Introduction
Imagine bringing an adorable puppy home. You are completely in love and he is your loyal companion. As he grows attached to you, he begins to follow you around your home, going from room to room with you, and chewing on his toys and curling up at your feet whenever you stay in one room for a while.You love his company, and you are glad that he is following you because he needs a lot of supervision at this age.
If your puppy is afraid to walk on hardwood floors, though, that can make the image just described almost impossible. It is important for your young puppy to be supervised while he is free. You will need to pay attention to when he needs to go potty, what he is chewing on, and where he is going. If you cannot have your puppy follow you into some of the rooms of your home because they have hardwood floors, then paying attention to him becomes almost impossible. Thankfully, puppies tend to be pretty adaptable, and if you begin to show him now that hardwood floors are nothing to be afraid of, then he will soon be roaming into all of the rooms of your home, hopefully, while supervised so that he does not get into mischief.
Defining Tasks
In addition to being helpful for keeping your puppy safe, teaching your puppy to walk on hardwood floors is also important for hundreds of other reasons. You do not want to be carrying your full grown dog across all hardwood floors when he weights fifty or a hundred pounds. You will also want to be able to take your dog with you to places that might have hardwood flooring, even if your own home does not have hardwood floors. Plus if you were to ever move to a home with more hardwood floors than your current home, your dog would need to be able to adapt to his new home, without too much stress.
While teaching this, remember to be patient with your puppy. Your puppy has likely never encountered hardwood floors before, and the slippery surface might feel unstable to him, making him feel like he is going to fall. Help him overcome his fear by being patient with him, by making the floors something fun, and by acting confident on the floors yourself.
Getting Started
To get started you will need a room with hardwood flooring to practice in, as well as patience, a positive and confident attitude, and a willingness to cheer your puppy on. If you are using 'The Mat Method' or 'The Treat Method' then you will also need tasty treats that are easy him to eat. If you are using 'The Mat Method' then you will need enough mats to reach from one end of the room with hardwood flooring to the other end, with about two feet in length between each mat. The mats can be anything that your puppy is comfortable walking or standing on, such as kitchen mats, door mats, pieces of carpeting, or small area rugs. You will also need a dog bed for your pup.
If you are using 'The Fun And Games Method' then you will need a couple of toys that your puppy loves to play with you with, such as balls, stuffed toys, Tug of War toys, or anything else that your puppy will chase after and pick up during play. You will also need a room that your puppy is comfortable in, without hardwood flooring, that connects to a room with hardwood flooring, so that you can toss a toy over the threshold between the two rooms, to get your puppy comfortable with going into the room with the hardwood flooring.