At home, on the street, on public transport… In our dogs' daily lives, it is almost inevitable not to come across some stairs. How many times have we come across a frightened dog in front of the steps and dragged by force or in the arms of its owner facing the paralysis caused by the mere sight of the stairs?
In this article on our site, we will explain why your dog is afraid of stairs, what the causes of fear are and what solutions you can applyso that, little by little, your dog gains confidence and security.
Why are dogs afraid of stairs?
The fear of going up and/or down stairs is very common in dogs and there are several causes that cause it. To begin with, it is important to highlight that the appearance of fear has its origin at the end of the puppy's socialization stage, around 12 weeks of life.
It is vitally important to accustom the puppy to all kinds of stimuli during this phase of its life: people, noises, objects, animals, children, in order to avoid the manifestation of negative emotions such asfears and phobias Precisely because of this, the lack of early exposure to stairs, dogs often experience fear.
Another reason your dog may have a negative association with stairs is having a traumatic experience Maybe he has fallen at some time and a leg has been damaged or the pad has caught on the wood of the parquet when climbing them. It can also happen that the noise when going down them scares him or, simply, the sight of the stairs represents an immensity for your dog worthy of chills.
The genetic factor is not insignificant: a puppy from fearful parents will tend to have the same behavior as its parents and to reproduce by imitation of his mother's attitudes, acting as a mirror at an early age.
How to eradicate the problem of fear of stairs?
As the saying goes, "patience is the mother of all sciences". Unfortunately, there are no miracle solutions for you to solve your problem, but you will see that with some time and calm, the nightmare of the stairs will soon be a bad memory.
Even if you weren't able to work on stairs earlier, don't worry, you can help your dog to positively associate with stairs, making him understand that they do not represent any 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, on the contrary, we will never use aversive techniques, punishment or obligation, since these methods generate stress and inhibition of behavior. And worse still, an accident could happen, in which you and the dog would hurt each other.
Don't forget that, faced with fear, the dog has two options: flee or attack. If we force it to do something it does not want to do, we will most likely get a good bite, although we can also cause a loss of confidence in the animal or a totally inhibited attitude, that is, unable to learn and move forward.
Guidelines to follow
We recommend that you follow this step by step, which will help you work with your dog on the fear of stairs progressively. Remember, you can apply the same guidelines whether you're afraid to go upstairs or afraid to go downstairs:
- We will start the exercise by calling you to come to us, who will be sitting near the stairs. We can use prizes or toys to encourage him to approach, but if you see him reluctant, it is best to use a very high reinforcement, such as a piece of cheese or chicken, something irresistible for him.
- Do short sessions, spending time playing or rewarding him near the stairs. The idea is that you associate the stairs with the prizes. You can also throw the ball at them, give them a massage or play near them, and the game is undoubtedly one of the best exercises to forget about fears and to build a bond of trust with their owner.
- Every day we will reduce the space that separates the dog from the stairs, that is, we will try to make him play closer and closer every day, but always without forcing him, we must make our dog come closer of his own free will.
- The next step will be to put a small path of sweets, as if it were the story of Hansel and Gretel, from the ground to the first step. If the dog is advancing little by little, we will reinforce him with the voice.
- We will continue doing the same exercise for a few days, without trying to get it to climb more steps, so that the dog gains confidence in itself and does not believe that we are deceiving it.
- Once your dog takes the rewards from the first step without fear and without any problem, we will do the same, but this time up to the second. We will continue to reinforce each step with the voice, although we can also use direct rewards with the hand.
- We will continue working progressively on all the steps, for example, one a day, but remember that in some cases it will be slower.
- If at any time you notice fear or reluctance in the dog, it is because you are going too fast, go back to the previous step.
- Once the dog has climbed all the steps without fear with you, it's time to wait for him upstairs. Call him with a tasty treat or toy in hand to cheer him up.
- Once upstairs, congratulate him effusively so that he understands that he has done wonderfully. Don't forget to repeat the exercise daily so that he doesn't lose the confidence he has gained.
Once he is used to it at home, it will be much easier for your dog to lose his fear in other environments, although we advise you to take some treats with you on the next walks!
