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Dog wont go up the stairs.
rts
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So a couple of years ago I made a post on here about wanting to get a dog, and asking for advice. I ended up getting a Newfoundland, and things have been great. But about 6 months ago a problem developed, he stopped going up the stairs.
Now he's a big boy, about 160 lbs so I cannot carry him up or force him to go up. He doesn't have any hip problems, and he will easily go up the concrete stairs outside. The stairs in here are hardwood, and I definitely think that is the problem. I invested in some nice stair treads and mounted them on the stairs but I can't get him to give them a chance. I have tried everything I can think of. I put down treats, treats with peanut butter, toys , toys filled with treats....toys filled with treats and peanut butter. I have had other dogs come over and run up and down the stairs... he just sits at the bottom and stares longingly. I took him to the dog park, he ran around a bunch, then I ran him home and ran around the park outside here and then came in and tried to run him up the stairs (I had seen a dog whisperer or something with a similar problem where he just wore the dog out). It didn't work. He is too strong, and I think the whole ordeal just made it worse because now he thinks I am trying to trick him into going up. Which I am.
The problem started gradually, and I should have got the treads then but I was stupid. There is a little landing where the stairs turn a couple of steps from the bottom, and when the problem first started he would get to the step before that landing and stand there and drool and drool and drool (he drools when he is nervous). But if I walked over he would come down the steps. Then he started pausing at the top of the steps. Then he started hesitating going up. Now he won't go up at all. I don't think he has ever fallen or lost his footing on the steps. I have seen him slip a bit on the floor at the bottom of the steps when he comes off of it, but never anything serious.
He loves it upstairs, there is a nice balcony up there he likes to lay out on and watch the kids playing in the park outside. My studio is up there and I need to spend the majority of my day up there and I don't want to leave him down here by himself all day.
Please please please help.
Here is a picture:
Now he's a big boy, about 160 lbs so I cannot carry him up or force him to go up. He doesn't have any hip problems, and he will easily go up the concrete stairs outside. The stairs in here are hardwood, and I definitely think that is the problem. I invested in some nice stair treads and mounted them on the stairs but I can't get him to give them a chance. I have tried everything I can think of. I put down treats, treats with peanut butter, toys , toys filled with treats....toys filled with treats and peanut butter. I have had other dogs come over and run up and down the stairs... he just sits at the bottom and stares longingly. I took him to the dog park, he ran around a bunch, then I ran him home and ran around the park outside here and then came in and tried to run him up the stairs (I had seen a dog whisperer or something with a similar problem where he just wore the dog out). It didn't work. He is too strong, and I think the whole ordeal just made it worse because now he thinks I am trying to trick him into going up. Which I am.
The problem started gradually, and I should have got the treads then but I was stupid. There is a little landing where the stairs turn a couple of steps from the bottom, and when the problem first started he would get to the step before that landing and stand there and drool and drool and drool (he drools when he is nervous). But if I walked over he would come down the steps. Then he started pausing at the top of the steps. Then he started hesitating going up. Now he won't go up at all. I don't think he has ever fallen or lost his footing on the steps. I have seen him slip a bit on the floor at the bottom of the steps when he comes off of it, but never anything serious.
He loves it upstairs, there is a nice balcony up there he likes to lay out on and watch the kids playing in the park outside. My studio is up there and I need to spend the majority of my day up there and I don't want to leave him down here by himself all day.
Please please please help.
Here is a picture:
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The landing at the bottom is about 3.5'x3.5' and is big enough for him to lay down on if he wanted to. Plenty of room I think.
I have never given him any food other than dry dog food, and I was thinking of maybe cooking up some bacon, giving him a small piece and then putting the rest of it on the steps. He isn't usually too motivated by food but I think something extreme like that might get his attention. Do you think this might lead to other problems later?
But really the cause doesn't matter. The treads are a great idea, you can also safely use resin based products like firm grip on his paws to prevent him from slipping. Does he have hair growing between his paws? Or long toe nails? Both of those can make dogs less comfortable on smooth surfaces. I know you put down the treads, but your dog doesn't seem to have noticed and if he feels more comfortable about traction in general he may be more willing to try the stairs.
I think the really special treat idea is a good one, but probably you stopping caring about it will make a bigger difference. If you are upstairs all day your dog is probably going to want to be upstairs too. Your dog can tell if you are stressed about him and the stairs and that is likely just making him even more sure that the stairs are worth being worried about.
What sort of issues down the line are you worried about? Bacon is kind of greasy, maybe something like freeze dried liver wouldn't leave any grease behind to freak your dog out?
I once or twice lead him upstairs on the leash, because he was so conditions to walk right next to me on it he would do stairs fine. If franklin is not a particularly leash trained dog, this wont really help though. If the stairs are wide enough for both of you, he might confidently walk by your side and do it.
My situation maybe slightly less extreme, because left on his own he would get over it and do it himself, but in a sloppy slipping mess, and after like an hour or two of whining.
If its been a while for a vet trip, it could be a joint, but its more likely hes just nervous
Edit: You own the place right? I dont know how sturdy the tracks are, but you might consider just carpeting the stairs.
I don't think stair width or height or anything like that is the issue. He was using the stairs after he was full grown and it didn't seem like a problem then. He just has some kind of fear of the steps which is almost certainly related to them being hardwood. Which is why I put the treads on. They are extremely secure, and quite large. It's basically like the stairs are carpeted with door mats now.
The reason I am worried about using something like bacon is because right now he is a 160lb dog which is easily large enough to take food off of a table or kitchen counter without lifting even one foot off the ground. This hasn't been a problem though so far because his interest in food is actually pretty minimal. He definitely is interested, but not enough to upset me at all. But if I start giving him bacon or some other type of food that I might have on my own plate, I am concerned he will start to take liberties in the future.
I might try coating his paws with something that gives him better grip, it's a good idea. The real trick now is just getting him to try the stair treads. But his fear of the steps is so great that he doesn't want anything to do with them, and I can't exactly communicate to him that the situation has changed.
I actually just took him to the vet a couple of days ago, he is perfectly health.
I think I am going to try the bacon thing tonight to see if it works.
Put some on the stairs outside and have him walk on them, since he has no objections to them. Then put some a little before the steps so he can feel the new texture and see that it extends up the stairs.
Get the dog to put his front paws on the first step, and congratulate that.
Repeat for a few days until you can convince him to put his paws on the second step, then congratulate that.
Rinse, repeat.
Yep... even start by praising him for walking towards the steps. Then when he's with in, say, 3-4 feet of the stairs. Then when he stands next to them. then when he puts 1 paw on a step. then two paws and so on and so on.
Small, tedious, steps to getting him to climb the stairs but that how we do it according the the psych classes i've taken. Look up Operant Conditioning, Shaping, and Approximations for anything more indepth
Also bacon isn't working. He gets really close to the steps and leans over them as much as possible but refuses to take a step.
I would not be surprised at all that a dog that large had joint issues. I'm not saying its definitely joint problems or anything, just that there are ways for you to double check.
EDIT: I know you have stairs outside he doesn't have a problem with, but its possible he knows he has to go up the outside ones, and the inside ones he's like "hell no, there be nothing that great up there". You can find out real quick if its just a psychological problem by finding some more stairs.
Can you get him to sit beside the stairs? If so, sit down with him, grab one of his paws, and place it on the first step, and congratulate him. Eventually he should get accustomed to putting one paw on the first step enough that you can get him to do it while standing.
If he is already walking up to the stairs but won't step on them, praise and call him away for sniffing the stairs or touching his nose to them. You want to get him interacting with the stairs in a way that doesn't cause him to worry so that you can build a positive association with the stairs. Does he target?
The steps are not floating.
You might be able to find a behaviorist in your area who can help, they generally have one staffed at local SPCAs, and if they cant help they might point you in the right direction. I think all of us will probably just continue to make off hand "might work" suggestions, if the situation is that extreme then a pro might suit it better.
I think you are looking for too big of improvement all at once. Can you get him to sniff the first stair? Touch the vertical part with his paw? Look at it?
EDIT: and by "can you get him" I mean with you sitting in a chair ten feet away and him happily offering behavior near the stairs and you rewarding him at your chair.
I have found that praising him as he tries to climb makes him more nervous and back away from the steps.
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How are you praising him? He might be nervous you'll touch him (pet him) which could put him off balance. Or, similarly, that he'll get distracted and become off balance. Maybe wait to praise him until he's totally still and obviously not going to move further?
Serious answer: it'a been my experience that some dogs are just rubbish at climbing stairs, but slowly moving his food bowl one staep higher every couple of days might work.
My dog refuses to go anywhere near the steps near my side door. He won't go up or down them since he fell down them as a puppy.
Using one treat at a time to lure him up is different here, I am not sure if I want him slowly going up the stairs picking up treats on his way. It's already awkward enough without him trying to get treats. I may take some pictures or shoot some video and upload it so you guys can better see the dilemma.