What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

Afraid of floors

Sheila Braund

Well-Known Member
ok so Bella is being a Mastiff....she afraid of one flooring in my office....this started a couple months back for some reason she doesn't like dark flooring.... At first I thought she was just afraid of going threw the door threshold. It turns out it's the floor she has problems with. Yesterday I took her to the office....first time in a couple weeks. She refused to walk out of my office threw the meeting room to leave at the end of the day.... it wasn't until I layer a pathway of towels down for her to walk on before she would step into the room....Once the towels was done she had no problems walking out to get out of the office.
Each time she gets more fearful of this floor... I don't know if it's because it's a darker colour or what it is...any ideas? I would really like to help her threw this but I can't go over a 1/2 hour each time to get her out of the office to go home..... I would really hate having to no longer be able to bring Bella to work.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
I am unable to help as I have yet to find a solution to that particular behavioral problem. Kryten started when we changed the flooring in one room. We put down a rug and things were ok unless the rug got bunched up. It has now become all of the hard floors but not all of the time. Sometimes he will cross the floor, immediately turn around and suddenly be stuck in place.
I do attribute it in part to the fact he does have bad joints but I don't know if that is in fact true.
 

Sheila Braund

Well-Known Member
No Bella's joints are good. She's the same way in my kitchen, will mostly only walk on the carpet runner. I don't know.... maybe if I try training with MVT she'll get over it.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Any chance she burned her feet on some dark pavement, and thinks the floor might be HOT?

I'd get out and do some traditional socialization with surfaces... I made it a point to take Denna around as a puppy on different surfaces, as I'd heard ANY dog can get picky about where they put their feet if they develop a fear of strange surfaces.

So... I'd be taking her out for walks on grass, stones, moving walkways (like on kids big toys), board walks, anything and everything... see if you can get a sense of what types of surfaces cause her to pause... and go back and forth on those particular types with lots of positive associations, rewards, praise, games of chase, etc...

Then, make sure you don't make a big deal about the office floor... toss some treats on the ground on your way to the doorway, and just continue on through... you keep walking... let her either forget to stop, or, give it a brief thought and continue through... if she stops again... see if you can find a higher value treat and let her sniff it, then put it on the other side of the room and give her time to "check it out" and decide to come in with you... can you go in at off hours, so you're the only ones there and have time to let her think it all through and sink in, that the floor is AOK?
 

Sheila Braund

Well-Known Member
Any chance she burned her feet on some dark pavement, and thinks the floor might be HOT?

I'd get out and do some traditional socialization with surfaces... I made it a point to take Denna around as a puppy on different surfaces, as I'd heard ANY dog can get picky about where they put their feet if they develop a fear of strange surfaces.

So... I'd be taking her out for walks on grass, stones, moving walkways (like on kids big toys), board walks, anything and everything... see if you can get a sense of what types of surfaces cause her to pause... and go back and forth on those particular types with lots of positive associations, rewards, praise, games of chase, etc...

Then, make sure you don't make a big deal about the office floor... toss some treats on the ground on your way to the doorway, and just continue on through... you keep walking... let her either forget to stop, or, give it a brief thought and continue through... if she stops again... see if you can find a higher value treat and let her sniff it, then put it on the other side of the room and give her time to "check it out" and decide to come in with you... can you go in at off hours, so you're the only ones there and have time to let her think it all through and sink in, that the floor is AOK?
Thanks Deannasmom, I’m the only one in the office most days, so it’s just Bella and me. It seems to be mostly when it’s home time.... normally she walks right across the floor to get to my inner office.... then at home time she’s like... no way am I walking across that.... the first time she did this she refused to stand up.... I thought she was unable to stand... I even slid a towel under her to assist. I thought I was going to have to call my husband to help me carry her to the car.... then I thought to leave the inner office and knock on the outer office door.... of course she jumps up and ran to the door.... right across the floor in question.... next time that didn’t work.... I had to finally throw a blanket across the floor before she would come. I think Bella thinks she is royalty and expects the red carpet treatment :p