In a lot of these cases the problem is
not actually the slippery floors - problem is actually
in their head. I have seen a great many German Shepherds
who are scared of slick linoleum or tile floors. Until
they can actually convince themselves that they can walk
on them, no amount of padding seems to make any
difference.
First, you will want to rule out any
possible joint problems. Surprisingly, even pups
under 12 months of age can begin having joint issues.
Check with your local vet to rule out these issues.
Secondly, make sure that your dog is not overweight.
Weight can add increased difficulty to walking on slick
surfaces. Third, make
sure
that the toenails are short enough that they're not
interfering with their ability to make good contact with
the floor.
The fact is that, unless the dog has
either a neurological or orthopedic problem, they should
not have any difficulty keeping their balance on a
linoleum or tile floor. The pads of their feet should
not be "slick".
When you see dogs having problems with slick surfaces, you
usually also will notice that they curl their toes as if
they are trying to get a good grip on the floor.
Most dogs will get better if you provide a walkway of
rugs and such. I would start with this
modification to make life a little more pleasant for
them while we work on helping them with the floor
issues.
Barring any type of physical problem,
then we have to actually work on the mental aspect. You
can try using something like dog booties for their feet.
Some dogs may actually be accepting of this while with
others it will make them worse.
Also, you can try providing an
opportunity for them to get "accustomed" to the slick
surfaces. Ways to do this would be to place a variety of
very stable rugs – rugs that will not move -throughout
the areas that are slick. They can then go from a slick
surface to a rug over small area of slick surface again
and back to another rug. As they get more custom to the
slick surfaces you can decrease the amount of rugs.
As each dog is different, they all handle
training different as well. But, you will have to start
somewhere. If none of these things work, then you have
to try other things that may work better for the
individual. You might even consider getting a
"thunder shirt". It may give them the extra boost
needed to make them feel "protected" even on slick
surfaces.
