Poor little Ranger has such a bad mommy.
Seriously, isn't it the worse, thinking that you are doing something good for him and instead it was kind of bad? You've got to hand it to the little fellow, he's a real trouper, but now that you know he'll do something even when it hurts, you need to be on your toes! So many people think, "lazy dog", or "spoiled dog", but he didn't stop, until he really needed to. No one's a perfect mom; we all make mistakes, good mommies learn from them, and help others learn by their mistakes as well. So in my book that makes you a good mommy, and next time Joey plops his little butt down, and won't take another step, I'll think of Ranger.
By the way, I think some of the creams and lotions you use to soften a dog's pads might not be a great idea for dogs that really need a tough pad. It's like when you're learning to play the guitar, you develop calluses, but if you overdue the lotions the skin never toughens up, although, something might be needed temporarily.