Why does my dog scramble across the floor?

[Larksmom]

Well, I got a Spaniel back in January. I was told he was a farm dog, and assuming from what I have seen of him since I got him is that he had never been in a house, never had canned food. Maybe never been in a car. He is thrilled to be alive. He loves me beyond reason. But he is rarely still. He stalks thru the house constantly, and he doesn’t ever really walk. He crawls under the dining room table and scrambles THRU the chair! In my bedroom, he tried to go behind my stand that the DVR is on. He managed to knock some wires loose so I made a small wall that he cannot get thru. He does this constantly. I would ask my vet but with the current crisis, speaking to the vet is nearly impossible. We don’t get to see the vet. We take the dog to the door and they take him from there. I don’t think it is important enough to bother the vet with a visit since I can’[t see them anyway He doesn’t seem to be in pain, and his legs look ok, Any ideas?

Oh, and he is seven years old.

[Simkie]

Over hardwood? His toenails are probably too long, so he’s skating. Trim the nails. Once he’s getting traction on his pads, he’ll be much more stable.

Booties could also help. Or throw rugs with rubber backing along commonly traveled paths.

[Larksmom]

yes, laminate floors. He was trimmed this week. He scrambles over the door jamb that is about 1/2 an inch high. I just think it is very weird.

[Simkie]

Got pics of his feet?

His toenails might still be too long, particularly if they were neglected for some time.

Or if he’s got a ton of hair between his pads, that could also be making him slip. Trimming the hair on the bottom of his feet could help.

[Larksmom]

I have the uppers, getting the pads might be tricky.

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[Simkie]

Tough to tell how long his toenails are or if he’s got a ton of hair underneath–but he does look to have a lot of hair between his toes, so that might be the issue. You can always try some non slip booties on him and see if anything changes. Or take him to a groomer and ask them to trim up his feets (if you don’t want to try that yourself.)

[S1969]

Hair that grows between the toes make the feet slippery; this is very common. You can trim with scissors or clippers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x72fdEzXMNY

I agree that long toenails is often an issue; and when combined with the slippery feet from hair, it can be really treacherous.

If you trim nails and hair and still have trouble, I would wonder if the dog has some lameness issues elsewhere but they are exacerbated on slippery floors?

Options in addition to trimming hair and nails - yoga mats, dog booties, nail covers, and tacky feet spray, although that would definitely be a last resort because they will pick up dirt outside with them.

[BUSY]

Farm dog never having been on slick floors … scared he will fall down :eek: so he scrambles from place to place.
Easy to help him with rug runners … offering a safe pathway from one area to the next … cheap ones at Dollar General …upwards in price Wayfair ^ Orvis.

Give him some emotional support by holding his collar and making him go slowly and safely… when he moves from one room to another.

He needs pathways and islands throughout the house regardless of nail and hairy feet.

[BUSY]

Farm dog never having been on slick floors … scared he will fall down :eek: so he scrambles from place to place.
Easy to help him with rug runners … offering a safe pathway from one area to the next … cheap ones at dollar general …upwards in price Wayfair ^ Orvis.

Give him some emotional support by holding his collar and making him go slowly and safely… when he moves from one room to another.

He needs pathways and islands throughout the house regardless of nails and hairy feet.

[Larksmom]

I would have never thought of that. Thanks guys!

[Larksmom]

Just to let you know…I did have him groomed today. And he scrambles no longer! Thanks so much!

[JanM]

My older Mini Schnauzer refused to walk on my laminate floor (they called it matte, but it was still pretty shiny), so I bought sheet vinyl remnants, and carpet remnants at the big box hardware store. The rug and vinyl was very cheap, and (they have it at the back of the store, behind the flooring). Anywhere I cared about how it looked, I bought area runners or rugs, in between in big areas I used the rug or vinyl. Even though the vinyl was very shiny and slick, my dog walked on it just fine. There’s no logic to the floor phobias.

I’m glad the hair and nail trim fixed you dog’s problems, Larksmom.