Does your dog have a serious issue with stairs? Or maybe you have never properly trained them to climb stairs!
But now your new house has a two-story, and you don’t know how to teach a dog to go downstairs and upstairs?
How to train a dog to go stairs?
Navigating stairs can be a challenge for dogs, particularly for young puppies or older canines. Understanding how to train a dog to go up and down stairs not only improves your pet’s mobility, but it also boosts their confidence and ensures their safety in a multi-storied environment.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into the steps to mastering this essential skill. With patience, positive reinforcement, and our expert tips, you’ll have your furry friend confidently tackling the stairway in no time. So, get ready to embark on this new training journey and build a stronger bond with your canine companion.
Training Your dog isn’t as hard as you think. Make your dog walk upstairs slowly and downstairs regularly to develop a technique. Your consistency for a couple of days or weeks will have consistent results.
If he is a puppy, he will be energetic and confident and climb the stairs in a few days. But if he is older, then it might take a few weeks before he gets the hang of it.
Just put some treats on the stairs and support from his owner, and he will be bounding up and down the stairs at a worrying speed.
Things to Get Started:
Before you train your dog, you need to gather a few bits. The first thing you must have is a good set of stairs to practice on (it can be of your home but make sure that there isn’t any rush). you can watch a video here to make homemade stairs easily. Then you’ll need your dog’s favorite food broken into small chunks or a generous supply of treats.
Once you are done, then you must set aside 10 minutes daily to train your dog. At this level, all you need is patience and determination.
And yes, now it’s time to get the work done. Below are the 5 steps for beginners in answer to How to train a dog to go stairs?
You can take any of the following methodologies to train your dog.
1 5 Steps of The Slow and Steady Approach:
Bottom Step
First, take your dog to the bottom of the stairs and ensure you have a generous supply of sweets. Assure that all of your attention is on your dog and you won’t be disturbed by anything. Put Treat On the First Step
Now, in front of your dog, put the treat on the first step of the stairs. Then to help your dog take the first step, you can give it some verbal encouragement. You can also call your dogs name in high pitched voice to encourage him to take the first step. Put Treat On the Second Step
Once the dog puts its paws on the first step of the stairs, hand over the treat and shower it with some verbal praise. After that, place another treat on the second stair and do the same thing you did in the previous step. Once your dog clambers up on the second step, put the treat on step one and guide it to move down. Slowly Work Your Way Up
Once you are at the bottom of the stairs, you can lure your dog up to the second step using the same technique and up to so on. But make sure you stand behind your dog when it goes up. So that if your dog stumbles, you can catch it. Final Support
Don’t rush; only do the first two to three steps on the first day and then gradually increase the number of steps on the next day.
Once your dog can move up and down comfortably, stop paving treats to him. Now you stand on the top of the stairs and call your dog to check if he still comes up without treats. If not, you can hold a toy for the first couple of times to motivate him.
2 5 Steps of The Lead by Example Approach:
Sit On Step 3
Sit on step three and call your dog, place some treats in your pocket and hold your dog’s favorite toy in your hand. Make sure that nobody comes bowling down the stairs in a few minutes. Dangle Toy in Front of Dog
Encourage your dog to climb up in a playful voice. Now try to get your dog up a couple of stairs to get the toy. If it seems like a game to your dog, it will be more inclined to step up the stairs. Hit Steps with Your Hand
People pat the sofa with their hands to signal their dogs to jump up. So same, to let your dog know that you want him to step on the stairs, you need to pat on the stairs. Reward Heavily
As soon as he climbs up the stairs, reward him heavily for stepping up stairs. Moreover, give your dog a lot of verbal praise and let him play with that toy as a reward. Also, keep sitting on the step to make your dog feel comfortable with the steps of the stairs. Gradually Work Up and Down
Using the same technique mentioned above, lure your dog up a couple more steps. Then, stay on the step for a while to put your dog at ease, and then keep reprising the same method until you reach the top of the stairs. Once the dog is at the top, head back down again.
Keep repeating this for a few days until your dog gets comfortable leaping up and down the stairs in search of the toy. Then lose the treats and toy, and training is complete.
3 5 Steps of The Leash and Lure Stick Approach:
Place Your Dog On a Leash
Putting your dog on a leash will help steer him up and down. Additionally, it will give your dog confidence that he got you close by. Furthermore, use a lure stick to set a treat on it every time your dog climbs one step up. Food is always the best motivator. Aim for Step 1
Lower the lure stick about six inches in front of your dog to motivate him. Also, give your dog verbal encouragement to get his front paws on the first step. At this time, all your focus should be on your dog to get his paws on the first step. When he steps on the first stair, give him treats and verbal praises as he conquers the first half of his fear.
Now you have to get his other back part of the body up. For this purpose, again, use the lure stick and hold it six inches in front of the dog. Put a little pressure on the lease and a bit of guidance so that the dog gets one back leg up and the other is going to come up quickly.
Once the momentum gets going, then the remaining steps become much easier. Be patient; the dog may take a while to make its way up. Keep Going
Once your dog retrieves the initial step, with a little positive reinforcement and instant gratification, he can work all the way to a couple of steps above. Setup for Going Down
It may be strange but going downstairs is a little easier than going upwards. Once your dog gets down, shower it with treats and praise.
Now follow the same points above to make your dog up and down but this time, take the dog to the top of the stairs and then back down Practice Makes Perfect
Practice going up and down like this till your dog seems confident, remove the lure stick, and your dog knows how to go to the stairs alone.
Conclusion
After reading this article, I hope you have got to know How to train your dog to go stairs. To teach your dog to go upstairs and downstairs, bring it to the bottom of the stairs and then put a treat in the first step to motivate it. Once the dog climbs, the first step is getting those treats and giving it some verbal praise. Then put a treat on the second step and then keep going. To encourage your dog, you can keep a cheery, playful tone and warm gestures like clapping your hands and keep saying positive words. Once your dog gets comfortable with the stairs, you can stop giving it treats, and your dog is trained.
Written by
Olivia Moore
Olivia is a freelance writer and pet enthusiast who writes articles on animals to help owners and their pets live their life in the best way. She resides in Australia and is currently doing her master’s degree in wildlife biology. Besides her studies, she has found a new love for working online and writing about animals. She is passionate about creating awareness about pets. Her mission is to write content on their health issues and the best ways to make their pets content. She loves to write about animals of all types but her specialties are dogs, cats, and birds.
By Maria Fernandes
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Olivia Moore |
Last updated: Jul 19 2022
