Adopting a new puppy is an exciting journey that brings more love and happiness to your house, but also demands more care and hard work to better adapt the place for the new member of the family. One detail you must pay attention to is the flooring. Hardwood, tiles, laminate, vinyl, or polished cement floors, surely look great in your house and are easy to clean, however, they are very slippery for dogs and may cause accidents or injury.
If you notice your pet stumbling around, sliding when walking, and showing more difficulty standing up, it is probably because they are having difficulty getting a grip. What at first sight seems to be clumsily cute can actually cause a severe injury to your pooch. A young puppy could tear ligaments or pull a muscles, while an older dog could fall victim to arthritis, or spinal or joint problems because of the strong reeling movements.
As you’ve already seen, the type of floor your pet walks on directly interferes with their health and well-being. Your dog walks, runs, sleeps, and plays on this floor every day. Once they slip or fall on this type of surface, the bad experience could cause them to lose confidence walking there again, which in turn increases anxiety, stress, and opens a gap for a more aggressive temperament.
Eventually, smooth floors will injure your puppy if you don’t do anything to prevent it. A good surface for your pooch should offer traction, warmth, and resilience underneath their paws. Fortunately, there are simpler solutions than changing the whole flooring of the house. Check out some of the ideas that will give traction for your pet and healthily develop their legs.
Moisturize their paw pads
A simple grooming routine that brings multiple benefits to your pet, including a better grip on the floor. If your dog’s paws get dry and cracked, they’ll be prone to slipping on the floor, because natural dryness decreases their adherence to the surface.
Always check your puppy’s feet and use a paw pad or balms to keep them moisturized.
Trim your pet’s nails regularly
Trimmed nails not only protect your floor from scratches but also help your pet keep a grip on the surface. Overgrown nails can cause increased pressure on the dog’s nail bed instead of the paw pad, which diminishes the force of contact between the paw pad and surface, plus it can cause pain and pressure on the toe joint.
Maybe nail trimming is all your pooch needs to gain more traction to walk around without slipping. A piece of advice: consider using a nail grinder as it’s a pet-friendly tool that makes the trimming process stress-free. I use the LuckyTail grinder and my dog couldn’t be happier.
Cover up the area
If your priority is protection, you can place some non-slip mats in key areas of the house, such as close to doors, around the furniture your pet usually walks around, in the hallway, and other areas your pet always goes to.
By placing non-slip mats or rugs around the house, you ensure that your pet will have enough traction to slow down when running, and change direction without crashing into walls, doors, or furniture. It’s an easy and safe way to protect your best buddy’s legs against injury.
If you opt for covering your floor with mats or rugs, make sure they stick well to the surface and will not slip when your pooch walks on them.
A dog gate
Consider inserting a dog gate in the case of unattended pets or mixed flooring. The solution will limit the access your new pooch has to areas that may be harmful and slippery. Keeping your pet in a safe place is the best prevention against muscular, ligament, and tendons issues, and a dog or baby gate will do it wonderfully.
Paw accessories
If none of the options above is suitable for you, then there are plenty of paw products on the market that can make all the difference for your puppy and their relationship with your beautiful flooring.
You can gift your pet with a pair of anti-slip dog socks or boots. They’re a fashionable item with non-slip grips that will help your pup gain traction to walk around in comfort and safety. Those items come in a wide range of models and sizes, so make sure you buy one that fits your pet perfectly, otherwise, they may cause tripping while running around on a smooth surface.
Another possibility is using adhesive paw grips. They’re basically non-slip stickers that you apply to your pet’s paw pads to give extra grip on smooth floors. Usually, a package contains 24 adhesives to be used on all four paws that last around three days each. Before buying them, make sure you’re pick the right size for your dog.
If your pet doesn’t seem to be very fond of wearing socks and stickers, you can opt for a paw wax. It’s usually used to protect your dog’s paws from ice, snow, and hot surfaces, but as a second temporary feature, a paw wax also provides extra grip. You can apply it daily on your furry friend’s paw pads, just make sure your product contains beeswax for better grip. The most famous wax, which I recommend using is Musher’s Secret Paw Wax.
With those tips, you can be sure that your new puppy will grow happily in his new home and his legs will have all the care needed to grow strong and healthy. Preventing dogs from getting injured on slippery floors will not only give them a pain-free daily environment, but also will save you from expensive visits to the vet. Although, if after following those tips, your pet is still struggling to walk normally at home, you should consider bringing him to the vet.
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