# Coach potato?



## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Sir Lovkins is 9 months old tomorrow, and his little butt still won't jump on or off the couch. I have wood floors and when he runs sometimes he can not catch a lot of traction so he slips. I wonder if that is why he won't try. I have tried treats and steps. I can only igonore him for maybe 3 minutes TOPS before his little whimper breaks my heart, and I pick him up. Is this normal, all my friends say there dogs never had a problem with it.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Mine jump up and down constantly , but be happy that he doesn't then you don't have to worry about him getting hurt.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Gosh...You made a little typo in your thread title...I know, you can't fix it, but I was expecting to see Lovkins sitting in a Coach bag. Lol.

Wood floors are a pain for the doggies. Poor Ru slides all over the place. Someday you may get an area rug for around the sofa...till then you will have to be his servant.

Keeping his nail short helps a little...I say this because Ru has long nails, because we so hate to torture the old gal. We only clip her nails when they get really long. It is so hard to torture a senior.


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Sylie said:


> Gosh...You made a little typo in your thread title...I know, you can't fix it, but I was expecting to see Lovkins sitting in a Coach bag. Lol.
> 
> Wood floors are a pain for the doggies. Poor Ru slides all over the place. Someday you may get an area rug for around the sofa...till then you will have to be his servant.
> 
> Keeping his nail short helps a little...I say this because Ru has long nails, because we so hate to torture the old gal. We only clip her nails when they get really long. It is so hard to torture a senior.


lol I sure did, I was watching a Coach rerun on tv while I was typing. Couch potato forgive me!:HistericalSmiley:I did have a rug out, but everytime I put it out, the little doo doo head pee's right on it. I guess servant it is.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Be glad he won't jump on and off furniture. That is the #1 reason Maltese end up with luxating patellas.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

We never have let Tyler jump on or off our furniture. Worried about the patellas so we are fellow servants. :HistericalSmiley:


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Excuse me, but a question has come up...If a dog doesn't have a luxating pattella...can jumping, or dancing hurt them if they never had a problem? I love to watch my fluffs dance, which they do so well and apparently effortlessly...I would be mortified to learn that it could hurt them.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Me too. Jodi doesn't try to jump up on furniture unless he is at a friends, on carpet etc. I'm glad he doesn't. I always worry he'll slip and hurt his knees too. He does jump down but I try to avoid that and lift him, so he doesn't slip. I may get a rug for the living room though - and cross my fingers he doesn't pee on it.


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Ladysmom said:


> Be glad he won't jump on and off furniture. That is the #1 reason Maltese end up with luxating patellas.


 I did not know that. Well now he is not even allowed to try. :thumbsup:


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Zoe does not jump on or off anything....she is about 4 1/2 lbs. and just doesn't jump. I do pick up and put her on everything. I do prefer it this way. I would rather her not get hurt.....one less thing to worry about.


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## Malt Shoppe (Jul 20, 2011)

The surgeon who operated on Truffles torn achilles told me that hard floor is a dog's enemy; it can damage those patellas. I bought a large area rug after Truffles surgery for her so she'd have something to protect her legs from my tile floors. That same vet told me that if her tendon tore again, we could be looking at amputation. Puddin was terrified of wood floors; she'd freeze in one spot. Hard floors puts a strain on their patellas, just as we can sprain our ankles, so can their legs begin to have trouble. Actually breeders having their dogs on wire can cause lux patellas. Jumping can also be damaging to their spine; cause paralysis.

Blaze is the only Maltese out of 5 I've had that will jump off the sofa, he kinda leaps and lands on all 4's. None of the other 4 would ever jump up or down from furniture and I'm glad. I just never have left any of them on the sofa if I wasn't there except for Gimme - no way is she going to jump down and is perfectly happy to stay there til I return.


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

Well I am definately glad I said something cause I would have felt awful if something happened. Maybe he just had a natural instinct to not do it. He runs around the house a lot slippin and sliding when he is playing with his toys. I hope thats ok.


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Lovkins mama said:


> Sir Lovkins is 9 months old tomorrow, and his little butt still won't jump on or off the couch. I have wood floors and when he runs sometimes he can not catch a lot of traction so he slips. I wonder if that is why he won't try. I have tried treats and steps. I can only igonore him for maybe 3 minutes TOPS before his little whimper breaks my heart, and I pick him up. Is this normal, all my friends say there dogs never had a problem with it.


Christina, I find Snowball slipping and sliding on our kitchen floor and I worry about that. It happens when he is running at a fast speed from the living room (which has wall to wall carpeting) to the kitchen. We have been taking him to the groomer more often because his hair grows so super fast ... and, of course, if his paw pads have the least bit of hair on them ... it will make it worse.

As for jumping on and off the couch ... you don't want him to do that. He could get really hurt. We have steps for Snowball for the chairs, sofas, and our bed. 

I found a video for you that I saw on FB. It's cute ... but, I do feel sorry for the fluff baby. Smart doggie though ... he found a way to manuver on the hardwood floors!

On another note ... I came across a picture (right below the video link) of Snowball that reminds me of your Sir Lovkins avatar picture! LOL I am not sure how old Snowball was in that picture ... but, he was a puppy. (he is six years old now)


Okay ... here is the video I was talking about.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

Snowball Pie's Mommi said:


> Christina, I find Snowball slipping and sliding on our kitchen floor and I worry about that. It happens when he is running at a fast speed from the living room (which has wall to wall carpeting) to the kitchen. We have been taking him to the groomer more often because his hair grows so super fast ... and, of course, if his paw pads have the least bit of hair on them ... it will make it worse.
> 
> As for jumping on and off the couch ... you don't want him to do that. He could get really hurt. We have steps for Snowball for the chairs, sofas, and our bed.
> 
> ...



awwwww.... that video editing with the MJ music was too perfect, marie! hahah funny and cute but sad...

Christina, I got Obi some traction shoes (ultra paws traction) that Crystal had recommended in a video thread of Callie. They really help him not to slip and he now can even run on our wood floors with them on. They are more like slippers than shoes and he adjusted to them within seconds. He was previously fearful of the slippery surfaces which has dramatically improved. Obi loves jumping on our sofa, which is pretty low in height and I tried the stairs, but he jumps around it! :smilie_tischkante: I am trying to teach him not to jump up and down the sofa but sometimes he's too darn fast! I'd count it as a blessing that Sir Lovkins isn't a jumper!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

My girl dogs make it impossible for me to have carpeting....every area rug becomes a peepee pad :smilie_tischkante:.

So poor Arch, with his bad legs is forced to walk on wood floors all the time  (sniff). 

Anyway, my dogs have varying degrees of stair climbing/jumping off furniture.

Archie: goes up and down all steps - except up the steps into bed if it's the middle of the night :blink: and he had gotten down to go outside for a minute. Cannot jump up onto anything, but will jump down so we watch him like hawk to put him down when he's ready...

Abbey: goes up and down all steps, jumps up and down off all furniture, dances in her hind legs.

Ava: goes up steps, will not come down. She's too little to jump up onto anything and too scared to jump off of anything. :innocent:

Tink: goes anywhere and does anything he wants, the dude is healthy and strong as a horse. And he's in shape from being on guard duty all the time

Mona Lisa: Goes up and down all steps. But she's too little to jump up onto anything. I haven't seen her attemp to jump off of anything, but I am right there with her to make sure she doesn't.

Momma Mia: Goes up and down all steps. Well she's only been here for a week, but I don't think she jumps up onto the furniture....she has very short legs and is a bit overweight.

So, I guess every dog is different. Nothing wrong with that :thumbsup:


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## LuvMyBoys (Jan 2, 2012)

That video is funny - that is our little Dusty. He walks backward on the hardwoods too. We make the dumptruck beeping sound when he does it, because he backs into everything. Dusty is a goof ball.

Neither one of the boys can jump up on furniture and they only jump off if someone does something interesting they need to investigate it or toyell at said person. We discourage the jumping off. I got a sweet note from Dusty's breeder after I sent her the video of Dusty imitating a jumping bean warning me of the dangers to their little patellas, so he won't be doing that again.


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## Lovkins mama (Dec 15, 2011)

The A Team said:


> My girl dogs make it impossible for me to have carpeting....every area rug becomes a peepee pad :smilie_tischkante:.
> 
> So poor Arch, with his bad legs is forced to walk on wood floors all the time  (sniff).
> 
> ...


 I have a new thing on my bucket list and it is to sit in the middle of that little pack.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Sylie said:


> Excuse me, but a question has come up...If a dog doesn't have a luxating pattella...can jumping, or dancing hurt them if they never had a problem? I love to watch my fluffs dance, which they do so well and apparently effortlessly...I would be mortified to learn that it could hurt them.


Tonia of Rhapsody Maltese answered this question in one of her past posts:

"Once the dog leaves our care, we cannot guarantee how the dog is cared for in its new home. It only takes one bad jump off the couch or one slight fall down a stair or two to injury a dogs patella joint. There are too many outside plausible causes for injury once the dog leaves our care for us to reasonably guarantee patellas."

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/56-breeders/98865-breeders-health-guarantee-11.html#post1674832


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

I don't allow Milo to jump on and off things. 
I used to let him use the stairs but he fell down it once when I called him 
Thankfully he wasn't hurt.


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## Malt Shoppe (Jul 20, 2011)

Marie, I absolutely LOVE that video. I've seen it a number of times and never get tired of it; that little dog is so cute. Cracks me up.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

My Krista will jump on and off the couch if we would let her, but she is not allowed to. I think it is bad for their knees. She has been trained not to, but if real excited about something, and I have sat her up on the couch with me she will jump off. Bella would never ever jump on or off. She just is built too short backed and short legged. I am very glad she doesn't have the desire. For the bed I have a ramp with railings and both girls just use that at their own convenience. Neither has ever jumped off it (the bed) or on it. 

I keep my Bella's nails short but she will not walk on hard surface. Luckily my house is carpeted except for the kitchen. Bella will not go in the kitchen. Krista, no problem.


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## Nervusrek (Apr 17, 2012)

Sawyer is terrified of heights -- so much so that he's even afraid of being picked up! In order for him to enjoy moving about our house, he would have to navigate two small steps. But he REFUSED! 

Sooooo we built him a ramp. 

His younger brother, Sebastian, the eternal explorer, took to it immediately & soon encouraged Sawyer to give it a try. Now both our boys continuously use the ramp without giving it any thought.


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Rocky slips terribly on the kitchen floor. It doesnt matter how well his nails and foot hair is cut back. It is to the point that he now avoids the kitchen.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Consider yourself lucky he won't jump up or down. Jumping is hard on their knees, and also, it's so nice knowing exactly where he is. LOL

Preston didn't jump off the sofa until he was almost 2 I think. He still can't jump up. London learned from a very young age to jump up and down on her own.


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