Stairs phobia

2061 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Sam I Am, Feb 5, 2009

pagan-poodle

Discussion Starter · Feb 4, 2009

Daisy has a phobia of the stairs she wont go up them or down them anyone else had this???Iv just throwing a ball up but she stays at the bottom and looks

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Our little bloke so badly wanted to come upstairs with us that he has never had a problem with our stairs, it was more of a problem getting him to take it easy and use the last step rather than jumping, and STOPPING him using them when he has his cast on :rofl:.
I would try lots of really tasty treats, start at the bottom and reward as soon as she puts one paw on the bottom step and then just coax her up to the next step and reward and so on. Now if she isn't a dog that works for food this could be a little tricky!

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pagan-poodle

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 4, 2009

No she will take it or leave it lol mmm dont know how this i gona work out lol maybe she will just work it out in time hope so :s

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vacheron

· #4 · Feb 4, 2009

Blue Fox said:
Our little bloke so badly wanted to come upstairs with us that he has never had a problem with our stairs, it was more of a problem getting him to take it easy and use the last step rather than jumping, and STOPPING him using them when he has his cast on :rofl:.
I would try lots of really tasty treats, start at the bottom and reward as soon as she puts one paw on the bottom step and then just coax her up to the next step and reward and so on. Now if she isn't a dog that works for food this could be a little tricky!

My spoo also had a phobia with the stairs among other things... if you read my post about the snow you would crack up.. He learned that if he doesn't go up and down the stairs, he will miss all the fun we are having in the room without him. I made it a point to wrestle and play with my son. You should have seen him at the top of the stairs whining. (going through dogs head: I want to have fun too!!! What are they doing?? ohhhhh I wanna pllllaayyyyy!!!) He started coming down and up the stairs in a day!:whoo:

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spoofan

· #5 · Feb 4, 2009

All of my spoos were freaked out by the stairs.
Putting them on a leash and walking up and down with them helped.
At first,the trip down the stairs was like watching a potato sack rolling down,but before long it was not a big deal.

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starkeeper

· #6 · Feb 4, 2009

My toy size dog, a maltese will go up them but

will not go down them.

He has a stair phobia and nothing will convince him otherwise.

I think it is a visual thing. He sees them a certain way and can't figure it out.

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IPP

· #7 · Feb 5, 2009

All mine had the same thing when we moved into the 2 story house...we keep a gate at the top of the stairs so they can't go into the bed rooms unless they are supervised.

I went up there and would leave the gate open when I went up stairs in the morning to get the kids up, and of course slowly their curiosity got the best of them and one by one they would start coming up the stairs and would follow back down when I went. Now whenever they hear the gate at the top of the stairs they all RUN to see who can get onto the kids beds first...I call it the "6 am poodle alarm clock."

I am sure there is something food wise that would do it...perhaps some fast food or something normally not allowed but not dangerous?

My guys would jump into a burning building for some french fries and they recognize a certain restaurant's bag/smell and GO NUTS...perhaps show the bag then sit a few steps away, give a tid-bit when he reaches your step, then more away one more???

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Sam I Am

· #8 · Feb 5, 2009

Jenny had the same problem, although she would go down our deck stairs after practice. We would make her go up and down by physically moving her legs to the next step. Then I started putting her in the middle of the steps and she had to go one way or another. She always went up, but eventually started going down too. We live in a split foyer and she refused to go down those steps. I didn't mind and didn't encourage her at first because she was housebreaking and it was easier for me if she didn't go downstairs anyway. I did make her go down the first set to go out the front door when we were leaving by putting her on her leash and just walking down the stairs she had no choice but to follow. I completely ignored her when she fought me and she would just kind of do and controlled fall for the first couple steps then she'd run down. I did the same thing when I needed to groom her which I do downstairs. I figured she'd never come down on her own if she only ever went to the bathtub and grooming table, but last week I went down to do the laundry and she came running in and jumped onto the grooming table. I couldn't believe it. Now thats always where she sits when I do laundry. Now her only problem is she tries to fly up the stairs and she just crashes and falls back down. LOL!! Her name is not Grace!

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