Guest HeatherLee Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I've had gambler for a month.. and he is a pro at solid stairs, no probs at all. HOWEVER.. when my mother ( whom he loves) had to bring him to her place from the vet while I was at work,he absolutely refused to go up her stairs.. they are the slab style stairs that you can see through. So.. I had to take off work early and take the poor little guy home. THEN I tried again yesterday to get him up the 7 stairs to her place.. lots of treats nd patience.. with nice walks in between sessions when he got frustrated... but he would not do it. Any suggestions other than just keep working at it? It reminds me.of trying to get a horse into a trailer.. haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Can you stick a big piece of cardboard on the underside just while you're there? So he THINKS they are normal stairs? Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytpups Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 A carpet runner might work if he is still willing to try them. You might need high value treats for this. Quote Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field. Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I spent some time sitting a couple of stairs up when teaching Brandi. Good treats just out of reach and lots of encouragement. They get there eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest knowimagination Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 The first few months we had Rush we lived in a 3rd floor apartment with slab open back stairs the whole way up. She had zero problems going down them but when I tried to get her to go up she would just turn away and not look at me. Eventually I got her to go up them a few times but she never got comfortable with it and we eventually moved (had planned on moving didn't leave because of the stairs). That was a long 3 months of carrying a 65lb dog up 3 flights of stairs multiple times per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OurLacyandJax Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Our Molly had a hard time mastering going up our (carpeted) see through stairs. It took her 3 days short of one month to finally do it all on her own, all the way. Advise wise - patience as usual. Do not show the frustration ever. Treats and hugs for getting to each landing. As far as technique goes, definitely do not tug or even use the collar. What finally worked for Molly was me standing behind her, my knees touching her rump area (not pushing) and then me bending over and grabbing her one leg and placing it on one stair, and then grabbing the other and placing on the same stair. Proceed up one more that way, and then alternate with the rear set. You can start slow, then increase the speed slowly over a week. She felt comforted to feel me right behind and over her. I learned this trick about one-two weeks into the frustrating teaching..and from then on, the frustration went away, and it became a small chore to teach her. It was quick and she learned soon. Keep the faith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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