Analysis of the musculoskeletal effects of lower limb slippage when indoor dogs walk on the wooden floor

In recent years, dogs are commonly kept indoors. Dogs, as animals that inherently walk on grippy outdoor ground, sometimes slip when walking on indoor wooden flooring, which can lead to injuries and arthritis. We have therefore developed a method to increase the coefficient of friction by applying a special coating to the wooden flooring to make it less slippery when the dog walks on it. The objective of this paper is to investigate whether the friction coefficient of the flooring can prevent dogs’ lower limbs from slipping when they walk, and to analyze the effects of lower limb slippage on the musculoskeletal system of dogs when they walk on the flooring. In the measurement experiment, walking movements were performed with and without paint coating on the wooden flooring, the test dogs were applied to a 3D musculoskeletal system simulation software model, and the amount of muscular force exerted was calculated through a simulation experiment with measured data. In addition, the floor reaction forces of the lower limbs during walking were measured and compared, and the effects of the friction coefficient of the floor environment on walking behavior were discussed.