You put the socks on and your dog stands there as if his paws no longer belong to him. Lifting them high, one step back, then completely frozen. Almost every dog does this the first time. Getting your dog used to socks is not about pushing through. It is about building up slowly. Give it a week and most dogs manage without any fuss.

Why a sock feels so strange at first

The pad of your dog's paw is packed with nerve endings. They tell him how cold the floor is, how rough the surface feels and how much grip there is underneath. It is one of his main sources of information about the ground.

Put a layer of fabric over that and part of that information disappears. Your dog walks with less feedback. Hence the high stepping, the stiff walking and in some dogs a complete stop.

It passes. The brain recalibrates within a few days, much like you do after a day in new shoes. What your dog needs for that is time plus a good association.

Getting your dog used to socks: the 7-day plan

Keep the sessions short. Stop while things are still going well, not once your dog starts pulling. That is the whole secret.

Day 1 and 2: one sock, two minutes

Put one sock on a front paw while your dog is lying down. Give a treat straight away. Leave the sock on for two minutes and take it off yourself. Two or three times a day is enough.

Your dog is not walking? That is fine. Nothing has to happen at this stage other than the sock being allowed on.

Day 3 and 4: two socks, five to ten minutes

Now both front paws. Reward as soon as the second sock is fastened and go do something fun right away. A game in the hallway, a lap around the kitchen, a handful of kibble scattered across the floor. Movement distracts from the odd sensation.

Day 5: all four socks, ten minutes

Hind paws feel different from front paws. Expect your dog to walk oddly one more time. Stay light about it and act normal. If you turn it into an event, so will your dog.

Day 6 and 7: extend to the moments that matter

Put the socks on just before the situations where your dog needs them most. Getting up out of his bed, crossing the hallway, going up the stairs. Build up to half an hour or an hour at a stretch.

From day 8 the socks can stay on for as long as your dog is active indoors. Off when he goes to sleep.

Dog walking funny with socks on: what is normal

Normal in the first few minutes:

• Lifting the paws high, as if walking through tall grass.
• Stiff or exaggeratedly careful steps.
• Standing still and staring at the paws.
• Sniffing or licking at the sock.

Not normal. These are reasons to take the socks off:

• Whining, yelping or panting when nothing else is going on.
• Pulling repeatedly at the same paw.
• Refusing to move when your dog was relaxed before you started.
• A red mark or an imprint on the paw once the sock comes off.

The last two nearly always point to sizing. Check it again with the size calculator before you train any further.

The four mistakes that drag it out

All four socks at once. By far the most common one. Four socks on day one is too much change at once for most dogs.

Rewarding at the wrong moment. Hand over the treat after you have taken the sock off and you teach your dog that the sock disappears if he waits long enough. Reward while the sock is on.

Going on too long. Five good minutes beat twenty minutes where the last ten were unpleasant. Your dog mostly remembers the ending.

Comforting at the first hesitation. Soft talk and stroking the moment your dog wavers confirms that something is wrong. Act normal. Carry on with whatever you were doing.

If your dog still refuses socks after a week

Then it is no longer about getting used to them. Work through these three, in this order.

1. The size. Too loose means the sock rotates with every step. Too tight means pinching. Both produce a dog that keeps pulling. Measure the spread paw again across its width, not around the ankle.
2. The paw itself. Overgrown nails, a split in the pad or a red patch between the toes make any sock unpleasant. There is more on this in dog licking paws.
3. The surface. A sock on carpet feels different from a sock on tiles. Some dogs accept them faster on the floor where they normally slip, because they notice the difference in grip immediately.

Still refusing? Have a look at dog keeps pulling his socks off for the causes that remain.

Small things that make a big difference

• Put the socks on while your dog is lying down, not while he is turning circles.
• Fasten the velcro firmly but not tightly. One finger should fit underneath.
• Start on a day with nothing else going on in the house.
• Let your dog sniff the sock before you put it on.
• Two sets in rotation means a dry set is always ready. That makes the routine easier to keep up.

Most dogs are through it in three to seven days. From then on what you notice is simply that they get up and walk on again on the floor where things used to go wrong. To find the right size for your dog, check the non-slip dog socks and use the size calculator there.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a dog to get used to socks?

Three to seven days with a calm build-up. Some dogs simply walk off in them straight away. If it takes longer than two weeks, something other than habituation is going on. Usually it is the size.

My dog refuses socks and just lies down. What now?

Go back to one sock for two minutes. Reward while the sock is on, never afterwards. If your dog lies down the moment anything touches his paw, have the paws checked by your vet first.

Can I go through the plan faster?

With a dog who barely minds: yes, skip day 2 and day 4. With an anxious or older dog the opposite works better. Take two weeks and keep the sessions extra short.