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mdw05c
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01-08-2017, 05:38 AM

Overcoming an Inhibitive Fear of Stairs

Hello there! We have an 8 month old Akita who we got at precisely 3 months of age. We live in a modestly spacious studio apartment with 2 floors, connected via an open-backed stairwell with a single metal railing on one side and aligned against the wall on the other.
When we first got Akiro, we were told he had a mild fear of heights, but he got over this relatively quickly. He rapidly began walking up and down any stairwell without issue, and now spends a good chunk of the day hanging out on the edge of our balcony and observing the street below. The only exception to this progress is our main stairwell, and due to this, he limits himself to only half the space in our apartment.
At first, we assumed it was the type of stairwell that scared him, and so we experimented with various adjustments. We covered every step with non-slip tape, tied curtains below the openings between steps and around the banister to obstruct his view, and every attempt just led to nothing. Then, a few weeks ago, we spent a night at a bed and breakfast which had the same open-backed stairs as ours, and low and behold, he walked right up with no issue. My only conclusion at this point is that he must have developed some crippling fear of our stairwell early on, but there was no traumatic event that I can recall that might have caused this. We tried to coax him up and down from an early age as per normal stairwell training, and there were a few times where his paw might have slipped a bit on the wood or where he pulled back in fear and whimpered a bit, but he never fell down or slipped through - or even really gave himself the opportunity to, since, from day 1 till now, he refuses to go up even a single step with his hind legs, or so much as touch the first step heading down.
If it was just a question of space, we might have given up trying and just allowed him to continue exclusively downstairs but, of course, he obviously perfers being upstairs with us whenever possible. He mopes whenever I leave him to work upstairs or on nights when we leave him downstairs to sleep alone, and thus his bed remains upstairs, alongside ours, and so far we've made an effort to carry him up every night and down every morning. Even while carrying him, his fear is evident, as he goes into a rigid "superman" pose as we approach the stairwell. Nonetheless, rounding 60lbs, it doesnt appear like this will be an option for too much longer.

So, how can we liberate our little buddy and give him the freedom to enjoy his home to its fullest? What can we do to help him get comfortable with walking up and down these stairs?
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brenda1
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03-08-2017, 05:07 AM
Does he like food? You could try putting a bit of food on every other step to encourage him to walk up. Do this when he is extra hungry. This is how we train dog's to use agility equipment and also working dog's eg police dog's. Hope that helps. Let us know how you get on.
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mdw05c
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04-08-2017, 08:34 PM
Unfortunately that was our first thought as well. Nothing we put on the stairs will get him to lift his hind legs off the ground. We could leave an entire chicken there; he'll stretch himself out as much as possible to reach, but he still wont budge. And generally, he wont even make an attempt at this if were in his vicinity. Its as if he's afraid that we'll try to coerce him up the stairs, as we used to (by which i mean, we would try to give him a nudge and encourage him verbally, not force him up or drag him or anything of that sort). Does this mean we're pretty much SOL?
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brenda1
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05-08-2017, 07:47 AM
If it were me I would just make sure he has something to occupy him down stairs while you are upstairs. If this isn't feasible then do more with him downstairs and then he will be tired and rest while you are upstairs. Some dogs shouldn't really go up if they are heavy dogs. Maybe he knows this? But if as you say he wants to be with you then eventually he will come up. Just don't say anything to him while he is down there. Ignore and then he will make his own mind up. Even move his bed downstairs so that he will think huh so they want me to stay here so I am coming up anyway. Dogs do think for themselves give the opportunity. bg!!
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Besoeker
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05-08-2017, 07:52 PM
Originally Posted by mdw05c View Post
Hello there! We have an 8 month old Akita who we got at precisely 3 months of age. We live in a modestly spacious studio apartment with 2 floors, connected via an open-backed stairwell with a single metal railing on one side and aligned against the wall on the other.
When we first got Akiro, we were told he had a mild fear of heights, but he got over this relatively quickly. He rapidly began walking up and down any stairwell without issue, and now spends a good chunk of the day hanging out on the edge of our balcony and observing the street below. The only exception to this progress is our main stairwell, and due to this, he limits himself to only half the space in our apartment.
At first, we assumed it was the type of stairwell that scared him, and so we experimented with various adjustments. We covered every step with non-slip tape, tied curtains below the openings between steps and around the banister to obstruct his view, and every attempt just led to nothing. Then, a few weeks ago, we spent a night at a bed and breakfast which had the same open-backed stairs as ours, and low and behold, he walked right up with no issue. My only conclusion at this point is that he must have developed some crippling fear of our stairwell early on, but there was no traumatic event that I can recall that might have caused this. We tried to coax him up and down from an early age as per normal stairwell training, and there were a few times where his paw might have slipped a bit on the wood or where he pulled back in fear and whimpered a bit, but he never fell down or slipped through - or even really gave himself the opportunity to, since, from day 1 till now, he refuses to go up even a single step with his hind legs, or so much as touch the first step heading down.
If it was just a question of space, we might have given up trying and just allowed him to continue exclusively downstairs but, of course, he obviously perfers being upstairs with us whenever possible. He mopes whenever I leave him to work upstairs or on nights when we leave him downstairs to sleep alone, and thus his bed remains upstairs, alongside ours, and so far we've made an effort to carry him up every night and down every morning. Even while carrying him, his fear is evident, as he goes into a rigid "superman" pose as we approach the stairwell. Nonetheless, rounding 60lbs, it doesnt appear like this will be an option for too much longer.

So, how can we liberate our little buddy and give him the freedom to enjoy his home to its fullest? What can we do to help him get comfortable with walking up and down these stairs?
I don't know the answer. Maybe you could adopt Brenda's excellent suggestion.

Our dog is around 80 lbs. So carrying him up and down stairs on a regular basis would be a pain to say the least.

One of the things this forum has taught me is just how lucky we got with our rescue dog. He goes everywhere with us. A thousand mile round trip. stairs. elevators*, hotel stays.........he's da man!. He just pats the door when he needs out. I can't fault him for that.
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gnelson995
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31-08-2017, 02:40 AM
My lab also is afraid of stairs and we have tried everything but she will not go up!
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ballfanatic
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05-09-2017, 05:29 PM
In my opinion you have to work with your dog with small steps. Try to get him used to other stairs first, make him comfortable around them. Try to play with him around them.
Remember not to think about the stairs and his behaviour when he is close to them, dogs can feel their owner and your worrying won't help him, you have to be tough for your dog to be tough. Dogs need leaders.

I had helped my dog to overcome a few of his fears that way. I had to become his stable leader.
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