do dogs actually need boots for hiking or is that just for instagram

I take my 3 year old lab mix, Gordo, out on trails pretty much every weekend. We mostly do intermediate rocky trails, nothing extreme but definitely not flat groomed paths. A friend of mine keeps saying i should get him hiking boots and i keep kind of dismissing it but then i see other dogs on trails wearing them and i start second-guessing myself.

Gordo has never shown any sign of paw soreness after hikes. No limping, no licking his paws more than usual, he seems totally fine. But i also dont know what paw damage looks like before it becomes obvious, if that makes sense. Like is there wear-and-tear happening that i'm not seeing?

Are boots actually useful for trail dogs or is it more of a hot pavement / snow situation? I feel like his paws have toughened up over a year of regular hiking but i dont actually know if that's a real thing or something i'm telling myself. Anyone actually use boots for regular trail hiking?