Lemmy was my first trail hiking dog. It was with him that I discovered many of the places I continue to hike today.  During our first winter I was in my local pet supply store and I saw Musher’s Secret.  The product is a wax that bonds to your dogs paws to protect it in winter conditions and prevent snow from balling up.  I bought it to use on Lemmy’s paws because we had been hiking just about every weekend.  Plus, we were going on daily 5K walks so I thought it would be a good idea.

I used it during that first winter and Lemmy experienced no problems with his paws.  I found the product did not prevent snow from balling up in his paws though- something Musher’s Secret is suppose to prevent.  I did try different approaches to figure out why snow kept balling up in his paws.  I kept the fur trimmed down between his paws but that did not seem to matter.  I also tried applying Musher’s Secret with the Goldy Locks method: too much, too little and just the right amount.  Nothing seemed to make a difference.

The next winter I decided to do an experiment and not use it again.  I wanted to see if there was a difference.  If Lemmy started to experience issues with his paws I planned to begin using it again.  I wanted to make sure it was actually doing something for him.  The second winter went the same as the first, Lemmy had no problems with his paws except for the fact snow would ball up in them.

I determined that Musher’s Secret might very well be a great product for sled dogs or working dogs that deal with adverse winter conditions.  However, for my activities it did not seem to matter.  For the record I would consider my winter outdoor activities with my dogs to be above average.  During a typical week we walk/ hike about 20 miles (35 kilometers) in all conditions.  So I am comfortable in saying that for the average dog owner I do not recommend this product.  So long as you pay attention to how your dog is handling the winter conditions, you can keep his paws in good condition.