Do Dog Toe Grips Work? Grips vs Socks vs Rugs Compared

Do dog toe grips work?

Dog toe grips have not been shown to work. The two peer-reviewed studies of Dr. Buzby’s ToeGrips found small gait changes in healthy dogs and no recovery benefit after knee surgery, and neither tested a senior dog with chronic slipping.

Toe grips are small rubber rings that slide onto a dog’s weight-bearing nails. The idea is that the rubber touches the floor where bare nails skid. The maker says the rings last 1 to 3 months. Here is what the two studies found and what they left out.

Study	Dogs	Surface and design	Result	What it did not test
Roush, Moore and Renberg, Kansas State University, 2017	15 healthy dogs, 3.5 to 37 kg (7.7 to 81.6 lb)	Pressure platform in a walkway covered with a 2 mm rubber mat. About 5 minutes of leash walking with grips on	Stance time rose 11.2 to 21.1%. Hindlimb peak force fell 4.9 to 7.3%. Authors called the changes “unlikely to be clinically relevant”	Friction was not measured. No dogs with arthritis or nerve disease. Ages not reported
Randomized, blinded trial, University of Florida and Animal Medical Center, 2022	30 dogs after knee (TPLO) surgery, mean age about 6.7 years (range 2 to 11). 13 real grips, 17 sham grips	Two weeks of wear, glued on all 16 weight-bearing nails. Sham grips had no traction surface	No difference in lameness score, pressure index or owner-rated walking on slippery floors (p = 0.78)	Senior dogs as a group (ages ran 2 to 11). Recovery beyond two weeks. No group without any grips

Both studies had the maker supply the grips, and both authors declared no conflict of interest. The 2022 study reported that one dog in the real-grip group developed mild redness between the toes and one licked a foot. Both resolved without treatment.

The 2017 test floor was a rubber mat, not a slippery surface, so it says little about traction on tile. The 2022 study measured surgical recovery in dogs with a mean age under 7, using lameness scores from a tiled hallway and owner ratings. Neither one answers the question an owner of a 13-year-old with arthritis is asking.

Boots have been studied for gait and loading: a 2022 study of rubber boots in five Labrador Retrievers measured ground forces, not traction, and no slippery floor was tested. For socks, paw adhesive and rugs, the evidence is vet and owner experience, so no option has proof it “works best”.

Grips vs socks vs boots vs rugs: how do they compare?

Toe grips, socks, boots, paw adhesive and rugs fail in different ways, so the right pick depends on the floor and on what goes wrong for your dog.

Option	How it adds traction	Best on	Common failure	Upkeep
Toe grips (nail rings)	Rubber on the nail tip meets the floor. Paw stays uncovered	Hard indoor floors	Hard to fit. Sized by nail circumference. Come off. Dragging feet wear them quickly	Maker: 1 to 3 months per set
Grip socks	Fabric with a rubber sole covers the paw	Hardwood, tile, laminate	Fit varies by dog and no traction testing exists. Cover the toes, which the maker says dulls foot feedback	Wash and replace as the sole wears
Rubber boots	Rubber sole and straps	Indoors and out	One vet blog says thin rubber boots trap moisture with long wear and can fit tightly	Remove daily to check skin
Paw adhesive with rubber granules	Sticks to the pads	Smooth floors	One clinic blog reports weekly reapplication	Weekly, per that report
Rugs, runners, mats with grip backing	Floor changes, not the dog	A route, a bed, the food area	Gaps between rugs leave bare floor	Replace when worn or curled

Sources: the ToeGrips FAQ, the maker’s sock page, the West Park Veterinary Hospital review and the Dog Aging Project. The vet-blog rows on boots and adhesive describe one dog with an unnamed neurologic disease, written in 2018.

How do ToeGrips compare with grip socks?

ToeGrips leave the paw uncovered and last weeks, while grip socks cover the paw and come off daily.

The maker, which sells ToeGrips, argues that covering the foot reduces the dog’s feel for the ground and traps sweat. That is the maker’s claim, and no study has tested it. The maker also says the grips “do not need to be removed daily,” unlike socks.

Fit is the weak point of grips. They are sized by nail circumference after trimming, and the maker says they should fit snugly and may need alcohol to slide on. A sponsored review of one dog reported needing a helper, daily fit checks and adjusting thin nails. If you cannot handle your dog’s paws, the maker says you will not be able to apply them alone and suggests asking a vet’s office.

Socks avoid the nail-fitting step, but no test of how well they stay on exists. Check the fit while the dog stands and walks, and take them off if the dog stops using the foot.

How do I stop my old dog slipping on the floor?

The Dog Aging Project’s first step is to limit a senior dog’s access to slick floors, and to be present when the dog has to cross one.

Its other advice comes in three parts:

• Rugs and mats. Use area rugs or entryway mats with gripping material on the back, or front and back, where your dog sleeps and in high-traffic areas.
• Nails. Keep toenails short so the dog can use its paw pads for traction.
• Gear. Rubber gripping booties or socks, or products that go around the nails, are options. It warns to take care with nail products on a dog that chews things.

If slipping is new, or the back legs fold or cross, treat it as a health problem first. Our guide to an old dog’s back legs giving out lists which signs need a vet the same day. If your dog needs to be lifted, see sling versus lift harness. For steps and car access, compare a ramp with stairs.

What is a flooring plan for one room?

Cover the routes your dog actually walks, in lengths that overlap, and add one soft stop at each end.

For example, suppose your living room has a dog bed, a water bowl and a door to the yard. Watch the dog for a day and mark the lines it walks.

1. Bed to bowl: 3.5 m (11.5 ft).
2. Bowl to door: 4.0 m (13 ft).
3. A 1.0 m (3.3 ft) landing outside the bed, where the dog rises and is least steady.
4. A 1.0 m (3.3 ft) landing at the door, where the dog turns.

That is 3.5 + 4.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 = 9.5 m (31 ft) of covered floor. Two runners of about 5 m (16 ft) would cover it with a small overlap, or you can use mats in shorter lengths. Check each edge for gaps where a paw could slide off the rug.

Change one thing at a time for a week. Rugs first, then nail trimming, then one gear option. Film your dog walking the route before and after on your phone. A video shows more than memory does, and it gives your vet something to look at.

When should you see a vet about slipping?

Book a vet exam if the slipping is new, worsening, or comes with weak back legs, knuckling, pain or falls.

Slipping can be the first visible sign of osteoarthritis or a nerve problem, and traction gear treats neither. See dog arthritis treatment for what a vet can offer. Bring the video. Also ask the vet to check your dog’s nails and paw pads.

With toe grips, socks or boots, check the skin and nails every day and remove anything that causes redness, licking or a changed gait.