Yeah, one of the many reasons I love paws. They are cute, and so much less of a hassle than human hands to approximate. The important thing though is it sounds like you were picking up on things feeling wrong, and were able to make changes based on that feeling. Building up that artist sense of noticing various oddities in and of itself is a skill, and one you never stop learning!
Anyway, that's very sweet of you to make your friend a gift. He looks nice, and I bet he loved it! As for other gifts, I do hope you see some stuff that genuinely fuels that desire to create just because you want to. While I'm not personally big on asking others for art, if any character I've created piques your interest, you're more than welcome to draw them however you see fit.