Sheltie afraid of different surfaces

Keeping the hair trimmed on your dogs paws may help, too. If there is too much hair on the bottom of their foot, it will cause them to slide more. But I think it is pretty normal for a puppy to spend some time getting used to all the new things. Good luck.
 
My male is afraid of shiny floors - ever since I put him in a boarding kennel. He will go across lino now but is still scared of very shiny or reflective floors - the vet said it could be an eyesight issue. At home I have some plastic across the floor (the stuff you get by the metre for tablecloth covers for parties). It takes some of the shine off and makes the floor less slippery

At puppy school we took the dogs across different feeling surfaces to get them used to changes under their feet. She could be going through a fear stage. I wouldnt push her to walk across. Just give her time to get used to the idea. Try feeding her on some different surfaces. Could you also lay some plastic across the floor so its less slippery and let her get used to the idea?

PS - re shelties and stairs. Deska is fearful of long flights of stairs and used to be scared of narrow stairs. A trainer said to me its probably because of his long nose because it blocks part of his visual field.
 
A trainer said to me its probably because of his long nose because it blocks part of his visual field.
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What an interesting thought. So he couldn't see the stairs properly which made him cautious?
 
Our puppy Angus was initially quite afraid of thresholds, he just didn't want to cross through doorways in particular the patio door to outside. We didnt' push him through and just kept offering treats. Once his puppy brothers and sisters were gone and he was going in and out with our other dogs, the older dogs jetting through helped him a lot.

Stairs are another thing. It didn't take him too long to get used to the 3 outdoor deck steps; but he is seriously balking on the flight of steps to the basement. He won't go down them and cries when he's carried down them. Alan has gotten him to go UP the same steps by offering treats.:yes:

Now Emma, the big bozo, has suddenly decided that SHE is also afraid of going up the basement steps. I think that she is a clever little girl and noticed all the attention and treats that Angus gets on the steps and decided to pull the same routine.:rolleyes2:

Sasha, on the other hand, is just getting too full and fat to negotiate stairs and jumps to the couch effectively. She's also having some sliding issues on the hardwood floor. Her puppies are due in about 9 days and she's put on 8 lbs. Now 8 lbs doesn't sound like much to you and me, but she started with a weight of 18 lbs so its a big change for her.:biggrin2:
 
granite said:
Sasha, on the other hand, is just getting too full and fat to negotiate stairs and jumps to the couch effectively. She's also having some sliding issues on the hardwood floor. Her puppies are due in about 9 days and she's put on 8 lbs. Now 8 lbs doesn't sound like much to you and me, but she started with a weight of 18 lbs so its a big change for her.:biggrin2:
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oohhh- more puppies :smile2::biggrin2:
 
we are starting to make some progress with our fear of different textures.... we blocked off the carport and sat outside with her on the cement and played with her on the cement... I don't think she really enjoyed it but she didn't wimper or run away from us... also when she wants a treat she has to come onto the cement to get it and now she comes onto the cement on her own without any treats... we just keep putting her on the cement and each day she gets better and better with it... still lots of work to do but I am confident we will get there soon... also tonight she decided that she was going to run up and down the stairs and run on the lino floor... we are doing some private puppy lessons next week to get some more pointers on how to train her... its a rubber floor in the training facility and i think since she can get a good grip on the floor that she should be okay... thanks everyone for your suggestions.... will keep you all update on our progress...

oh ya one more questions... how much rough housing would you let two puppies do? we have our 13 week old sheltie and a 9 week old ****zu lasoapsu (?sp) cross and they love to playfight outside.... they like to bite each other (mainly on the head which bothers me)... we seperate them but they just run back towards each other... they would fight all day if we let them and now we find they are better behaved if we seperate them at times during the day... how much playfighting is too much?
 
My two play fight all the time. Sometimes I wince when they "play" because I'm sure one of them is going to get hurt.

Just yesterday, Bacca had Indy by the foot and was giving him a good shake! However, Indy was lying on his back and rolling at the same time....there was no yelping, and Indy did not appear to be in a hurry to get away.

The latest game, which is a hoot to watch (I sure wish I had a video camera) is "chase around a tree/table/obstacle". It consists of the two of them circling around the object and Bacca trying to cut Indy off to nail him down. Indy's job is dodge back the other way and keep Bacca guessing as to which direction to try next! Then Indy makes the attempt for the great escape and dashes off, with Bacca fully on his heels. One big tackle and they're sniping and biting at each other all over again.

All to say, it's nothing to worry about. If one of them is hurt, you'll hear the yelp, and the other will normally back away immediately. I generally only intervene when it looks like they are about to roll off the hill into the water at the cottage!
 
Mine rough play all the time, but admittedly when they were pups their rough play did get a little out of hand sometimes, their self control was not all that good until they were about 6mths.

The best advice i got from the behaviourist is that if it looks too rough to me then it is and I should just stop it and let them calm down a bit.
 
BarbV said:
My two play fight all the time. Sometimes I wince when they "play" because I'm sure one of them is going to get hurt.

Just yesterday, Bacca had Indy by the foot and was giving him a good shake! However, Indy was lying on his back and rolling at the same time....there was no yelping, and Indy did not appear to be in a hurry to get away.

The latest game, which is a hoot to watch (I sure wish I had a video camera) is "chase around a tree/table/obstacle". It consists of the two of them circling around the object and Bacca trying to cut Indy off to nail him down. Indy's job is dodge back the other way and keep Bacca guessing as to which direction to try next! Then Indy makes the attempt for the great escape and dashes off, with Bacca fully on his heels. One big tackle and they're sniping and biting at each other all over again.
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Mine play exactly like that too! Just today we were at the park and they were running around playing, chasing each other down. Maia would catch Chinook by the tail and bring him down. He'd roll onto his back and she would jump and 'gnaw' at him. Then they would start chasing again. And if they came to a tree or some other obstacle they would do just as you said BarbV. I wish I had a camera today, but it was at home. Next time I will have to tape it and post it.

I agree, sometimes their 'play' does not look like play at all and I think they are getting too rough, but no one yelps. Other people have stopped and asked me before if they are OK, and not fighting.
 
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