You know I grew up with dalmatians, and lots of them, all of which were housedogs. We conditioned dogs every evening for about 3 miles and I NEVER had a dog with this problem... My GSDs are indoor/outdoor dogs and they go camping with us all summer (and get biked 2 miles every evening) and I have not had a problem with them. Are we sure there isn't some underlying infection that is causing this problem? Dog feet naturally toughen up with age and it seems to me that it might be a health issue that should be dealt with. And by putting foreign substances on the feet, you are keeping them from doing what they would do naturally - toughen up and become dog pads.... First off, a vet check should be done - second off, what about boots? I would stay away from lotions and anything of that nature... JMHO.... From SNOWY Wisconsin where we are getting another FOOT!!! Jess M.Paisley Dals (www.paisleydals.com)& The Shepherd Girls (Simmie, CGC, TDI, TC, HIC & Pepper, HIC)Member of: DCA, GSDCA & GTCDC _________________________________________________________________ Send e-mail anywhere. No map, no compass. http://windowslive.com/oneline/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_anywhere_122008 ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2008. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================