Dog Afraid To Walk Across Floor

Hi my just over 1yr old standard poodle has all of a sudden become afraid of walking on hardwood flooring.

Dog afraid to walk across floor.

Your dog may look adorably cute as he clumsily stumbles around your floor or glides around like an ice skater. Also some dogs have fallen slid into a wall tripped stood still when their feet splayed out from under them or tried to walk across it by using their nails i e. But to your dog he might as well be walking on ice he can t get a grip. If your dog is fearful due to his lack of control while walking on a slippery floor provide him with some traction.

Additionally senior dogs have more difficulty going from a lying down to standing position. Digging nails in for traction and it didn t work out well. If your dog has never seen shiny slick floor surfaces before he ll probably refuse to walk on it. Slipping during the act of rising compounds the problem by several magnitudes.

You are not alone. Older dogs can also injure themselves by falling. Also he just doesnt seem himself like he is stressed out about it all. But these tumbles are seriously dangerous to his health.

I have come across many dogs that were either rescues or not socialized enough that are afraid of walking on certain surfaces. Major problem as my entire main floor is hardwood. This method of having a dog face its fears directly is known as flooding. For some dogs walking on a slick wood or tile floor may feel like walking across a sheet of ice.

A young healthy pup risks pulled muscles or torn ligaments. Dogs with conditions like arthritis for example are often more hesitant on slick floors because of the pain that occurs when they struggle to stay upright while slipping and the fact that their leg muscles may be weak from disuse. It started a few days ago with timid steps and now he all together avoids them. Cesar millan in one of his episodes helps a dog fearful of walking on a slippery floor by simply walking over it.

My malamute has recently been afraid to walk on floors. Alternatively and unpleasantly if a new rescue dog seems stressed or afraid to walk on your floors it may be because they were punished for walking in a certain area like the kitchen and associate the floor type with previous bad experiences. The uncertainty of that experience. A senior dog may be fearful of trying to rise and walk on hardwood floors.