Any Advice Please

[Linbin]

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Wonder if anyone has any advice about how to teach a whippet puppy to walk downstairs. Pax can gallop up with no problems but coming down is a different matter.

I am still carrying him down and it is a bit like carrying a donkey - he weighs a ton!

I have been putting his car harness on and holding that and trying to encourage him but he is really anxious and with those long, gangly legs I am scared he will lose his footing and fall.

Their crate is still in our bedroom for the time being so it's something I have to do every morning. Any ideas?

 

[Hilary & Hounds]

What I did with mine was carry them down most of the way and then put them down about 5 steps up. I would then support them under their tummies (not good with a bad back if you have one!) and encourage/haul them down the rest of the way. Gradually this built up to higher steps until they could do it themselves. :thumbsup:

 

[wigglesworth]

Our Twiggy took a few weeks to learn stairs - she came to live with us after her first 8 months in a bungalow with no stairs.

We did the same thing of carrying her down most of the way and putting her on the third or fourth last step, enough so she couldn't just leap the rest of teh way, and coaxing her down with lots of praise and treats.

Your puppy will find his way soon enough then there'll be no stopping him.

:thumbsup: :luck:

 

[doggy182]

This is interesting for me as I never thought about it!

We have THE steepest stairs ever! My mums dog just launches herself down them at top speed and frightens the life out of me, so worried she will trip, which she usually does, and go flying into the wall at the bottom.

Really don't like thinking bout a small pup trying to come dwon them, but there is only so long we can carry her about!

So much to think about and prepare, wish it would go quicker tho, still 8 weeks to wait!

Carla

 

[meddling]

I personally wouldn't allow a baby to go up or down stairs until they are fully grown - difficult I know - but their little joints are not formed properly and it is quite a strain on them

 

[uggybugs]

Wonder if anyone has any advice about how to teach a whippet puppy to walk downstairs. Pax can gallop up with no problems but coming down is a different matter.
I am still carrying him down and it is a bit like carrying a donkey - he weighs a ton!

I have been putting his car harness on and holding that and trying to encourage him but he is really anxious and with those long, gangly legs I am scared he will lose his footing and fall.

Their crate is still in our bedroom for the time being so it's something I have to do every morning. Any ideas?

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i had this problem with Alby, think hes scared of heights! We got him coming down by putting bits of sausage on the bottom 4 steps. Took him about 5 mins to get over his fear of heights, hes such a piglet! We gradually did it so sausage was just at bottom, now he has no problems with stairs at all

 

[Hilary & Hounds]

This is interesting for me as I never thought about it!We have THE steepest stairs ever!  My mums dog just launches herself down them at top speed and frightens the life out of me, so worried she will trip, which she usually does, and go flying into the wall at the bottom. 

Really don't like thinking bout a small pup trying to come dwon them, but there is only so long we can carry her about!

So much to think about and prepare, wish it would go quicker tho, still 8 weeks to wait!

Carla

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My stairs are really steep too but even the greyhounds can manage them if they're careful. It is heart in mouth time, though, I agree! (w00t)

 

[ecksey]

i had this problem with ecksey,

he was 7 months old when we got him, and didnt know how to go up or down, and he has to use stairs to go to the garden and everywhere, he soon got used to up, but down was a different matter, we tried all sorts, but in the end we borrowed a friends dog and he soon learnt to follow her, but we still have one set of stairs that he wont even contemplate going up or down,

good luck :luck:

 

[Cornish]

Ben will gallop up our metal spiral stair case but coming down is a different matter.. Sidney wont go up nor down so we carry him.

When we lived in the cottage, Sidney had this great game of running up the (normal) stairs with his ball, standing at the top and dropping it and then chasing after it....

 

[Janimal]

or puff jerky treats... :lol:

I used to coax mine down 1 step at a time with treats until they got more confident.

Once learned though never forgotten just remember... :lol: :thumbsup:

 

[k4tie-d]

weve got outside stairs 2 that they just freeze on so i have been carrying them, and oh says not to try yet as there legs and mucles wont manged yet???

is that right or is he taking rubbish and i should be trying with the treats to?

there concreat stairs outside so if they fell it could be quite dangerous :sweating:

 

[Linbin]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I will try from the bottom and gradually work up the stairs instead of starting at the top with the harness and the poor devil looking down on what must look like Everest. The treat idea is good too, Pax would do a bungee jump for something to eat!

 

[AnnSa]

I like it when they darent come down, i used to let them go upstairs

then after i have finished the housework go and collect them :lol:

 

Kaya still just chucks herself down them

Sada and Alba have no problems with stairs at all.

 

[Linbin]

I like it when they darent come down, i used to let them go upstairsthen after i have finished the housework go and collect them  :lol:

 

Kaya still just chucks herself down them 

Sada and Alba have no problems with stairs at all.

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Haha, mean but hilarious (w00t) I can just imagine them all sat on the bed muttering "how long does it take to hoover the bloody front room!" :rant:

 

[*Lesley*]

They'll do it when they're confident Lynne its a lot different coming down than up, all mine have been like that but they all get the hang of it