Dog Boots Guide: Which Hendricks and Maple Shoes Are Right For Your Dog?

Glass on the trail. Scorching hot pavement in January. Sharp gravel and loose rock on a Blue Mountains fire trail. Your dog's paws deal with more on a daily walk than most of us ever stop to notice.

Dog Boots are not a novelty - they can protect your dogs paws from the extremes, burning hot asphalt or freezing cold ground, from injury or allergy, or protect your indoor flooring from claw marks and scratches. All Hendricks and Maple shoes come in a set of 4 - because your dog has four paws!

Dog boots aren't just for cold, snowy climates. Here in Australia they earn their keep in extreme heat and extreme cold, on rough terrain that can hide broken glass, sharp rocks, sticks and stones, and for dogs whose paws are allergy-prone to grasses and everything else they brush past on a walk. Boots also keep paws clean on a muddy day, protect injured paws recovering from surgery or injury, and come into their own around water — on a boat, a paddleboard or a surfboard, where wet, slippery decks and bare paws don't mix.

A good set of boots means better grip, cleaner floors back home, and paws that stay dry through damp weather instead of sitting wet for hours.

We carry four different styles of dog boots, each suited to a different kind of dog and a different kind of adventure. Here's how to tell them apart, and how to get the sizing right, which is genuinely one of the trickiest parts of buying boots for your dog.

Before you choose a size, read this

All of our shoe ranges are curated products, and each one uses its manufacturer's own size chart, which is exactly why the sizing systems look so different from one style to the next. It also means there's only one reliable way to size a dog for boots, and it isn't guesswork based on breed or weight - you absolutely need to measure their paws and look at the size charts.

Always measure a paw by having your dog stand on a piece of paper and tracing around their paw. Take the paper and measure the widest part for the width and longest part for the length. Trim claws prior if they are on the long side to keep your measurements accurate and avoid damaging the front of the shoes.

Stand your dog on a piece of paper. Trace around their paw while they're standing and bearing weight, not sitting, not with the paw lifted, because a paw spreads out when it takes weight, and the boot needs room for that spread. Once you've got the outline, measure both the width and the length, at the widest points, with a ruler and write down your measurements and check both against the size chart for the specific style you're buying. Remember the dogs paw has to fit inside the boots, when you are comparing your measurements and most size charts will give you an inside boot measurement.

TIP: Trim your dogs claws before measuring if they are long for a more accurate fit and take claws into account with your measurements, sharp excessively long claws will damage the front of the shoes.

If your dog's claws are on the longer side, trim them first, as overlong claws can otherwise catch and damage the front fabric of the boot as well and this can give a false length. You would also need to factor in the fluff for a very curly coat or thick coat breed too as this all has to fit inside the boot if you dont shave the feet down.

Sizing really is the hardest part of buying boots, more than almost anything else we sell. Which is why so many stores do not sell them. We can't guess for you - or guarantee a great fit but if you get it wrong, we're always happy to exchange for the correct size, or refund you if we don't currently have your size in stock. We can't cover return shipping for an exchange, but we're genuinely happy to keep trying with you until the fit is right. As with all our exchanges and refunds, boots need to be unworn (trying them on is completely fine), unused, undamaged and in original condition.

Tippy Taps Dog Boots — everyday adventure boots for small paws

Tippy Taps Dog Boots are small sized boots with front zipper easy on and easy off, velcro straps to tighten around the ankle and rubber soles. Available in sizes 1-5. Two types - a waterproof style as shown here in the PUCCI designer print - "Pink Parfait" and a breathable range made of mesh like fabric. PUCCI designer print "Maple Syrup" and suede like fabric colours in CAMEL and BLACK are also available. See the full range here.

Tippy Taps are a very small-sized boot, built for small dogs with small paws. They come in two styles — "Waterproof", in Camel Suede, Black Suede, Maple Syrup Print (designer) and Pink Parfait Print (designer), and "Breathable", in Sand, Night, Red Rock and Sea — with non-slip rubber soles, an easy on-off zipper, and adjustable reflective velcro straps for visibility. Five sizes, #1 through #5, measured at the widest point of the paw. If your dog measures close between two sizes, it may be best to go up a size.

The breathables range are made from mesh fabric that is better for hot climates. These are the colour RED ROCK, we have SAND, SEA and NIGHT colour options as well. Check them all out here.

Tippy Taps are only suitable for smaller breeds.

Dog UGG Boots — cosy, faux-fur-lined comfort

DOG UGGs are faux fur lined boots. They are a very small make with size 1 fitting my finger! Here is Hazelnut as a puppy wearing the Daffodfil DOG UGGs. As an adult my mini labradoodles now fit a size 6 in DOG UGGs. These open at the top and the paw has to fit inside completely and the velcro strap wraps around and holds them on with rubber sole, perfect for cold climate wear and snow to keep warm.

Dog UGG Boots are also a very small-sized boot range. Faux fur lined and finished with a non-slip sole, they come in eleven colours — Scarlett, Turquoise, Bubble Gum, Pewter, Coal, Snakeskin, Daffodil, Mandarin, Fudge, Ash Grey and Tobacco — across eight sizes, #1 through #8. Because these run small, size #1 is genuinely tiny, fitting a finger. I know a Yorkie, Toy Poodle and small Chihuahua that wears size 2 DOG UGGs but again - you must measure.

DOG UGGs Size Chart and how to measure instructions. See the whole range here.

Measure both the width and the length of your dog's paw and check both against the chart the same as you measure for any shoes, and remember the faux fur lining takes up a little room inside the boot, so factor that in alongside your raw measurement.

As a real example, our own small Labradoodles fit a size 6. Weight can give you a rough starting point, but paw size doesn't always scale with body weight in the way you'd expect, so always measure rather than estimate from your dog's weight alone - even if we've listed it. Our suggestions are based on in practice what seems to fit but you should always go with your measurements over any suggested weight or breed.

Luna at the Pound Paws Dogs Day wearing our DOG UGGs in the colour SNAKESKIN (size 6) - she won best dressed in her ensemble at the event.

Dog UGG Boots are wipe-clean only, so please don't machine wash or submerge them. Remove the shipping wadding before the first wear, I usually try and remember to do this for you before shipping when I'm packing them and know that velcro wearing down over time is completely normal.

POD Dog Boots — the wraparound option, and the best one for Greyhounds

Joanie the Greyhound in our PODs Dog Boots in Black (size XL) her owner said they were the best shoes for greyhounds he had ever tried. Because the greyhound has slender legs but big paws these boots' wrap around design is perfect for them.

POD Dog Boots are made from a neoprene, wetsuit-style fabric with rubber soles and a wraparound double-velcro design, available in Black, Olive and Slate Grey across six sizes, XS through XXL, with a reflective strip for low-light visibility. They are our most popular style of dog boots that fit most breeds and very popular with greyhounds due to their ability to wrap around a slender leg. They also because of this design also wrap nicely around a chunkier leg too and are a great fit for larger dogs filling the gap between our smaller sized dog shoes for our larger breeds.

The sizing rule here is a little different - often you are encouraged if close to go up a size however with PODs, size close to your dog's actual paw measurement, rather than size up. The whole paw needs to sit inside the rubber sole, or the dog ends up walking on the neoprene fabric itself, which tears with wear and we find in practice majority of people get them too big and return them for a smaller pair using the same sizing guidelines as with other dog shoes and sizing upwards - so aim to go as close to your dogs paw measurements with these as you can.

The design of this boot is perfect for many different breeds and they are available now in size XS up to XXL. My mini labradoodles wear size M, Hendricks a medium labradoodle wears size L.

As real examples, our small Labradoodles wear a size M, our medium Labradoodle wears a size L, and most Greyhounds fit a size XL, with some larger hounds fitting XXL. The manufacturers size chart does list a size XXXL, but we've never been able to source it in any colour, so please don't rely on it being available as it is listed but I dont stock it.

PODs are the one style in our whole range that genuinely suits Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds and Whippets. It isn't just about paw size, the wraparound velcro design adjusts to fit their slender, narrow legs in a way a pull-on boot simply can't, which is why Greyhound owners tend to love them. They also appeal to larger dog breed owners too, unless the paw is not only longer but also much wider - then they tend to favour the BIG DOG BOOTS instead.

The PODs wraparound style are perfect for finer legged breeds like Greyhounds and chunkier legs alike. They are made from neoprene, with rubber soles and currently stocked in three colours - black, slate and olive.

Once the paw is in, they wrap from both sides to secure the paw. Whether you use them indoors to protect your flooring, or outdoors to protect their paws, these boots are a very popular design.

PODs Dog Boots fit most breeds. They use velcro to attach. For my own dogs I've added a long Kam Snap to them to keep them fastened which can be done easily yourself.

POD Boots are machine washable on a delicate cycle, or you can rinse them clean, air dry only, no tumble dryer. As with the others, we're happy to exchange for a different size if needed, as long as they're unworn, unused and in original condition; return postage isn't something we can cover.

POD Dog Boots great for all terrain situations with easy to clean neoprene, just rinse after use.

Big Dog Boots

Big Dog Boots are available in these colours - see them all here.

Big Dog Boots are made from a breathable mesh fabric with non-slip rubber soles and velcro adjustment straps, plus reflective detailing for low light. They come in five colours — Orange (a genuinely bright fluoro, brighter than it photographs), Khaki, Black, Red and Blue — but only in two sizes, #7 and #8, which we can only bring in very limited stock. Larger sizes are genuinely hard for us to source, so if you spot your size in stock, it's worth not waiting too long.

Big Dog Boots we only stock in sizes #7 and #8 as they are slightly different style in case your dog can not fit the PODs Dog Boots - the opening overall is also wider for an easy on and off. Double velcro ankle straps with reflective strip for better night and low light visibility.

As with the others, measure your dog's paw standing and trace it on paper, then match the widest points in both width and length to the size chart. These shoes are typically larger than the PODs sizing.

Big Dog Boots aren't suitable for Greyhounds, whose paws are large but very narrow. POD Dog Boots is the right choice for them instead.

What is our Dog Boots Guide: Which boot is right for your dog?

If your dog has small paws and you want an everyday, adventure-ready boot, start with Tippy Taps. If you want something cosy and faux-fur-lined for a small dog in the snow or really cold climate, Dog UGG Boots is the one. If your dog is a Greyhound, Italian Greyhound or Whippet, or you simply want the closest, most adjustable wraparound fit at any size, POD Dog Boots is the only style built for that. And if your dog has very big and very wide paws, the Big Dog Boots is there for sizes #7 and #8, and may be your best option. Also DO NOT GUESS their size - you must measure their paw, correctly, with them standing on a piece of paper spreading their paw slightly as they would when they walk.

A quick note on stock

All four of our boot styles are curated designs we source and purchase and larger sizes in particular can be genuinely hard for us to get hold of, Dog UGG Boots sizes #6, #7 and #8 especially. If the size you need is out of stock, it's always worth checking back or getting in touch, and we're happy to let you know if a restock is on the way.

Whatever the terrain, the weather or the adventure, there's a good chance we've got a boot for it. Browse the full range of dog boots at Hendricks and Maple, and if you're ever unsure on sizing, send us a message before you order, we'd always rather help you get it right the first time but we can only go by your measurements and the manufacturers size charts provided but some times we can tell by looking at the size of the sole as well and give you some extra details that might make the fit right first time. If you do get it wrong - we are happy to exchange or refund.

That's our full dog boots guide — whatever the terrain, the weather or the adventure, there's a good chance we've got the right boot for it. Browse the complete range of dog boots and shoes at Hendricks and Maple, and if you're ever unsure on sizing, send us a message before you order. We'd always rather help you get it right the first time than have you guess.