Putting Socks On Your Dog – So many options!
Wonderful! You have purchased socks for your dog. You’ve solved the questions of which brand to get, what size do you need, and OMG which color to pick. They look so small! How can you possibly put them on?
Put them on like you put your own socks on.
Put two, or three, or four fingers inside the sock. Stretch it as much as possible. Scoot down to the toe (gathering up the sock material as you go). Stretch even more when you reach the toe area, and put your dog’s toe right there. Slide the sock up the leg and remove your fingers. You’re done!
- The pros: the toe goes in the toe area, and you won’t need to yank and pull to get it there later.
- The cons: by definition, the sock should fit like skin, meaning there isn’t a lot of room for your fingers AND your dog’s paw together in the sock. It’s going to be tight, but just for a second or so (while you slide the sock on and up the leg.)
Roll the top of the sock over and over until you reach the toe
The number of rolls to reach the toe should be in the range of 3 to 10 rolls, depending on the size of the sock. When you get to the toe, stretch it, put your dog’s toe in the toe area, and then unroll the sock as you go towards the heel, continuing up the leg.
- The pros: the toe goes in the toe area, the sock is on properly, and you won’t need to yank and pull to get it on right.
- The cons: it may take longer than just scooting down to the toe and sliding the sock on. It could also be harder to stretch given the multiple “layers” or rolls of folded sock.
Use a tool to put the sock on.
Tools like our Power On™ Tool do the stretching for you, eliminating the need to put your fingers inside. The sock stretches over the tool, then the tool (with the sock on) slides onto the dog’s paw. Slide the tool off, and repeat.
- The pros: This is the fastest way to put the socks on. With very little instruction, and a very small investment, anyone can get all four socks on in 10-20 seconds. The tool will be reused for years! Also, the greatest efficiency comes when you “load” four tubes at once so you can move from one paw to the next without letting the dog go then calling them back multiple times.
- The cons: It’s a small add-on cost to the sock cost (about $7.00 or $8.00 for a set of four), but that’s a one-time investment. Also, the sock might be a challenge to get on the tube the first time.
Clearly, socks will be a little tricky to put on, especially if you are used to just sliding on and tightening a shoe. Socks need to stretch to become the size of the paw. Your reward for that effort? Socks that fit like skin, are completely comfortable, and allow the dog to walk normally. Your dog will love you for getting socks!
Find out more about socks versus shoes, figuring out fit questions, and weather related topics like heat or snow in other blog posts from Woodrow Wear.
(I’ll share the photos when I get them. Put them where you think is the right spot. Is this enough photos, or do you need more? Photos coming will be… 1. Sock scooting to the toe, 2. Sock rolling down to the toe, and 3, sock loaded on a Power On™ tool.)