Perhaps Mrs. HM Has Solved A Slippery Mystery

I have mentioned to The Pony and Farmer H that I don't understand why Scarlett often tumbles up the steps, and slides along the porch boards rather than stopping on a dime like Jack. She's a goofy dog, but otherwise seems coordinated enough. After all, she follows behind me, hopping and leaping, without coming down on my heels. Most of the time. She jumps off the four-foot-high concrete carport onto the slanted grass below without stumbling, in order to chase uncatchable squirrels. AND I've seen her leap UP from the grass onto the carport, flat-footed!

Jack has very sturdy digging claws on his toes. I thought maybe Scarlett, being an Australian Shepherd with no need for digging, unlike Jack's dachshund half, simply has shorter claws. Or maybe she was de-clawed by her previous master! But no. I looked. Scarlett has normal-looking claws, though not as thick as Jack's.

While I was observing her toenails, Scarlett took off around the porch corner, looking for Farmer H, who had carried in two boxes of groceries! Seeing that he'd closed the kitchen door, Scarlett came running back towards me. Tried to stop, and SLID across the porch boards. When she turned and started back to look for the object of her ADORATION again, I saw the bottom of her paws as she pranced along.

THERE WERE TUFTS OF FUR POKING OUT BETWEEN HER TOES!

That's gotta be it! Scarlett's toe-pads don't make full contact with the porch boards. The fur allows her to slide. Maybe she even enjoys this activity, like a kid in socks sliding on a tile floor. I can't imagine it being a problem for her on the grass, or concrete, or gravel. 

Now I'm wondering if this is just a characteristic of her breed.