What a Girl Dog Wants

A bite of cat poo, the allure of rolling on a dead bird, or the opportunity to sniff a butt are a few of the ways our preferences may differ from our dogs. Then there are the less obvious things like home decor.

A Slippin and A Slidin

Sometimes environments that we find aesthetically pleasing aren’t compatible with our dog’s needs. Hardwood and polished tile floors are popular among people but if you were to offer your dog flooring options to choose from it’s doubtful they would pick the slippery options – they would opt for surfaces like stone or rough tile, stay-put rugs or rubber glorious rubber!

Did you know that slipping and sliding is stressful for your puppy? Dogs rely on their ability to move in order to stay safe, to stay alive. When they cannot gain traction or lose their footing they can start to panic.

If you have slippery floors think about places you can add traction so that you make the home more comfortable for your pup to navigate.

Take Action – Use Traction

In order to prevent the slip and slide and the chase and crash please take action and use traction. Sadly people laugh and think it is cute to see a puppy slipping and sliding or chasing and crashing. It’s dangerous and the pup could get injured. Changes are needed.

Yoga Mats to the Rescue

In addition to being more comfortable for a pup, strategically placed yoga mats are an easy way to teach them to settle by your desk or just outside the kitchen.

Chances are the puppy will be attracted to the traction. Then you can teach your pup to settle by feeding treats and offering food-stuffed puzzles and chews on the mat.

This is a win-win. You provide traction, teach the pup to settle, keep them safe and not underfoot, and potentially prevent unwanted puppy behavior. Plus the pup gets the benefit of enriching activities like chewing or food-accessing opportunities with the toys, chews, and puzzles! Yahoo!

It’s Easy to Make it Right!

When we understand it is difficult and uncomfortable for our dogs to navigate slippery surfaces we can make small changes in the environments we share with our dogs to provide them with comfort.