Why do dogs have an extra paw pad on their front legs?

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📓 The short answer

Dogs have carpal pads because they provide extra traction when moving at top speeds and act as shock absorbers to protect their bones and joints when landing.

📚 The long answer

If you've ever checked out a dog's front paws, you may have noticed that they have a paw pad much higher up on their leg than the rest of their paw.

An image of a dog's paw with a red arrow pointing at the dog's carpal pad. — The red arrow is pointing to the carpal pad on a dog's paw. Licensed under the public domain.

The extra paw pad is known as the carpal pad, and it grows above the front paws. Some dogs also have them on their back legs.

They might seem out of place, but carpal pads do serve helpful purposes for doggos. Here are two reasons why dogs have carpal pads.

Reason #1: Carpal pads provide extra traction when moving and stopping.

A dog's carpal pads don't touch the ground while the dog is walking. But once they pick up some speed, these paw pads make contact, helping the dog gain more stability and traction while they're zooming around, turning, or running on slippery surfaces. Carpal pads are also commonly known as "stopping pads" because dogs often use them when they need to pump the brakes quickly.

Here's a screenshot from an ESPN video covering Spitfire, the "Michael Jordan of Dogs" (trust me, it's worth a watch).

An image with a red arrow pointing at Spitfire's carpal pad making contact with the ground — The red arrow is pointing at Spitfire's carpal pad making contact with the ground. Source: ESPN

As Spitfire approaches the jump at top speed, his left front paw's carpal pad makes contact with the ground. This likely helps him get an extra bit of traction to make his signature leap. Even this brief amount of contact is helpful for a zooming dog.

Reason #2: Carpal pads act as shock absorbers when landing.

Like the other pads on a dog's paw, the carpal pad is a cushion made of thick skin. Paw pads, including carpal pads, help protect dogs' bones and joints by absorbing some of the shock when they make contact with the ground.

These shock absorbers are especially valuable when a dog is jumping. When a dog leaps up, their front feet usually hit the ground first, sending a shock of force through the body. The carpal pads help absorb some of this shock.

See this in action with Jumpy, a canine parkour athlete and stunt dog, in this screenshot of him landing after an incredible leap. This shot is pulled from another video that is certainly worth a watch.

An image with a red arrow pointing at Jumpy's carpal pads making contact with the ground when he lands. — The red arrow is pointing at Jumpy's carpal pads making contact with the ground when he lands. Source: Beyond Slow Motion

When Jumpy lands, his carpal pads make contact with the ground, helping absorb of impact of landing on his front paws. (Fun fact: Jumpy also holds the Guinness World Record for dog skateboarding: 100 meters in less than 20 seconds.)

🧠 Bonus brain points

Why do dogs' paws smell like corn chips?

As dogs explore the natural world without shoes, their paws pick up a bunch of microbes. That combined with them licking their own paws, which introduces their tongue's own microbes, causes bacteria and fungus to proliferate. The yeasty corn chip smell is specifically thanks to harmless bacteria Proteus and Pseudomonas.

There's nothing inherently unhealthy about dog paw aromas, but if they start to really stink and your dog experiences other paw issues, you may want to take your pooch to the veterinarian for a check-up.

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All my best,

Caitlin

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📖 Book of the week

Book cover of "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman

The Backyard Adventurer by Beau Miles

Beau Miles is an outdoor adventurer and YouTuber who shares his stories about living a life of adventure. When he published this book, I quickly picked it up, eager to read his unique perspectives about finding adventure right in your local area. This is a book about finding meaning in the mundane, creating adventure from the world around you, and simply seeing things with fresh eyes, even if you've seen them thousands of times before.

Also be sure to check out Beau's films, including my favorite, Running a marathon, one mile every hour.

Check out the full list of books I've recommended here.