Introducing Your New Puppy To The Staircase
Using a stairway can be a very fun and positive way to train your puppy. If she has not been on any stairs yet, then began by using a short stairway. This will minimize her fear and anxiety when you begin stair training. If you have no choice but to use a long stairway, then simply start with the first five or six steps from the bottom.
Using a short stairway in the beginning will prevent your puppy from literally freezing in fear when on higher stair levels. Puppies have not developed their sense of perception and depth reading in order to navigate up and down a long stairway. And please avoid rushing your puppy too fast up or down the stairs. This can result in injury and may induce an association of fear with any staircase that she may come across, even as an adult.
One Step At A Time
In order to get your puppy to follow you up and down a set of stairs, you must use a motivator of sorts. A tasty little treat is perfect for the solution. Be sure to use them in small amounts because your puppy may get full very quickly and lose interest altogether and following the motivator up and down the stairs.
Now all you have to do is place to treat one step above or below where your puppy is at. It is advisable to start with your puppy at the bottom and work her way up before descending down. When I first attempted to teach my Chihuahua to climb up and down stairs, I made the mistake of placing her at the top and it was extremely hard to get her to climb down. But once she followed the treats up the stairs from the bottom, it seemed natural to her to follow them back down.
At each step that your puppy reaches the treat, be sure to praise her enthusiastically with your tone of voice as well as a lot of petting. As with any training technique, praise and admiration is the key to getting your dog to want to do it again. Repeat this technique until your dog can successfully move up and down the stairs without trouble.
