Cheap, Affective Dog Boots Over the years I have bought (tried) about all the ready-made dog boots on the market, as I always seem to put my dogs through "goat-heads" or cockle-burrs that end up having them stopping to pull them out of their paws or tip toeing through the patch, rather than hunting.Now being an alumni of Nebraska, I hate to give anyone from Oklahoma credit for anything, but a few good 'ole boys from Okie taught me how to make these boots and I wanted to share the idea with the membership.  Go to a motorcycle shop and buy a tire tube, in this case 2.75/3.00-21 fits my dog and will probably fit most others unless you have a big dog with big feet. Cost will be $7-$8 per tube and you can expect to get 4 sets of boots from each tube (cheap). Then, following the attached photos, cut each boot to a length of about 5 1/2 to 6 inches long, make 2 1/1/2 inch cuts down what will be the front of the boot (you have just made the tongue of the boot) and when applied to the dog's paw you will overlap the 2 edges, over the tongue, just as you would put on your own boots. Cutting a piece of duct tape, you will wrap the boot snugly around the dog's leg, making sure it is below the heel (thumb) so as not to rub the dog at this point. I fit the boot a little lower so the tape will attach to the dogs hair as well making for a better fit. Make sure you leave 1/2 inch of the boot extending below the toe nails, so the boot provides protection as the dog runs and the foot flexes in the boot.  These boots are great because: 1) they are cheap! 2) they do not rub the dog's feet raw, like cordura and other tough materials 3) they allow the dogs feet to breathe and any water that gets inside the boot quickly drains away. Give these a try, I think you will like them! good hunting, Richard
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