The Secret to using Musher's Secret: don't follow the label instructions!

Musher's Secret is a fantastic product, and usually gets some well deserved reviews in local press around this time of year. 

But not everyone gets the most out of this product, and it is a shame for you to be disappointed in a solution with so much potential to bring relief. So here is some insider info that just might help things go a little more smoothly.

Don't start too late! Once paws are cracked, sore, and even bleeding, it is much much harder to treat the problem. The pads are sore enough by then, but any salt on the sidewalks is going to make the whole experience of walking excruciating.  Avoid the whole mess by keeping those paw pads in good shape before the cracking and dryness has a chance to set in. In fact…

Use Musher's all year round! Dry weather does not just occur in the winter, although the salt on the walkways does make things more painful. In summer, however, hot sidewalks and pavement, along with the summer grit, can contribute to some very dry pads. Stay on the situation all year and there will be no chance for pain and injury get a "toehold." I love a bad pun.

Don't follow the label instructions! Slathering the paw wax on once or twice a week and then fretting as it comes off on your carpet is not effective. It also does not lead to a very productive session with dogs who don't like their feet messed with.  Many dogs who do tolerate the application will simply lay down and lick it all off when too much is applied. 

Instead, try a daily regimen: when you curl up to read or watch TV at night, and your dog nods off beside you, put a treat right beside that sleeping nose. Then reach down and gently rub in a thin layer of Musher's on one paw, thoroughly, using the heat from your hand to help it soak in, just as you would if applying night cream to your own hands or elbows (in fact, the excess on your hands, you will find, makes a great hand cream!). As your dog rouses from his rest in irritation, the first thing he will encounter is his treat.  Keep treating as you do the paw. Praise. Repeat if this is well tolerated, if not, leave it at one paw and build up over time. 

By the end of a week or so, your dog will be good to go with all four paws, your hands will be soft, your carpet will be stain free, and everyone will be happy.

Now go play in the snow. If we ever get any.

-woof