# scared of going downstairs?!?



## xxnasus (Jul 11, 2011)

at 8 months, Ive run out of ideas. Dexter doesn't seem to like going down to the basement, when he was younger, I carried him down because the stairs a bit steep. now I wish I could rewind and let him try it on his own. he seems fine with other stairs, just the basement stairs. everytime I go down, he'll whine and wait for me at the end of the stairs. also, if he's in one of his very reactive moods , he needs to be coaxed just to pass by the stairs. I can get him down 3 steps while he's on a leash and after that, the breaks are put in place. I've used treats , tried to give him his meals near the stairs, running down the stairs by myself, putting some pressure on the leash until he starts to move forward, but hes quite stubborn.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Food goes downstairs. Act like its not a big deal, because it's not. He won't starve himself to death, and when he decides to go down there the reward will be there.

Make sure it's not a pain issue, as HD makes stairs painful


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Is there a smaller flight of stairs somewhere where he could practice?


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## KaiserGSDLove (Oct 21, 2010)

Kaiser doesn't go in the basement either. He's fine with stairs because he will go upstairs but for some reason he refuses to go into the basement. I've always wondered why myself about that.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Niko won't go down the basement stairs in my parent's house. I think they are too steep for him. He is very attached to his pack, so when we all go down to the basement and he stays upstairs, I know that if he could physically manage the stairs he would. I do not think there is anything food-wise that would compel him to go down there. 

Is there any reason why he HAS to go down there? If he's even to the point of being scared of being near the stairs, I would not press the issue. Why add stress to his life if you don't need to?


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

I doubt that the stairs are too steep for him....having said that most dogs can be desensitized to going down basement stairs. The hard part is the owners, but if the dog doesn't need to go down the stairs it is probably better to leave it alone.


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## xxnasus (Jul 11, 2011)

good karma, well the basement really isn't a basment anymore. its been remodeled into a studio. I spend 90% of my time in the studio and sleep there as well. I want to start leaving him out of his crate at night and would rather him stay with me at night instead of roaming the house all night.


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Like I said, try a smaller flight of stairs. Then work your way up.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Can you get him downstairs at all?

If so, start by sitting a couple steps up from the bottom and get him to walk up to you, then toss a treat back down the stairs to get him to go down. Gradually work your way up to the top. You might need another person to coax him back down when you get further up.


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Freyja was the same way until the day that I went downstairs with the furnace repair mechanic. Now she has no problem going up or down the stairs. I had tried food, the leash, calling her name, walking with her, etc. Nothing worked until she decided that I needed monitoring. Not that I'm encouraging you to invite a stranger in your house...lol.

Similar thing happened with the hayloft stairs. She wouldn't go up until I was with hubby as he loaded bales (I was on the disabled list) and I made a noise as a result of being spooked by a mouse. Next second she was besides me. I have no idea why certain stairs spook her. I know its not the steepness as we live in an antique house that has really steep stairs and she has climbed ladders...odd.


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## Bismarck (Oct 10, 2009)

pick him up and carry him down.
spend time down there, playing, treats etc...
make it super fun for him


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Treats won't work for everything contrary to new age opinions. Bring him down on leash and take him up...over and over while talking soothingly to him about what good dog he is.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon was a stair wuss at first, but I didn't coddle him. No treats, I just went down (or up) and if he wanted to be part of the fun, he had to come too. Where I work we have all different kinds of stairs - cement, wood, open back, slippery linoleum - so now with new pups that come to work with me often we do several rounds of stair practice. By the time he weighed 10lbs Pan was going up and down all sorts of stairs, not very gracefully at that age but I just never make an issue of it and they catch on real fast.


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## Kesser (Nov 27, 2011)

We've had Vegas since October and he still won't go upstairs or downstairs. He flies up and down the deck stairs and he will go up and down the stairs at my boyfriends parents house but not in our house.
We don't concern ourselves too much with it as it saves hair from being all over the upstairs. Hopefully one day he will wanna go upstairs because I would like him to sleep in our bedroom with us but we don't force it. He is happy being where he is!


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## chicagojosh (Jun 22, 2010)

cody didn't like the open back stairs (where you can see through) at first.


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## BlackJack (Jun 23, 2011)

chicagojosh said:


> cody didn't like the open back stairs (where you can see through) at first.


 
When we moved in to our new house it was like this with Molly. Until our cat taught her how to do it. The cat would get a few feet from her on the steps and taunt her till she would climb higher. Then cat did the same thing going down the stairs.


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## 1337f0x (Feb 21, 2012)

I'm kind of scared to let Simba down the basement stairs, as mine are very steep as well. For now, he practices on the half-level stairs (only three), which he still has trouble getting up and down. He's so tiny!

I'm not sure what to tell you as for suggestions, but I'd try getting him to go up and down a smaller flight of stairs, it might make him brave enough to try the big stairs. Just a suggestion  hope this helps.


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## Jen&Bear (Jan 14, 2012)

This happened to me.
I finally encouraged and praised him like crazy step by step and he made it. Now he goes on his own and does his own thing but i block it off when i am not down there.

I figured that if he had to go down there, emergency or otherwise, he shouldn't be afraid.


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## Sevastra (Mar 19, 2012)

I had to pick up my pup everytime he had to go out when I was house training him and I was nervous about forcing him because he would freak out going down them, simply refused like the stairs were made of lava, and I didn't want to make a bad experience for him which in my mind might hurt trying to house train him. Finally, he was getting way to big to do this, and as i was hooking him up on the leash i went down the stairs and he just followed me..thank god!


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

We have a very narrow, very steep spiral staircase going down to our basement, and dogs are naturally very wary of it. I did finally get Luka to come down the steps, basically half carrying her step by step and not allowing her to back up. She acted like I was leading her to her death, but once she got to the bottom, she was like "Oh, is that all it is?" Going back up was no problem, and the second time she went down by herself, and then started running up and down the staircase just for fun. She seemed very proud of herself.

Vinca will not go past the second step, and I have not done a lot of work to encourage her to go down to the basement. I realized that it might be a good thing to have an area that is off-limits to her.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

My poor Sibi slid on her butt all the way down my daughters steps into the basement..I was sure she was going to be hurt but she was ok--(probably gonna effect her hips later) That was her first (that I knew of) encounter with steps..After that she was ok going up and down them...Realize this is more of a story than a helpful suggestion but ...Sorry if I went off topic...Jan


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