# Going up/down steps...when?



## shadowsfamily (Nov 20, 2003)

What can we say... Shadow's family has LOTS of questions...









Shadow has been going up the steps since we brought her home at 11 weeks.. but... she will NOT go down them - or even attempt. Is this normal? How long before the pup will feel comfortable going down the steps? (I don't want to continue to spoil her by carrying her down if she should be doing it on her own by now!)


----------



## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

We carried Tiki down the stairs for 9 months! He was always afraid then one day he was more afraid of the vacuum cleaner and took of down the stairs







. Shadow will go down when she is ready; you can't spoil her to much









Judi


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

Morgan just turned a year old and he still isn't going up or down the stairs and that is perfectly fine with me. He also can't/won't jump up on the furniture. Spoil? What's that? lol


----------



## muffieluv (Oct 26, 2003)

I cant really tell you..I don't have stairs







^_^


----------



## shadowsfamily (Nov 20, 2003)

"9 months"... "a year old"... ugh! You've got to be kidding me!








I don't so much mind carrying her down the steps...but she thinks it's a game and backs away, prances at me, runs around, barks, etc. It can take almost 10 minutes for me to even catch her sometimes! The only good thing is - since she knows how to go 'up' steps... she just keeps going up another level - and then another - till finally I have here cornered on the top level! Darn split level houses...


----------



## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

For a long time we had a low gate in front of our stairs. I was to worried that Tiki would get up and not be able to come down or fall. The gate doesn't have to be very tall; so you can step over it easily and she won't be able to go up. You may want to have her come to you and sit for a small treat before you pick her up to come down; once she learns that "come, sit" command life will be much easier!









It took Tiki a LONG TIME to learn this command; he now knows if he wants that treat he better be sitting at my feet. Of course if he doesn't want the treat and is to busy to be bothered I have to go after him









Judi


----------



## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

Sampson learned to go up and down pretty quick on his own, he takes his time on certain ones though, it was years before he would go down the ones to the basement at my mom and dads house, Maggie would go up them but not down them for the first few months when we got her, dont get mad at me ladies but the way she got over her fear of going down them was be pulling her down the first step, just gently pulling her leash until she went over the first one and from that moment forward she has went up and down without a problem


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

I dont' want Morgan to learn! lol And he does the very same thing, plays his little "catch me if you can" game, running & jumping & spinning in circles when I ask him if he wants to go downstairs...I personally love it and play right along with him. I think he does it out of excitement,,he knows alot of his toys are downstairs in the family room and he wants to be with everyone else too.


----------



## Colette'sMom (Aug 21, 2003)

Colette will go up the two steps leading into our house. She has only gone down them once....she's 6 1/2 months. I have 2 Chihuahuas which only do the two front steps.....up and down. I, therefore, am not holding out much hope for Colette. Now my German Shepherd was the stepmaster whiz when she was alive. :lol: It's good I never had to carry her!!
Gail


----------



## Joeybz (Dec 10, 2003)

Hi,

Is your baby going up and down the stairs yet? My first one, Jasmine is 3 pounds as an adult but was going up and down from the time she was about 10 weeks. Treats are a great insentive for them to go down one stair at a time. My daughter and I placed a treat on the stair below her until she made it all the way down. It was so cute at that point. She realized she did it so she ran all the way to the top and ran all the way down. That is all it took. 

Chester is now 14 weeks and 4 pounds. He is our bruser!  The first night I had him home he followed us upstairs and then went down on his own. I'm not sure he had stairs before as when he got to the bottom he did the same thing. He ran up and down the stairs like it was new to him. Jasmine is only 3 pounds, but you should see that girl go when she goes up and down. Jumping is another matter and she doesn't jump up on anything. She just is too little.

Best of luck,
Joanne, Jasmine, and Chester


----------



## Colette'sMom (Aug 21, 2003)

Hi joeybz,
You may read my post of November 29.......nothing has changed. :lol: 
Mother of the "Coward of the County"


----------



## Mary_n_Bitsy (Mar 4, 2004)

Bitsy is the same way, she could go up the stairs almost immediately when we got her, she's about 14 weeks now and is still terrified of going down the stairs. I guess when she's ready she will?


----------



## sydneysmom (Mar 17, 2004)

Sydney was afraid to go down the step going to the patio so my husband built her a little half step and we would take her to the step and put her paw down on her half step and she finally got comfortable going down. Eventually she was confident to go on the regular step on her own. Then sooon after she would go up and down the other 3 patio steps to the yard on her own....took her about 2 weeks.


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

Morgan is about a year and half and still will not go up and down a full set of stairs. He will go up and down the back deck steps because it is only two, but will not go down the stairs to the basement's family room, I have to carry him. If I go upstairs from there for any reason, he will follow me, but will sit at the foot of the stairs until I come back down. If I am gone too long for his taste, he will sit and cry for me. Of course, it was just a few months ago he started jumping up on the bed and furniture. If he never learns the art of the stairs, that is perfectly fine with me. I dont' mind carrying him up and down the stairs and I know where he is at all times.


----------



## Maxismom (Mar 24, 2004)

maxi started to go up and down steps at 6 months fully and he relaly did it on his own when he felt comfortable i tried teaching him and he did it when he was ready...he is cautious and wont do something if he feels unconfortable


----------



## LoveMaltese6820 (Apr 12, 2004)

I don't have my Maltese yet, but I read somewhere that some will never go down the steps.


----------



## Caesar's Mommie (Apr 8, 2004)

Caesar started to go up stairs at about 10 weeks, but he was too scared to come back down. My husband taught him how to come down at about 13 weeks. He would bring him down half way and then Caesar would go down, I guess from the top it seemed to scarey







. Now he goes up and down as often as he wants. Our steps are carpeted, he is still hesitant to go up/down wooden stairs though.


----------



## Maltymad (Aug 21, 2003)

My Maltese learn't how to go up and down the stairs as they come to bed with us every night,

in the night as soon as the TV goes off they race to the top of the stairs and wait for us to come up.

in the morning they go to the toilet when my husband makes a cup of coffee and race down stairs.

I think they race each other !   

I think their insentive is being with us !


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

My house is a ranch so the only stairs to climb are for the basement to get to the family room, so I love carrying him. So I spoil him a little and he may never learn to go up and down the stairs..okay, I spoil him ALOT! lol I don't mind and like that he depends on me for it. What more can I say? lol My yorkie on the other hand, is still so tiny, (he's only 15 weeks old) with no fear of anything and I am afraid the little dare devil will have the stairs down to a science in no time flat! I had to buy a small playpen for him for when I am cooking and cleaning as he keeps getting under foot, I put a bell on his collar, that didn't help a whole heck of alot so figured a playpen would take care of the problem, well, no go, he jumps and pulls himself up and over and out! (it was good for about 2 weeks! lol) So having one who wants to be carried and needs me is a nice thing! lol


----------



## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

You better keep an eye on Morgan; once that little yorkie starts going up and down stairs, Morgan is sure to follow









Judi


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

I dunno, I have another dog who goes up and down all of the time and he hasn't followed in his foot steps as of yet, so I get the impression Morgan likes it this way too! lol


----------



## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

I wish Tiki hadn't learned.... now,,if I don't block off the staircase, he follows me upstairs and gets into stuff he shouldn't (litter box, kids papers)









Oh, well... the things we do for our little ones








This luck Morgan will never learn, or maybe he is so smart he just prefers to be carried









Judi


----------



## dcsgirl (Feb 15, 2004)

Minnie was taught to go down the steps to the patio when she was 2 1/2 months old. Whenever it was time to go potty, we took her to the fist step and put her two front paws on the next step going down and we would let her do the rest of that step (sometimes she needed assistance, otherwise she would stay like that for a long time). We continued this for a few days and encourage her with sweet talk and offering treats. Now she lokes to go up and down.


----------



## Maxismom (Mar 24, 2004)

lol maxi the minute i open my front door of my apt he runs out down the steps up the steps he is a crazy boy! i taught him late he didnt walk up and down until about 5 months i was too scared he would get hurt but once he felt confident that was it .........


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

LOL Guess I am th elucky one. Morgan at a year and half, still being carried. Never a worry about "Where did you go?" I love carrying him and I dont' intend to encourage him to learn. He can get up and down the deck to go potty, it is only two steps, that is all he needs to know! lol


----------



## Maxismom (Mar 24, 2004)

lol how about on and off the bed i had to teach maxi actualy i have a chair next to the bed he likes to jump on first and than the bed otherwise the first few weeks he was peeing on it and i was having a slight nervous breakdown to say the least lol


----------



## kit001 (Jul 6, 2003)

Morgan just learned about 4 months ago how to jump up on the furniture. Bailey the little Yorkie I just got, (he just turned 4 months old), can now jump out of his playpen, (the playpen only lasted about two weeks before he could get out of it), he jumps the baby gate and now goes up and down the basements steps. I am just so glad Morgan hasnt' decided to see if he can do the things Bailey is doing. I will be in deep if he ever does! lol


----------



## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

:excl:


----------

