Afraid of Stairs

Let's talk about the dog who is afraid of stairs. First, see your vet, because stair-refusal in an older dog can be hip dysplasia, IVDD, or arthritis. Painful dogs do not lie.

They avoid. Step one: do not carry the dog. Carrying rewards the avoidance and weakens the hind-end muscles the dog actually needs.

Step two: one step at a time. Toss a treat on the first step. When the dog takes it, mark and pay.

Step three: two steps tomorrow, three next week. Step four: feed every meal at the bottom of the stairs for a month so the bottom of the stairs becomes the best place in the world. Match the dog to the family, and match the family to a small-breed protocol.

Yorkies and Dachshunds need this, but so do recovering seniors. Now, the deeper fix: stairs are a confidence project. One step at a time, food at the bottom, never carry the dog.

Now here's Steve's notes.