Laminate flooring - advice please

[DIY]

I am thinking of replacing the carpet in our dining room with laminate flooring. We have a Labrador, and often have her sister round too, so am concerned about whether laminate will be too slippery for them to walk on, and whether their claws will scratch the surface. Are these legitimate concerns, or is it possible to get laminate that has good canine grip and is scratch resistant? An alternative to laminate is floorboard pattern sheet vinyl, but are there any other alternatives that will give us a wood effect finish?

[RW]

The RSPCA, vets and other animal welfare organisations suggest that there are far more animal leg and strain injuries from laminated floors than many other floor coverings.

Our dining room is laminated, and causes our Border Collie to tread very carefully when passing through. Mind you the first time he chased his toy ball was entertaining as he didn't stop at the wall ;-)

The textured version appears a lot less slippery, but still be aware that the animals will take time to get used to the different and lack of paw/floor adhesion.

[R D S]

We have laminmate at work, the tippy-tappy when the dog walks around is enough to send you over the edge.

[Old Git]

Haven't noticed any scratching on the small amount of LF that we have. Our Cocker is OK walking on it but if she tries to move faster than a walking speed she does a fair imitation of an ice skater. The noise will drive you mad though as you hear a loud tapping with every pawfall.

[Neil Barker]

I love watching my cat, Buffy, chasing toys around our living room with laminate floor - fun when her 4-paw drive basically doesn't :-)

[DIY]

Thanks for all the replies. Laminate is a non-starter.