Dog walking boots/shoes

Author
Discussion

PositronicRay

Original Poster:

26,957 posts

182 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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Needs to be waterproof, I don't find boots give me that much more support so happy with shoes.

My Brashers have given up the ghost @ only 2 yrs old so what to replace them with? I only do 1-2hrs per day usually.
I've some trainer type walking shoes for when it's not too bad and wellies for when it really gets sticky, prefer leather any recommendations?.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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I bought a pair of these

http://www.berghaus.com/mens-expeditor-active-aq-t...

for the summer in preparation for a walking holiday in Yorkshire with the dogs, I've always just thrown on wellies or a pair of trainers, invariably with the trainers I'd get wet feet and there was poor grip when muddy, the wellies just make your feet hot, they are not leather but they are waterproof and they are bloody comfy and very grippy, I wear them all the time when out with my 3.


Never you mind

1,507 posts

111 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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Wife has some Meindl boots. Had them for a few years with zero problems. Meant to be really comfortable as well.

Ranger 6

7,042 posts

248 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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I've just bought some Lowa GTX boots - not too heavy and good waterproofing (having stepped into a Welsh bog last week!).

They do a walking version too which is more of a trainer than a boot.

I'd recommend them.

jackthelad1984

838 posts

180 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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I've got some salomon quest goretex boots, shop about on the web and can be had for a bargain, think I paid about £75ish, by far the comfiest boots I have had.

Pesty

42,655 posts

255 months

Monday 6th November 2017
quotequote all
Never you mind said:
Wife has some Meindl boots. Had them for a few years with zero problems. Meant to be really comfortable as well.
Mine will outlast me I'm sure.

Remember leather boots still need treating from time to time I use meindl wax 3 or so times a year.
They have never failed.

tonyb1968

1,156 posts

145 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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PositronicRay said:
Needs to be waterproof, I don't find boots give me that much more support so happy with shoes.

My Brashers have given up the ghost @ only 2 yrs old so what to replace them with? I only do 1-2hrs per day usually.
I've some trainer type walking shoes for when it's not too bad and wellies for when it really gets sticky, prefer leather any recommendations?.
If you are sticking to paths then walking shoes are fine, if you are going off road then you really do need a boot, a good one will support you ankle far better than any shoe (my friend found this out when he slipped and really knackered his ankle up on a path, pins, plate etc later.....)

I would look at Alt Berg, based up in Richmond, North Yorkshire, you can either visit their shop and get some made or go off the shelf there, you can also pick up a good pair at recommended retailers, spare laces a must as is the wax to go with them.
They can be re soled which saves you having to throw them out once worn, but they are not the cheapest but they are very good, I have 3 pairs for various scenario's (hiking, dog walking etc), or if you are lucky, you may be able to pick a pair up from your local army surplus store wink

http://www.altberg.co.uk/

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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PositronicRay said:
Dog walking boots/shoes.


There you go, Billy....

numtumfutunch

4,704 posts

137 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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Coincidentally my dog walking shoes/general slobbing around footwear is up for renewal too

Ive just worn out a pair of Scarpa Margaritas after 3-4 years, this is very good for me
They're worn all day long all year long, are very comfy and have the advantage of being Goretex so laugh at winter dog walks too

If its really muddy I wear wellies or full on boots, likewise if the going is technical, but for wet grass and gentle moorland walks theyre perfect. The grey ones are fairly stealthy too, I find some approach shoes look like youre trying to make too much of an effort to look like Bear Grylls.

The main downer is that they are now fairly spendy, Ive bookmarked the previously mentioned Berghaus shoe and I'll see how the thread evolves

Cheers

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Monday 6th November 2017
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numtumfutunch said:
Ive bookmarked the previously mentioned Berghaus shoe and I'll see how the thread evolves

Cheers
I've used Scarpa for years and as a waterproof summer walking shoe/boot they're unbeatable. Winter times with mud/snow I go up to a waterproof Lowa boot. Slightly higher on the ankle but not a full on solid walking boot as appears is still the (slightly mystifying) norm. I wouldn't buy a Berghaus boot, but IMO they make the best waterproof trousers!

PositronicRay

Original Poster:

26,957 posts

182 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
tonyb1968 said:
PositronicRay said:
Needs to be waterproof, I don't find boots give me that much more support so happy with shoes.

My Brashers have given up the ghost @ only 2 yrs old so what to replace them with? I only do 1-2hrs per day usually.
I've some trainer type walking shoes for when it's not too bad and wellies for when it really gets sticky, prefer leather any recommendations?.
If you are sticking to paths then walking shoes are fine, if you are going off road then you really do need a boot, a good one will support you ankle far better than any shoe (my friend found this out when he slipped and really knackered his ankle up on a path, pins, plate etc later.....)

I would look at Alt Berg, based up in Richmond, North Yorkshire, you can either visit their shop and get some made or go off the shelf there, you can also pick up a good pair at recommended retailers, spare laces a must as is the wax to go with them.
They can be re soled which saves you having to throw them out once worn, but they are not the cheapest but they are very good, I have 3 pairs for various scenario's (hiking, dog walking etc), or if you are lucky, you may be able to pick a pair up from your local army surplus store wink

http://www.altberg.co.uk/
They sound the business, localish stockist as well!

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
tonyb1968 said:
If you are sticking to paths then walking shoes are fine, if you are going off road then you really do need a boot, a good one will support you ankle far better than any shoe (my friend found this out when he slipped and really knackered his ankle up on a path, pins, plate etc later.....)
High-ish walking boots may offer a bit more support, but they won't stop you hurting your ankle (myth) and if the slip is bad enough you'll merely break your leg instead. Far better to walk with normal height walking shoes and let your ankles have the range of motion they require to remain flexible enough to cope with the odd twist and slip. Further, if you allow for some ankle ROM then recovery from any tendon/ligament injury will be far quicker. Something sports docs realised decades ago but the walking industry has yet to catch on. Far better to do some stretching and strengthening work on your ankles.

I guess if you need to attach crampons then something very solid is a requirement. But Altberg for dog walking??

tonyb1968 said:
I would look at Alt Berg,
I had some Altberg bike boots some 15 years ago. Very good boot, hideously expensive, overkill for my biking needs.

tonyb1968

1,156 posts

145 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
popeyewhite said:
tonyb1968 said:
If you are sticking to paths then walking shoes are fine, if you are going off road then you really do need a boot, a good one will support you ankle far better than any shoe (my friend found this out when he slipped and really knackered his ankle up on a path, pins, plate etc later.....)
High-ish walking boots may offer a bit more support, but they won't stop you hurting your ankle (myth) and if the slip is bad enough you'll merely break your leg instead. Far better to walk with normal height walking shoes and let your ankles have the range of motion they require to remain flexible enough to cope with the odd twist and slip. Further, if you allow for some ankle ROM then recovery from any tendon/ligament injury will be far quicker. Something sports docs realised decades ago but the walking industry has yet to catch on. Far better to do some stretching and strengthening work on your ankles.

I guess if you need to attach crampons then something very solid is a requirement. But Altberg for dog walking??

tonyb1968 said:
I would look at Alt Berg,
I had some Altberg bike boots some 15 years ago. Very good boot, hideously expensive, overkill for my biking needs.
Now I never said that high legged or ankle boots stop you getting injuries, I said they give better support, and modern boots do, if going over any rough ground you really only have 2 options, bare foot so the ankle works how its suppose ti, or boots that support the ankle further.

Walking shoes are good for light path walking, anything rougher then a good supportive boot is what you need.
There are akso reasons you would choose a boot over a shoe, water proof protection from small streams, wet grass and boggy area's are one, nothing like losing a shoe in a bog to make your day wink
And to be honest with you, whilst out walking, I have never suffered any real injury in boots, but that friend of mine in the last post I did? He was wearing shoes and walking on a very good path, he disclocated his ankle, spiral fracture to both his tib and fib, 9 months to a year recovery time, with a more supportive boot, any injury would have been far less severe.

As for taking the dogs out in boots, when you have moors on your door step (rough, muddy and slippery), they are the best choice of footware for the job wink

PositronicRay

Original Poster:

26,957 posts

182 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
After a disappointing shopping trip

a) High prices
b) Sizes out of stock
c) Lines not carried

I wound up ordering another pair of Berghaus, but Hillmaster instead of the previous Hillwalker though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berghaus-Hillmaster-Hikin...

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
tonyb1968 said:
Now I never said that high legged or ankle boots stop you getting injuries, I said they give better support, and modern boots do, if going over any rough ground you really only have 2 options, bare foot so the ankle works how its suppose ti, or boots that support the ankle further.
You inferred it, but anyway the above is incorrect. They do not give better support, there is no evidence to back that claim up. It's a total myth proscribed by a multi million £ industry. In Wainright's day we knew no better, now we do:
High ankle boots may increase likelihood of knee and hip injury by simply moving the twisting movement upwards: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15475130
40% of ankle injuries can be avoided altogether in a sport with far more violent movements - football - by using preventative measures. ie ankle strengthening, flexibility and balance. http://newsroom.aaos.org/media-resources/news/prev...
tonyb1968 said:
As for taking the dogs out in boots, when you have moors on your door step (rough, muddy and slippery), they are the best choice of footware for the job wink
There's nowhere you've gone on the moors that trail/fell runners haven't. And they run in shoes that allow full ankle ROM and in contrast to big, bulky, hugely over engineered and hugely over priced walking boots their shoes are just goretex trainers with a slightly reinforced sole. AND they take the dog with them sometimes smile

tonyb1968

1,156 posts

145 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
popeyewhite said:
tonyb1968 said:
Now I never said that high legged or ankle boots stop you getting injuries, I said they give better support, and modern boots do, if going over any rough ground you really only have 2 options, bare foot so the ankle works how its suppose ti, or boots that support the ankle further.
You inferred it, but anyway the above is incorrect. They do not give better support, there is no evidence to back that claim up. It's a total myth proscribed by a multi million £ industry. In Wainright's day we knew no better, now we do:
High ankle boots may increase likelihood of knee and hip injury by simply moving the twisting movement upwards: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15475130
40% of ankle injuries can be avoided altogether in a sport with far more violent movements - football - by using preventative measures. ie ankle strengthening, flexibility and balance. http://newsroom.aaos.org/media-resources/news/prev...
tonyb1968 said:
As for taking the dogs out in boots, when you have moors on your door step (rough, muddy and slippery), they are the best choice of footware for the job wink
There's nowhere you've gone on the moors that trail/fell runners haven't. And they run in shoes that allow full ankle ROM and in contrast to big, bulky, hugely over engineered and hugely over priced walking boots their shoes are just goretex trainers with a slightly reinforced sole. AND they take the dog with them sometimes smile
First part, totally incorrect and no proof for hill walkers, it refers to athletes rather than walkers, athletes will do fast motion movements where as walking doesn't, it proves precisely nothing.

Fell trainers are also totally useless, do you know why they are made out of gortex or a similar material? Just to dry them out quicker and it makes them pretty pointless for walking in if you have wet feet (trust me, wet feet are not nice when walking any distance), and the initial problem is that they have exactly the same issue as a walking shoe or boot, and you need to understand why that is, and you point out that they have a reinforced sole, that in itself is a major issue in causing knee injuries.

2 things that the human body wasn't designed to do that cause issues, running for extended periods of time and wearing any form of foot ware, both increase risk of injury through shock/stress on joints, bones and muscles, boots on their own do cause restrictions, so do shoes and trainers, actually all footware as none of them do what a foot is suppose to do perfectly.

We basically no longer know how to walk properly, again its another issue that you can look at, just see exactly how much lateral movement your ankle gets in a shoe whilst walking to work, the answer is virtually zero, flat pavements for you.

Back to the main issue, for rough terrain, you wont beat a boot over a trainer or shoe, yes slightly less restriction in movement in the ankle, this can be offset by lacing the boot up properly (which will give you better movement whilst still giving better support, and it does give better support), the size of boot, either high leg or ankle, will be more suited, the only option that gives you anywhere near better movement is bare foot, and its no joke, it would take you a considerable time to learn to walk bare foot again over rough ground, once done you would be better off than any shoe, less shock (due to hard soles on shoes) and better movement as that is how we are suppose to walk, nothing will beat it across any terrain as footware in any form does not replicate the natural movement of walking.

Pesty

42,655 posts

255 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
What a strange debate on a animal section.


My boots give me more angle support. I have some that don't and some that do. Walking on u even ground on the ones that don't is painful and I'm more likely to go over.

Your milage may vary. If you are not walking in uneven ground it's not much in it.

Age, fitness and weight play a part too. At my age weight and fitness I need strong boots.

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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tonyb1968 said:
First part, totally incorrect and no proof for hill walkers, it refers to athletes rather than walkers, athletes will do fast motion movements where as walking doesn't, it proves precisely nothing.
I'm not sure if you're serious here.

tonyb1968 said:
Fell trainers are also totally useless, do you know why they are made out of gortex or a similar material? Just to dry them out quicker and it makes them pretty pointless for walking in if you have wet feet (trust me, wet feet are not nice when walking any distance), and the initial problem is that they have exactly the same issue as a walking shoe or boot, and you need to understand why that is, and you point out that they have a reinforced sole, that in itself is a major issue in causing knee injuries.
OK now I know you have no idea what you're talking about. biggrin

tonyb1968 said:
2 things that the human body wasn't designed to do that cause issues, running for extended periods of time ...
You've already satisfied the criteria for having no knowledge whatsoever about the subject under discussion. But here you add to that. Just to enlighten you - humans have evolved SPECIFICALLY to be able to run long distances - this is called a training effect wherein shocks to joints from impacts such as running builds greater strength in them by increasing collagen in ligaments and tendons, synovial fluid in jointsetc.

tonyb1968 said:
..and wearing any form of foot ware, both increase risk of injury through shock/stress on joints, bones and muscles, boots on their own do cause restrictions, so do shoes and trainers, actually all footware as none of them do what a foot is suppose to do perfectly.
Lets just accept that we're not living on the plains of Africa and need to protect the soles of our feet eh?

tonyb1968 said:
We basically no longer know how to walk properly, again its another issue that you can look at, just see exactly how much lateral movement your ankle gets in a shoe whilst walking to work, the answer is virtually zero, flat pavements for you.
Good. Then we're agreed lack of ankle movement is bad. and you've agreed high boots can be restrictive. Now, where does that leave us? smile

tonyb1968 said:
Back to the main issue, for rough terrain,
That's not the main issue confused
tonyb1968 said:
..you wont beat a boot over a trainer or shoe, yes slightly less restriction in movement in the ankle, this can be offset by lacing the boot up properly (which will give you better movement whilst still giving better support, and it does give better support), the size of boot, either high leg or ankle, will be more suited, the only option that gives you anywhere near better movement is bare foot, and its no joke, it would take you a considerable time to learn to walk bare foot again over rough ground, once done you would be better off than any shoe, less shock (due to hard soles on shoes) and better movement as that is how we are suppose to walk, nothing will beat it across any terrain as footware in any form does not replicate the natural movement of walking.
Sorry, you seem to have deviated somewhat from the discussion. I'm not interested whether a boot is suited to different terrain from a shoe, the discussion concerns the restriction in ankle flexibility from high boots and the propensity this causes not only for greater ankle injuries in general, but also associated injuries to the knee and hip. I have provided research proof that shows ankle flexibility is valuable to preventing ankle injury - something that high boots don't allow - and I have provided research proof that shows when high boots are worn it's likely in a fall injuries are just transferred further up the body. If you continue to believe the high boot ankle protection myth then that's up to you - you can't lead a horse to water/ a fool and his money are easily parted and a number of other idioms spring to mind... .

popeyewhite

19,622 posts

119 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
Pesty said:
What a strange debate on a animal section.
Apologies. Don't get me started on walking poles! biggrin

Pesty said:
My boots give me more angle support. I have some that don't and some that do. Walking on u even ground on the ones that don't is painful and I'm more likely to go over.

Your milage may vary. If you are not walking in uneven ground it's not much in it.

Age, fitness and weight play a part too. At my age weight and fitness I need strong boots.
As a sports coach I assure you the single best thing for your ankles would be a program of flexibility/strength/balance training to make them stronger. You mention your ankles can become painful though - braces might be a better option than high ankle boots, may be worth looking into.

Pesty

42,655 posts

255 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
Thanks but the boots do me fine


When I was young and fit I used approach shoes or fell running trainers


Now I'm not and a bit too many pies and beers over recent years don't help.