Won’t go down stairs inside

[Lindsey]

Hi there!

We adopted Kuzco about a month ago. He’s our second hound, and we’re aware of how challenging stairs can be for them. We put carpet runners on the stairs, which helped our first grey. Problem with Kuzco is going down but just inside. 

We have a bi-level house so two smaller sets of stairs. He’ll go up just fine and that didn’t take long to train. He’ll go down stairs outside (to take him downstairs we bring him into the backyard, around the front, and down some steps into the garage and then basement).

We’ve tried using his favorite toys and treats. He’ll get right to the edge and seem like he wants to but just won’t. We’ve tried from both landings and he won’t budge on either. 

So we need more carpet? Firmer approach? Different motivation?

 Thank you!

[FiveRoooooers]

Are there two of you who can try something like this? One *can* do it, it can be a bit awkward, but still doable. Person 1 is at Kuzco's head with superior treats (chicken, liver, something he really values). Kuzco is wearing his martingale and leash. Person 2 is at Kuzco's side with a sling. You can easily fashion one from a sweatshirt folded in thirds, using the arms as handles. I use either "Step" or "One Foot" (my fav) when teaching this, and ask him to put down one foot at a time, stopping to let him regroup if necessary, and rewarding every time he makes a move. When he even hints at moving a shoulder forward praise him (Good boy!) so that he understands that he's on the right track. Keep his hind end steady and lift him up just enough to get his feet off the ground so that he has to travel forward and down the steps. If one of the landings is fewer steps than the other I'd start with that. I hope this makes sense and can help!