Carpet Fetish?

I just adopted a 2-1/2 yr old male lab from a kennel who used the dog for breeding purposes. He is a beautiful dog who is already trained in basic obedience. when we brought him home he immediately ran and stood on one of our many area carpets. He will come when called as long as he does not have to leave the carpetted area. As soon as you grab him by the collar by hand or lead he will leave the carpet. Other than that it is as if there has been one of those invisible fences installed around each carpet.

He obviously has been trained to do this, but does anyone have suggestions to reverse this training?

Thanks

That's an interesting compulsion, to say the least, and comparatively harmless. Time and patience will probably be the best teaching aids. Do check his feet and make sure they aren't damaged or sensitive. Also, make sure his nails are trimmed properly; some dogs just freak when they lose traction on slick floors, and keeping those nails down will make those feet have better contact with the floor and get better traction.

One thing I would do is to be sure to feed him in an area where there are no carpets. The more he associates bare floors with enjoyable events the quicker he will get over his compulsion to stay on the rugs.

I have been feeding him in the kitchen (no carpet) and he seems fine there, but what lab doesn't love a kitchen. He seems to be getting a little better and will run from one carpet to the next in the attempt to stay with me. I think you are right he does freak on the barefloor sometimes and then he loses traction in his scramble to get to a piece of carpet. I lead him around the house (on leash) once or twice a day and he is improving.

Thanks for the help.