A case of the no-good, horrible, very bad stairs

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Ok, so I got Angel home today and so far she has lived up to her name. She is sweet as a button, has been sleeping in her crate like a star, but she can't or won't do stairs, which is a bit of a problem. In order to get to the potty spot, she needs to go down a flight of steps and through the garage to the dogrun. So how do I teach an 11Lb, 8 week-old puppy to use stairs?

Thanks!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri refused to do stairs, until yesterday - she followed Taquito (other dog) up one small flight after we went for a walk. But most of the time I carry her. This is normal as you can see from all of your responses - don't worry!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Remington had the same problem... we carried him probably for the first three weeks up and down the stairs...

What we did is we would take him clear up the stairs and then set him down on a stair below the top and just gradually have him start lower and lower. We did the same thing for going down the stairs. Don't pressure her because you need to build the trust between the two of you. We thought that Remington would never do stairs by himself and then one day out of the blue he did it! I wrote a blog about it! LOL...

It will all be okay... like most people said... he's just a baby!

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Honey was 6mos when she came into my home and she wouldn't do steps either, training her to do up was somewhat easier than down. Having another dog also helped with this, but I would put a treat every second step for her to find, she eventually figured out on her own how to manipulate the stairs, but again she was also older. Hannah was carried up and down till she was about 5 months old and than we did the treats on the stairs...hope this helps.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but we carried Timbow down the stairs the whole first month or so that we had him. (we have to go down stairs for the potty spot too.) Also, keep in mind that little Angel still has a lot of growth plates in her joints and you don't want to risk her straining something or causing herself a permanent injury from going on the stairs too early. I would just carry her until she is big enough or ready to go down the stairs. I know it's hard, especially if you take her out in the middle of the night, but its so worth it for her to grow into a happy healthy doodle! :-)

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

I didn't think of that. I have gotten used to picking her up and carrying her up and down the stairs. But I hadn't thought about the physical reasons (besides the effects of gravity) for her not using stairs. So when is it safe to let her use them?

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I'm actually not sure if there is a certain time...you can ask your vet...but Timbow seemed to let us know when he was ready. He would start going up and down the stairs in the house without wanting or needing us to carry him anymore. They really do grow very fast, so Angel will probably let you know when she's ready.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

**on another note...my husband and I still like remembering when Timbow was too little to jump on the couch or "race" us up and down the stairs...so enjoy these moments because even though she requires a lot more work as a little puppy, she will be a huge doodle soon that doesn't need your help as much! (not to mention that it's not as easy to pick them up and cuddle when they're over 40 pounds...trust me..I still try, and he's still growing! :-) )

[Michele Barton]

Congratulations! Angel is beautiful! You really do need to carry her. From my experience, it takes puppies quite a while to feel comfortable with stairs, especially going down the stairs. Just think how big and scary they must look to her! Puppies are clumsy, so even if she wasn't scared I would still carry her, for her safety. My pups are 10 weeks old and 20 lbs, and they fall sometimes maneuvering just the one step to get outside. Plus, it sounds like it's quite a distance for her to get to her potty spot so she probably wouldn't make it there in time even if she could maneuver the stairs (I know I wouldn't!). To make it easier on yourself, you might want to place a puppy training pad or some newspaper closer to her crate at night so you don't wear yourself out.

[The Kleins, Tempe, AZ]

Phoebe was so timid when it came to stairs -- I have some photos on our page that document her apprehension and final success climbing them...then their was the fear in coming down. That took another week or so. I coaxed her with some treats and helped place her on a step at a time just to get a feel for it. Still carried her until she was ready.
Angel will get there -- stairs are a big deal to little pups.

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Today was a HUGE day for Angel. After a grand total of 3.5 days home, she has learned that bells on the door means going outside, outside means play AND potty, and...she went up the stairs!! I had left her playing in the yard for a minute to grab the poop bags before I forgot where the poop was (it's hard to see on pine straw...) and when I turned around, Angel was climbing the stairs hell-bent on getting to Mommy. I made such a fuss over her, she did a little happy dance at the top. I wish I had a video to capture the event! She was so cute!

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Just be careful about her going down. It is easier to go up than down. Going down she has to figure out that there is a stair below her - it can be scary. Don't worry just like going up the stairs she will do it.

[Lorraine Bromley]

Ours didn't do stairs for awhile either. We just used an alternate potty spot than the back yard at first.
When we did go down we took him down then we'd let him try to come up with lots of coaxing. He would try but we wouldn't push him to go and would carry him. In no time at all, and ours is 5 months now and it flew by! she will be travelling all over the house and start to teeth and you wish that you didn't have to chase her around looking for her and seeing what she may want to chew on next! Lots of excercise in different terrain helps them feel confident with their own body and balance.
Lorraine