RE: Rocco's First Hunt
Check your dog product catalogs......a "tuff pad" product is offered in most of them. It seemes to help toughen those tinder pads up a bit. If you get a torn pad you could loose the use of your dog for an entire season. I know they make dog boots but I've never tried them.
I made the mistake one time of not trimming a dog's toe nails prior to a grouse hunt. She split a nail and it got infected. Cost me a trip to the vet and lost use of my dog for 3 weeks. Learned a lesson on that one........