TEACHING PUPPIES HOW TO CLIMB STAIRS

This is one exercise that makes me feel really wanted around young puppies. The nervousness and anxiety I very quickly use to teach my pup that hey, “I am dependable” let’s do this together, I am your protector and I will make sure you get down the fleet of stairs safely with me. 

They are anxious, they whine and they just want to be safely carried up and down. I have personally seen German Shepherds as big as five months scared to go downstairs. A job that was easily washed off by a pet parent by simply carrying the puppy has now ended in a back-breaking activity ten times in the day. Seen various videos of puppies being taught, none that shows me a puppy that isn’t anxious and under-confident about this

What looks like a mundane, minuscule daily task to us is a horrifying “TASK” for the puppy, if you just lie down on where the stairs start and see from your pup’s eye.

Come to think of it, either the pup can carry out the act of jumping down the stairs or be anxious and scared. If we remove or reduce the anxiety underlying the act we have a more confident puppy. So instead of starting right from top why don’t we start from the last step on the fleet down. Sit down next to your puppy, use any reward of your choice food/praise/toys/love and encourage the pup to get down. Once confident with the first step promptly place your pup on the second step of the landing.

When they see the tasks smaller to reach the floor, we reduce anxiety boost confidence and a day will come soon when you have your K9 companion getting down faster than you and don’t be surprised if you get a one-eyebrow raised look to “speed up, old bones!”