I would think it would depend upon the finish. Some finishes are much slippery than others, the shinier the finish the slippery it is. We have shinny wood finish in living room and dining room, and he slides on the floor when running for an object. I'm fairly diligent about keeping the footpads clipped as well as the surrounding hair, but he still slides. I would never feel comfortable with this shinny finish on steps. The outdoor stairway steps leading to the backyard, has wood steps that are painted with a gripping property that helps quite a bit.
I don't think it's common for a Yorkie to die while jumping off a couch or bed, but I have read of them falling down stairs, and dying. Joey has fallen down a few steps, but was able to catch himself on the carpet, and stop the fall, without any injury what so ever. We keep steps by the bed and couch, not because Joey is so tiny he's around 5 ˝ pounds, and can probably manage fine without them, the steps are so that he doesn’t cause constant stress to his joints by jumping, over time this could led to problems. On a smaller puppy it could lead to instant injuries. |