Content
- Why is a dog afraid to go downstairs?
- How to end the problem of fear of stairs?
- Guidelines to follow
At home, on the street, on public transport... In the daily lives of our dogs, it is practically inevitable to find a ladder. How many times have we come across a frightened dog in front of a staircase and being dragged by force or in arms by its tutor because it paralyzed as soon as it saw the stairs?
In this article by PeritoAnimal, we explain why is your dog afraid to go downstairs, what are the causes of fear and what solutions you can apply so that, little by little, your pet gains confidence and security!
Why is a dog afraid to go downstairs?
The fear of going up or down stairs it is very common in dogs and there are several causes that cause it. To start with, it is important to emphasize that fear often appears in the final stage of the dog's socialization, around 12 weeks of age.
It is very important to get your dog used to all kinds of stimuli during this phase of his life: people, noise, objects, animals, children, in order to avoid the manifestation of negative emotions, such as fears and phobias. Precisely because of this, the lack of exposure to stairs at an early age, puppies end up feeling scared as an adult.
Another cause that can make your dog view the stairs negatively is having suffered from a traumatic experience. Who knows if he's ever been injured in a paw or got a little pad caught in the wood as he climbed. You may have also heard some noise when descending the stairs or, simply, the image of the stairs represents an immensity for your dog worthy of shivers.
O genetic factor not least: a puppy of fearful parents will tend to behave the same way as its parents and to imitate its mother's attitudes, acting as a mirror at a young age.
How to end the problem of fear of stairs?
As the popular saying goes "whoever waits always achieves". Unfortunately, there are no miracle solutions to solve your problem, but you will find that with time and calm, the nightmare of the stairs will quickly become just a bad memory.
Even if you never trained your dog to go up and down stairs when he was a puppy, don't worry, it can help him to see the ladderpositively, making him understand that he poses no danger or threat to him.
This learning will be based on positive reinforcement and consists of rewarding our friend every time he has a desired attitude, calm or correct, without using at any time aversive techniques, punishments or the obligation, as these methods generate inhibition of behavior. And even worse, they can lead to an accident, in which your dog or you get hurt.
Don't forget that, faced with fear, the dog has two options: flee or attack. If we force him into something he doesn't want to do, it's more likely that he'll take a good bite out of us, or he'll lose confidence and have a completely inhibited attitude, unable to learn and move forward.
Guidelines to follow
We recommend that you follow this step by step, which will help you dog with a fear of stairs gradually. Remember, you can apply the same guidelines to both the fear of going up stairs and the fear of going down stairs:
- We start the exercise by calling the dog to us, who are sitting by the stairs. We can use rewards or toys to attract him, but if you're afraid, it's best to use a very high booster, some dog-friendly snack, or something he likes vegetables or fruit, like a piece of banana or carrot. Always be very careful in your choices, as there are many foods that are prohibited for puppies.
- Do short sessions where you will spend time playing and rewarding your dog near the stairs. The idea is for him to associate the stairs with the rewards. You can also play with the ball, have a massage or play with them as, without a doubt, games are the best exercises to forget about fears and build a bond of trust between the puppy and the tutor.
- We must reduce the space that separates the dog from the stairs, that is, try to make him play closer with each passing day, but always without forcing, we must make our dog come closer of its own accord.
- The next step is to make a small reward path, as if it were the tale Hansel and Gretel, from the ground to the first flight of stairs. If the dog is advancing little by little, we reinforce it with the voice.
- We continue doing the same exercise for a few days, without trying to get him to climb more flights of stairs, so that the dog will gain confidence in himself and not think he is being tricked.
- When your dog collects the prizes from the first flight of stairs, do the same, but this time up to the second. Continue to reinforce step-by-step with your voice, or sometimes reward directly with your hand.
- Keep working gradually on all flights of stairs, for example one a day, but it is normal in some cases for the progression to be slower.
- If at any time you notice fear or fear in the dog, it is because you are going too fast, go back to the previous flight of stairs.
- Once the dog has fearlessly climbed all the flights of stairs with you, it's time to wait for him upstairs. Call the pet with some reward or toy in hand to attract.
- When he reaches the top, after climbing all the stairs without fear, it's time to congratulate him effusively so that he understands that he did it in a phenomenal way. Don't forget to repeat the exercise daily so that he doesn't lose the confidence he's gained.
Once he is used to it at home, it will be much easier for your dog to lose his fear elsewhere, although it is advisable to bring rewards for the next walks!
