New shiny floor and very unsure dogs

[kinkymouse]

We are half way through renovating our ground floor and chose a shiney walnut engineered floor. We have layed it in the kitchen diner and both dogs are very unsure. My big greedy lab wouldnt even come to me with a bit slice of roast beef in my hand.

This morning I bought some pad wax after a bit of google research which has made a slight difference but they are both so uncertain. It's quite disconcerting and far from the daft bouncy pair they are usually.

What I'm asking is, will they get used to it? Or am I going to have to throw rugs everywhere to get them to walk around the house.

We did have old inherited laminate before so it's not the hard wood but the shiny that's throwing them.

[whereisshe]

We've been in our current house for a year and a half and our dog has never really adjusted to the slippery floor. He'll be ok for a while, then have a "moment" of scrabbling frantically then refuse to walk on it for a while, then forget and the cycle starts again... We have rugs in strategic locations so he doesn't have to corner on it, which is the compromise.

[kinkymouse]

Oh dear thanks for the insight. We will only have the garden room downstairs without this floor when it's done. I'm feeling like its been a bit if a mistake.

[whereisshe]

They might be ok though, once they've figured out that they can walk on it (esp a lab - make the floor treat dispensing ). Our DDog is a mini schnauzer so he does overthink things somewhat!

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

Our boy had a few slips and slides in the kitchen in our new house. After he'd fell on his arse a few times he worked out to be a bit more careful. They'll get the hang of it. It just looks new and therefore scary.

[haggisaggis]

Our last dog refused to walk on hard, shiny floors. We put down a hardwood floor in our living room thinking he'd get used to it eventually - never did. Had to buy rugs so he could run from one to the other. Same in the kitchen when we put down laminate flooring. We had him for 12 years and he NEVER got used to the floor (wouldn't even walk on some shiny slabs outside once..)
Current dog is slightly better - he walks fine on our hardwood floors and most tiles - but when introduced to a new floor (rented a house at Easter with tiled floors) took about 36 hours to get used to it.

[kinkymouse]

My boy lab the not so bright one has got used to the floor and if anything has done him and us a favour by slowing him down and not running over people.

My older girl is still completely unsure and if anything worse than last week and just cries at the edge. I might take her to get her nails trimmed as short as possible to see if she can grasp walking on her pads rather than en-point.