Best Paw Grips, Boots & Anti-Slip Traction

This subcategory splits cleanly into indoor traction and outdoor traction, and the wrong tool for the job produces no benefit. Indoor traction — for senior dogs slipping on hardwood, tile, or laminate — is best solved with Dr. Buzby's ToeGrips. These are vet-designed rubber grips that fit over the dog's nails, and they have peer-reviewed published research in JAAHA documenting reduced slipping events in senior dogs. They don't restrict natural gait the way booties and socks do, which matters because gait restriction is itself a problem in dogs that already have compromised proprioception. Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center is explicit that repeated slipping is a driver of chronic pain flare-ups in senior and arthritic dogs, so the floor itself is often the highest-leverage single intervention available — frequently outperforming a $200 supplement regimen for a dog whose primary problem is traction, not pain. Outdoor traction — for wet sidewalks, hot pavement, ice, or paw protection — is what rubber boots are for. PawZ Rubber Dog Boots are the standard recommendation because they stretch over the paw without straps or Velcro that work loose, and the 12-pack pricing means you have spares when the inevitable one goes missing. These are semi-disposable (5-10 uses on rough surfaces) and that's the design, not a flaw. Don't conflate the two categories — boots indoors typically make slipping worse, not better, because the dog can't feel the surface and may move with less confidence rather than more. For dogs with allergies, hot spots, or post-injury paw healing, rubber boots also serve as a barrier against irritants, and that's an additional valid use case beyond pure traction. AAHA's 2023 Senior Care Guidelines and the AVMA's senior-dog guidance both align: confident footing is foundational to mobility in older dogs, and the right tool depends on whether the problem is indoors or outdoors.