Floor Phobia

[Rainers]

So it appears our new boy has a shiny floor/tiles phobia, and refuses to walk on them. The main part of our house is all tiles so I would like to help him get over it.

He's a very sensitive dog and I think he'd just shut down if he was flooded, so I'd like some less full on tips.

Any ideas on how to begin? Unfortunately he is NOT food motivated or toy motivated so that wouldn't make him cross.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

I work with a dog that has exactly the same problem!!! (she will be relieved to know there is someone else out there like her!!) I don't have a lot of ideas for you other than desensitising. Figure out what it is your dog does love and will do anything for and then use that and reward for any interaction with shiny floor. Just thinking out loud on this... would possibly creating some none-shiny walkways for the dog to get around on the floor and then over time very gradually making these thinner or different surfaces that are closer to shiny floor possibly work? Something that has worked for my dogs if they are worried about things is the "touch" command. I use that all the time with Kenzie, if she is concerned about anything first of all we just look at it and get rewarded for looking at it and then I will move her closer (again rewarding any interaction) and then when we are close enough I ask her to "touch" (and reward). Usually after she's touched whatever it is a few times then she's no longer concerned by it. Obviously it would be a bit different with a floor but similar principles may work. And the great thing is with something like "touch" you can practice it on anything and you can use it in so many different ways!!

[Aidan3]

I've always dealt with this problem fairly easily by teaching the dog to target with their nose. There will be lots of videos on YouTube (suggest kikopup's channel) teaching this.

The idea is that you have them do something 'operant', engaging the 'thinking' bits of the brain and keeping those parts busy so they're not thinking about what the 'emotional' parts of the brain are telling them (in theory). Teach targeting away from the tiled areas and build it up to a reasonably strong response before you attempt to have your dog target something requiring him to walk on the tiles.

Use his meals to teach this, all dogs are food motivated unless they are very sick.

[dasha]

Personally I think the more you focus on an object he has an irrational fear of, (unless of course he has had a traumatic experience on it) the more it will become an issue because you are focusing on the floor. You have already said he won't take food or toys well.

If that was my dog I would pick him up, calmly walk to the middle of the floor, put him down say NOTHING and walk away and go about your business.

Lets face it, he will not live there. He will eventually move a paw and then 2 then he will walk over it to get what he want, which is off the floor.

Don't make allowances for something that he is going to encounter all day every day. Its for him to work out. When you walk across the floor to go outside, just leave the door open behind you, don't call him just leave the option there for him to follow you out. o and play ball or something fun outside or just go and sit on the lawn and make him realise its him missing out by choice. You didn't do it to him.

When he gets to the carpet, then praise, but not over the top. Don't make a big deal out of it as it is just floor. Its not a box of crackers.

The way I see it, different floors are a part of life, especially for an inside dog, he just needs to get over it.

You may need to do it a few times but each time it will be easier for him. Whatever you do, don't get him excited on the floor as if he tries to be happy and slips, you will make it worse. LEt him work it out at his own pace.

This way you are also not the bad guy. He just has to figure it out.

I do it to my pups when very young if they show signs of hesitation. They all all over it within 5 mins and never have a problem later. It makes then realise they can do things they thought they couldn't.

Don't put your emotions on him as well. By soothing him and coaxing him you are telling him there is something to be scared of but he is doing a good job touching it. But he isn't doing anything that he needs coaxing for.

Thats just me. I have done it before and would also do it again if needed.

[Rainers]

Thanks all.

We decided to go with a combination approach so far and he's made a lot of progress. We laid out two large mats across the floor with quite a big distance between them and today he was walking up and down of his own free will. Before he wouldn't even step on the tiles! Basically we just walked him across (he resists but not for long) a few times and then he began crossing himself.