkaboot, Ultra-Paws, Neopaws, etc). This whole shoe looks as good as any made for human children. HOWEVER, they did not fit or stay on, at least for my dog, who is like a tightly wound spring and creates a lot of traction forces when he runs and darts about.
The general design of these boots is still the same as the old version (which you may see on the clearance rack at some shops) in that the shoes only come up to the wrist, and unlike a human wrist or ankle, the width of the dogs wrist is about the same as the paws width. That means this boots single wrist strap holds about as well as a handcuff would on a cigar. My dog lost the first boot in less than 5 minutes after we started walking a wooded trail and continued to lose more at regular intervals.
Another problem with the fit was that the boots would flip upside down on the dogs feet so that he was standing on the uppers instead of the sole. For the boots that were not totally lost, I had to keep resetting them on his feet every 5-10 minutes. What allows the boot to twist around like this is that the inside of the boot is shaped like a cone, which allows the boot to rotate around on the foot. If the upper material was cut flatter and had more of a wetsuit stretch, it might resist that spinning better.
Relating to the boots ability to stay on is its "side-loading" design like a slipper, as opposed to "top loading" like a human boot. Because of this and the poor holding power of just the single Velcro strap, the boot just comes off the way a tube sock would if it were pulled down to just the ball of your foot and given a few shakes. If the boot were top loading, though, the L-shape angle of ankle to foot seam would help hold the boot on, plus there could be additional lacing up the ankle as there is on a human hi-top shoe.
Another problem with the low cut is that at the back of the boot, where ankle becomes paw, the shoe suffers from "plumber butt." That is, at the L bend between ankle and foot, the shoe material hangs open in the same way that the back of your own pants opens along your rear belt loop when you bend over. This gap at the back of the shoe allows debris such as weed seeds, foxtails, pebbles, sand and other itchy poky things to fall inside the shoe where they will irritate the dogs feet worse than having no shoes at all. This could be alleviated if the upper were cut to angle up the leg a bit more before being wrapped with a second strap. A second strap could prevent things from falling inside the shoe and assist in securing the boot on the foot.
I contacted Ruff Wear about the problems of this low-top design and they said they would be coming out with another model boot that will secure higher on the ankle in Spring or Summer 2008.
After observing the performance of the Velcro in the field, I found that with a dog that runs through all kinds of grass and brush, the "sticky" side of the Velcro quickly becomes clogged with debris, reducing its effectiveness at staying fastened. I think that the straps on these boots got clogged enough to weaken the connection enough that just brushing against things on the trail and the dogs flexing caused them to release, and make the boot just suddenly open and fall off. Perhaps old-fashioned laces would be better, or else quick-adjust buckles like are used on backpack straps. Velcro in this application seems to only be good for securing dangling slack strap.
I feel part of the reason the boots stayed on so poorly was because they were not fitting properly. If you intend to buy these boots, you need to have a look at the "alternate size chart" that is buried in the FAQ on Ruff Wears website. It is slightly different than the more common size chart that you typically see displayed near these products and it may help you pick the right size.
Also buried in their FAQ is notice that most dogs rear feet are smaller than their front feet. Because of this, their rear feet may take a smaller size than their front feet. So, if you want to get the right fit, try on some boots at an REI store first, or order boots 2 at a time from ruffwear.com (they sell individual boots now for $15 each). Otherwise, if you just buy a set of 4 boots all the same size, as they are sold at retail, you may end up with half being too big.
Because of all these problems, I had to be dealing with boots every 5-10 minutes on the hike, instead of enjoying ourselves on it. These boots are so expensive to replace, the fact that they do not stay on as designed currently is a big problem. That said, I still would much rather have a set of boots that worked than $60 or even $100.
These did not work for me. If your dog just prances gently along, or is old and moves slowly, they might work for you.
On: 2007-05-29
I own 4 sets of these boots for my dogs of varying sizes. I have used them for slightly over a year and have to say the looks of the shoes is good.
The construct, design satisfied the human aspect greatly which I have to give them credit. The material on the sole is good, but not anything on top of it. The surface of the shoe fray out too easy and the velcro will not last long especially if u use them very frequently. The blue also "discolours" or get dirty too easy...and u cant wash them off if u get mud stains without fraying and thinning the surface of the shoes.
The size is also quite weird and Im not talking about the width but rather the length of the shoe. I own XS, S, M, L and I can say there is a super big jump from S to M as well as XS to S in terms of the length of the shoe.
Like my girl, she should be wearing a XS, but with a XS, once she place her feet on the floor, the shoe will come out. Its far too small for her feet. The S is ridiculously wide, I can stuff 2 feet into 1 shoe but the length is ok. Same experience with the S and M. So end up the front and hind legs each takes 2 different sizes. So if u are buying, fitting it is the best, not just getting them online hoping it will work fine.
Overall if your place dont rain as much or have very dry running roads, this bootie is excellent. Even though it dont drop as often (provided u velcro way tight - at least they give u this option), the top material is not good. My booties die on me which usually get replaced because of the top rather than the bottom.
On: 2007-04-19
I bought these against my better judgement, in that they looked too "low cut" to stay on. But based on the intelligently written reviews here I went ahead thinking maybe .... just maybe.
Well - nope. In the case of my 3 yr old Australian Shepherd the shoes, correctly fitted and adjusted, went 4 ways to the wind when he took off after a frisbee or just had a likity-split moment.
I gave them 3 stars tho as they really do appear to be well made and quite rugged. They look good and I really wish they had worked out for us but we will have to try another brand/style I guess.
I would say that these are more for the slow paced, not the high active type of dog.
 On: 2007-04-19
I purchased a pair of these boots as Ive recently discovered one of our poms is allergic to something in our lawn (probably pollen--he licks it off his feet and it makes him sick). One of our other dogs is recovering from coccidia so we have to be very careful no one gets reinfected.
So, I decided to give these boots a try. We have tried multiple dog boots before with no luck. Most of them dont stay on our dogs very well and/or are too slippery for flat floors.
However, Bark n Boots are fantastic! As they are short, they slip on very quickly (a must if you are putting on and taking off shoes throughout the day), and the ankle-lengthed size makes it harder for our dogs to get them off.
However, as a few have said here before sizing for these boots is a tricky matter. If you go by the charts, they are a size too big. So, if you have a store that sells these boots I recommend taking your dog in to find his/her size before ordering them.
On: 2007-04-12
I bought Ruffwear boots for my dog in 2001. Those were there older boots (former model), but they were quite similar. They were absolutely great. I used them primarily for hiking, especially in areas with a lot of rocks on the hiking trails. They NEVER came off.
After my doberman died, I adopted another senior doberman and he continued to wear the same boots during hiking trips. Although he had smaller paws, and the boots were a little bit too big for him, they also never came off his paws. Last year I adopted another doberman, and because the boots got too old she had even smaller paws, I bought her a new pair of boots at Petco, for $26.99. Now I regret this. These Petco boots were cheap, but compared to the Ruffwear boots they are worthless. She wears them when she runs with me on the bicycle, but they come off sometimes, and I dont think they are very comfortable for her. Although the Ruffwear boots are much more expensive, Im gonna buy her a pair of these. By the way, all the Ruffwear stuff is made of very good quality; I also have their backpack, travel dog bowls and a travel dog bed.
On: 2007-03-31
I have a 40 pound border collie that fits perfectly into a small
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