Greetings,
First time on this board. Have a question. My dog has a problem when it comes to certain types of floors. When I go to search a building like a school for example, he will extend his nails, move slow with center of mass close to floor. Lacks alot of confidence. Have been trying to over come the issue for about a year. In all other areas of service work he is exceptional. Because of this weakness he will most likely be washed after working the last year on the street. Any thoughts? Will and can this be overcome? Or is retiring him the best option?

What have you done so far to fix it? Was he always this way? Did anything happen to make him like this? How old is he? I'm happy to help if I can. I'm not sure why he made it onto the street if this is a problem, but I'm sure some of us here will help if we can.

I have seen this overcome if it is the result of a bad experience during training or some type of learned behavior. We had a dog and handler that ate lunch in the middle of a slick floor for about a month. The dog had very strong prey drive and came out of it, otherwise he was going back to the vendor. After working with your dog for a year he should have shown improvement unless it is the result of genetics and temperament.

Like Josh, I wonder how this dog made it onto the street a year ago if this was an obvious problem. In any case, your first step now should be an honest evaluation of his capabilities in all other areas ... i.e. is he worth trying to salvage? ... slick floor problems tend to indicate other issues with the dog as well.

You might try taking him to places like malls, etc. and playing ball with him on slick floors. Gymnasiums will also work. Use his ball / bite / food etc. drives to try and work him through the problem. Start small and work up ... 6ft. of slick floor between carpet, then 10ft. and so on.

Someone (not sure of mfg.) also makes a "tacky" spray-on compound that can be bought at sporting goods stores which may help temporarily in working through this problem. (spray it on his feet before entering the bldg.)

Not to slam your dog but, in my relatively limited experience, unless he can get past this quickly through ball drive, etc. and is (hopefully) a young dog, all this is probably just putting a band-aid on the problem.

Without seeing him work, it's difficult to be certain, but chances are good that the real problems are weak nerves and / or poor temperament for the job. And yes, good training can make a weak dog stronger, but when lives hang in the balance you DO NOT take risks you don't have to take. This is not a game ... Police K9 is, consistently, THE most dangerous job in Law Enforcement, not to mention that the bad guy you and your partner fail to find may go on to harm others because he got away.

Don't let your personal feelings for your dog get in the way of honest evaluation of his work abilities. He may make a great sport dog , pet, etc. but just not be cut out for the unpredictable nature of Police work. There are some really good PSD trainers in Canada and I would recommend you let one of them help you with this problem in person. Good Luck and stay safe.

Thank you for your feedback. I guess I am just grasping at straws before he is actually sold, that I have done all I can. He is now 3 1/2 yrs old. The issue was reconized in training in hopes that he may grow out of it with maturity. I have tried everything from using the ball, tug-a-war, liquid climbers chalk on paws, wearing boots....etc. all to not much avail. He will show improvement in training, but then revert when it comes to a stressfull call. I do realize the weakness in the dog, and that is why is being washed. I guess the reason it took so long is that he is a gifted dog on the street. Over the last year we have had an outstanding success in our apprehension stats...it is unfortunate to have to let him go. But like mentioned above, this is not a game and emotional attachment to these dogs must be kept in check in repect to officer safety.

Stay safe out there!!

I've tried the sticky foot rosin used for pro football players mentioned. If the area has any dust, it will quickly become ineffective. I had to wash a couple of dogs for the same problem.
If your able to load the dog, works through it in drive...that may not be the answer.
When he has a choice to go across that surface of not, in a case like a off lead search..the dog may prove to be unreliable.."Looking Busy" or avoiding the surface.
I know a guy who tiled his basement kennel, polished it like glass. dog was fine in that enviroment, still went "Nails down" in strange areas.
I don't put a dog that CAN'T get footing into the same catagory,as a dog that shows fear.
I look at the bite while on the problem surface, if the dog won't hold....bite the same or very little different than on other surfaces...I wouldn't keep the dog. making the dog comfortable is good for a detector only dog...a patrol dog that has to cross the surface he avoids, possibly to protect it's handler, will be stressed and revert back to genetics.
Good Luck, It's nice to see dept's that are willing to replace dogs rather than avoid issues like you describe.
If you have to work him before a replacement is found, I'd put him back on lead,do directed searchs of any area that has a problem floor. It should be easier to tell if the dog is searching, make sure he gets where you want him to be.

I missed your reply while writting mine. you seem to have handle on the situation.
As far as the apprehensions....you will make the difference...plenty of dog chauffeurs out there with good even great dogs, doing nothing lol