The Great And Terrible Stairs!

[Guest ironandsalt]

Hello, everyone! This is my first post and I just brought my grey boy home yesterday evening. Heck, I met him yesterday. Whirlwind relationship here, the whole adoption process was very fast. His name is Titan, subject to change since my neighbor's dog is names Tyson, and...yeah. It's confusing. I keep wanting to say Tyson.

 

Anyway, I'm on the second floor of an apartment complex. There are fifteen steps and he is, of course, terrified of them. I've been asking people to help me get him up the stairs-he goes down with coaxing and doesn't try and make one long leap. How on earth do I get him up the stairs come Monday when I'm all on my own and make it to work on time? Does anyone have any experience in this? How long did it take your hounds to make progress? I've seen everything from two weeks to five weeks for a grey getting used to the stairs, but I honestly don't know how they get from terrified to running up with no problem.

 

Granted, it's only the first full day. I know this. I'm just freaking out. He's new! I have a mini dachshund, so I can't even get her to lead by example since she cries on them and isn't really allowed to go up and down anyway for obvious reasons.

[buddibear]

Well hopefully they are not open back stairs. My first foster had issues and the trick was to cut up a package of hot dogs.. put on a harness and place one treat per step. It took a few minutes but he got it.Mashmellow PEEPS at the top can't hurt! lol I hope your group didn't leave you high and dry

[krissy]

Hey! Congrats on your new addition!

 

When we brought our foster home (85 lbs and TALL) we had to teach him stairs. We live in a basement apartment so he was forced to go up and down 5 or 6 times a day to get out to use the facilities. For the most part I helped him with the stairs on my own. In my opinion, teaching up is easier than down, so if he's already better at down then that's good!

 

Give yourself an extra 15-20 in the morning. No way around it for the first week or so. I literally moved each paw for him. He usually got his front feet up the first 2 or 3 stairs and then was totally at a loss for what to do with the back end. I picked up each foot and put it on the appropriate step. Lots of treats. Find something he'll take even when he's in his nervous place. For Sunny it was peanut butter. Tends to be a favourite. You can move a few paws and then give him a treat and praise him enthusiastically, then move some more. If one side is a wall I'd let him have that side for support in case he falls over that way, and then he has you on the other side.

 

I've heard people talk about using a harness so you can take some of their weight. Whatever method you choose though it will take time and patience. While it seems really unfortunate to the humans at first if there are stairs that HAVE to be tackled (such as in apartments to get in and out for bathroom breaks) it will force the dog to learn that much quicker. Lots of praise and encouragement and he should be flying up and down in no time. Sunny was a pro in about a week, but then he pretended for another half a week that he couldn't go down the stairs because he didn't want to go back in.

 

Thank goodness I didn't have to teach Summit stairs when we adopted him right after our foster left.

[Guest ironandsalt]

Thanks guys! It's just good to hear that teaching a grey on your own isn't a rare thing, most sites I've looked at say use two people. I have training treats that he braved the balcony for-he ignored turkey lunch meat. I'm about to try the new treats on the stairs now. Unfortunately, they are open-back stairs, and I'm sure that's making ti worse. The few steps (four or so) that are solid concrete just on the walking paths here don't even phase him.

 

He's not a jumper or climber at all. He won't get on the bed, won't get on the couch. He didn't in his foster home, so we'll have to see if that's a permanent thing or not!

 

The agency didn't leave me, really, but they're an hour north of where I live. I might get the same support I get here, which is advice, but I'm not so sure about visits.

[OwnedBySummer]

The method I used with Summer was to stand directly behind her while moving the paws, like Krissy described. I also used my thighs to bolster her back end and to apply pressure as I moved those paws, encouraging her to go with it. I would say it took Summer a couple of days to do the stairs without the whole paw/thigh thing but I had to coax a little. To do them confidently on her own was probably a week or so. These are normal carpeted household stairs, they aren't open.

Edited April 24, 2011 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest LindsaySF]

I teach fosters to do the stairs on my own, so it's possible, don't worry. I have slippery wooden stairs too.

 

I like to put a harness on them, that way I can lift them up like a suitcase. On the way down, I hold onto the harness handle, and place each paw on each step. There is some pulling involved to encourage them along, but they get the hang of it! For up, I lift each paw onto the stairs, one at a time. Some dogs need each paw lifted for each step for several days, some dogs only need assistance up a few steps then they do it on their own, some dogs will put their front paws up but they forget about their back end, it all depends on the dog. Several fosters have placed their front feet correctly, but I need to lift their butt up each step, it's like a wheelbarrow.

 

The more they do them and the more confident they get, the better. I would practice on different (non-open backed) stairs first. Once your dog has mastered those, then move on to the scarier steps. It's good news that he does the concrete ones no problem, that helps!

[Guest ironandsalt]

We just walked the complex. He can take six normal concrete steps, solid, no problem. Doesn't even pause going up or down, just tackles them like they're normal. This makes me think that it might just be the height (15 steps) and open backs that worry him. He didn't shake quite as much, though! I'm going to take that as a good sign. I'm very relieved that it isn't all steps!! Just linoleum, my parents' koi pond (he dunked himself today in the shallow end and climbed out like nothing happened, which I figured he might do since, hey, water and greyhounds), and open-backed stairs. He went down this time no problem, so at least that was learned after two trips down.

 

Treats worked better as a calming agent this time rather than a lure, but that's better than nothing. Side-note, he doesn't put much work into chasing down rabbits and pulling me behind him. Not that that has anything to do with staircases.

 

I'll try the peanut butter tomorrow morning, see if he'll go for it. I've never known a dog that doesn't go crazy for it, and I'm open to all suggestions. The sooner he feels comfortable, the sooner I can take my poor doxie with us so she doesn't bark and cry.

 

He doesn't have a harness yet, but I'll go find him one tomorrow. The few steps we took before my friend arrived to help were promising, and I tried the stand behind him and move his paws one by one. I paused on each step, figured he could get his bearings.

 

I know this is a well worn topic, but I really appreciate your input! I will try any and every combination of tips until we get it right! I'm a first time owner, so I'm over-stressing.

[Guest june]

You mentioned getting him a harness. Premier makes one specifically for Greyhounds that is terrific if you can find one. All their harnesses are adjustable 5 ways and snap on both sides on the back so the dog doesn't have to step into it. I got mine though my adoption group so you might check with your adoption group.

june

[GeorgeofNE]

I did it myself, and we had three flights of metal, black stairs in and enclosed stairwell!

 

It was awful!

 

We had an elevator for daily use, but he HAD to know how to use the stairs for those frequent occasions when the power was out and the elevators didn't work.

 

I tried all the methods in the books. Eventually I just moved his paws, one at a time, up all three flights. Over and over and over.

 

We made some progress, and then one day he did a Billy goat jump, slipped, fell, and his skin split open in three places. Back to square one!

 

This was all going UP. I didn't even dare try down. Finally, after three weeks of working on up, we decided to give down a try. Much to my amazement, he pranced down all three flights like a debutante descending a staircase at a ball! No problems at all!

 

When we moved here, there are only stairs--three flights--but short. And these stairs have carpet. He followed the moving men up as if he'd done it a thousand times!

[Guest BrianRke]

I taught all three of mine to go up and down the stairs. I picked them up, and put them in the middle of the staircase. I sat beside them and very calmly put a front paw on the step, then the the back paw, and so forth. They all caught on after just a few times. All 3 of them fly up and down the stairs now.

 

It was pretty easy, but maybe I'm just lucky.

[HoundHeavenAZ]

Congratulations to you both! Just be calm and confident and your dog will catch on. Maybe you could sit on the steps for a few moments and let him just get used to them and the sounds and vibrations, only a few hounds will not respond to a treat. Pause between steps so the dog doesn't think he has to rush them and then risk a trip or fall.

Just remember to keep him calm and go slow so he doesn't frighten himself by slipping or tripping, because then he'll always remember the torture! My girl trusts me totally but does not trust hard floors usually. She avoided the kitchen floor in our last house for 4 years and so far has avoided this one for a year. Yet she can wander through Home Depot on the cement floor and even lay down for a nap in there

Good luck to you both Your boy will learn to rely on you for trusting signals and soon you'll be synced up nicely.

[DesiRayMom]

No advice for stairs....just wanted to say welcome to GT.

 

The advice & support are truly amazing.

 

Best wishes to you & your new boy....whatever his names turns out to be.

 

PS....,Pics are highly desired. We'll be happy to tell you how handsome he is!!

[Guest snakes]

I have taught in total 6 greys to do stairs, they are not an option since i live up two flights. they all learned, some more gracefully than others! I just gave them plenty of time and did it step by step, placing paw by paw. The first week i would sometimes carry them on one flight and have them do the other, or carry them up half the flight and let them do the rest. None of them would accept any food becasue they were so nervous.

I did find practicing on shorter flights of stairs around town (ones that were 6-10 steps and concrete and big) really helped. I would work it into our walks and do the same set of stairs 4-5 times.

I found they all learned to go down stairs within a couple days, the longest took two weeks to go up.

[Guest ironandsalt]

No pet shopping today. It was a lazy day, but we did go to the dog park where Titan stood patiently while a pitt puppy stood on her hind legs and batted at his head. I'll have to pick a harness up tomorrow; I'm almost out of treats anyway for helping him up the stairs. I'll definitely look for the Premier harness, but it sounds like something better found online. Even if he does well without it, it's good to have if I ever need to support his weight elsewhere. Say, when it's time to tackle tile, linoleum, etc.

 

It sounds like I should count myself lucky, only having one flight of steps! I think the first few times you try paw-over-paw manual walking up the stairs you freak about whether the hound will ever get the hang of it. Should I adopt a hound again in the future, I'll give them more credit for learning.

 

I would pick him up, but he's 76 pounds (needs to hit 80 or so) and while I can lift that, I'm not a fan if the idea of dropping him. It's much easier to move a barbell than it is an animal, in my opinion!

 

Here's a pic of Titan and Molly on the balcony. If you look closely you can see the kind of stairs we're dealing with through the balcony bars and wheel spokes.

 

[Trihounds]

Sounds like eveything is going well! Great advice in this thread. Some dogs take longer than others and we have one that to this day refuses to do open back stairs. <sigh>.

 

Enjoy him - he looks like one relaxed dude!

[GeorgeofNE]

Could you get cardboard, and attach it to the back of the open part of the stairs temporarily?

 

He goes down because he can't see the gaps. He is rather wisely afraid of his legs slipping through. Cardboard would give the illusion of a solid staircase, cheap and easy to put up, and simple enough to take down.

Edited April 25, 2011 by GeorgeofNE

[robinw]

I took a leash and made it into a harness. I had Treasure lean against the staircase wall to help increase her confidence while I moved one foot at a time. I stood behind her and kind of helped push her along with my knee from the rear. It took about a week but it worked.

Edited April 25, 2011 by robinw

[SPDoggie]

Great idea GeorgeofNE on the cardboard.

 

I was going to second, or third, the whole stand behind him and move his paws one-at-a-time till he gets the motion down. Down was much scarier for our dogs and for me, so that is great that he's able to go down without attempting to jump the entire lot.

 

Took Kingsley about a week to master up and a month to get down (but we also have scary curved stairs) while Ruby, our second conquered both within days since she is much more outgoing and had Kingsly to watch.

[Guest mariah]

We live on the third floor of an apartment building with no elevator, so Chips had to learn stairs fast, too! He went up stairs ok, but wouldn't go down at all, his eyes would just sort of glaze over, he would freeze up and look like he was in a trance. I found that practicing on less-scary outdoor stairs as often as possible helped to speed things along. I read that it helped with some dogs if you made sure that they were on the side closest to the wall when practicing stairs and I think Chips found this to be comforting as well. Usually lifting him just a bit and putting him gently up onto the first few steps would be all he needed to get going, though this might not be the case if your pup is having trouble going up stairs (rather than down)! Good luck, he'll figure it out soon!