# Puppy and Stairs



## BentleysMum (May 22, 2016)

Here's two short clips of him on a walk, he always kind of hops when he walks, is this normal in small dog or could it be a sign of something else? just want to make sure there isn't something wrong with his hind legs that might make him avoid going up or trying to go down the stairs.


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## Lex16 (Sep 2, 2016)

No advice at all, just wanted to say that he is such a cutie!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I couldn't see any signs of clicky knees in those videos, but it would be worth asking your vet about it at your next check up, if only to set your mind at rest. I have always been careful about stairs, but in one advisory article I read recently it stated that stair exercises are actually good for building up muscle. I suspect it depends very much on the stairs - steep and slippery versus shallow and carpeted. Sophy slipped a disk jumping from a slippery surface - these days I make sure that there are rugs or cushions at all take off and landing points, and carry her if stairs are the least bit slippery.

To teach how to do stairs I found chaining backwards best. I would carry the pup up, put her down one step away from the top, encourage her to climb up one step, and reward when she did so. When she was confident about that, two steps, then three. Similarly coming down I carried to the last step, or just put her on the bottom step and encouraged her down. That way the puppy isn't faced with a mountain or a vast chasm, just with a very manageable single step!


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## Poodlenatic (Jan 14, 2012)

As fmj stated, best to get it checked out at a vet. How old is your poodle?
From my experience (I have a tpoo female with luxating patellas) any problems with the patellas can show up from 6 months. My girl started hopping on 3 legs. I also noticed from young age that she pushed off from both hind legs when running or trotting, instead of alternating hind legs.
When I got my next tpoo, I was super paranoid about it, so I laid temporary carpet on the floor to provide grip, also no stairs or doggy door - but I did lots of strengthening tricks. It all helps with developing muscle etc. I allowed stairs and doggy door from after 7 months, basically when they have done most of their growing.
I also had the animal physio check her out...no problems with patella. She is now 16 months...super strong and muscled. She is not spayed. 
When it came to using the stairs...I can't recall having any problems, guess since my other dogs used them, she just followed them.
Hope this helps, you can also easily feel if the patella's are fine, by inspecting them yourself - I guess my experience came from having a dog with luxating patellas. So best ask your vet to check (I usually prefer them not to push it out, just feel for movement) and let him show you how to feel.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I have 3 toy and I carry 2 of them up steps. The 3 pound just can't do it and the 6.5 pound will not go up stairs. My 5 pound has extreme long legs but I have no stairs and am anxious to see if she will go up. She is the only one that jumps on the sofa. I prefer my toys not jump and wait to be picked up, but Sage came jumping when I got her. These are 3 to 13 years of agen


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

fjm is right about how to start which how I have with every pup I have had, but some small dogs are just afraid of stairs. That said my Beatrice is afraid of heights and will not go up and down stairs willingly I trained her to go up and down on a leash against a wall because the stairs to my condo are open frame. Beatrice also has luxating palletas had surgery on one knee the other is being exercised,


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## vegas (Jul 5, 2014)

DD is 4.7 lbs and 9 months old. She has been racing up and down the stairs at home for several months. I can't remember exactly when she first tackled the stairs, but it was around 3-4 months. She would climb up to the top and then be too scared to come down, so I would have to carry her down.

On other stairs, she takes her time, probably because they are less familiar.

Her legs are pretty long.


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## BentleysMum (May 22, 2016)

*fjm, *thanks for the tip, I tried it with him today, he was able to do the one step thing going up, but not going down. He just sat there staring at me and then gave a few barks then lied down and starred at me hehe. He is able to jump up and down from curbs on our walk, which is pretty similar to the steepness of the stairs, so don't know why he doesn't apply that to this situation lol. 

*Poodlenatic,* he is 6 months old, 3kg and already 11" tall. 

*glorybeecosta,* same here! I'm glad Bentley doesn't jump, I think he's too scared to jump now. The first week home, he was sitting with me on the sofa, I stood up to go grab his bone and was stupid to think he wouldn't jump. He jumped and started yelping and was walking on 3 legs, I was TERRIFIED, but he started walking normally pretty quickly and since then I've been really careful with making sure if he even shows any signs of wanting to get off the couch, I will lift him, and I never leave him unattended on the couch anymore.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

BentleysMum said:


> *fjm, *thanks for the tip, I tried it with him today, he was able to do the one step thing going up, but not going down. He just sat there staring at me and then gave a few barks then lied down and starred at me hehe. He is able to jump up and down from curbs on our walk, which is pretty similar to the steepness of the stairs, so don't know why he doesn't apply that to this situation lol.
> 
> *Poodlenatic,* he is 6 months old, 3kg and already 11" tall.
> 
> *glorybeecosta,* same here! I'm glad Bentley doesn't jump, I think he's too scared to jump now. The first week home, he was sitting with me on the sofa, I stood up to go grab his bone and was stupid to think he wouldn't jump. He jumped and started yelping and was walking on 3 legs, I was TERRIFIED, but he started walking normally pretty quickly and since then I've been really careful with making sure if he even shows any signs of wanting to get off the couch, I will lift him, and I never leave him unattended on the couch anymore.


BentleysMum Now my 2 girls are 13 and 3, and if I forget and go to the office and do not return with in 15 minutes they start grunting for me to come get then. Every time I get up I say stay, they will not jump down. If I leave them in bed after I get up same thing. Now Sage is different, up and down she goes, and she was 5 when I got her, started to try to break the jumping, but gave up. Since she did it that long I figure she knew what she was doing. Now she can not jump up on the bed, a hair to high from a stand still, at a run she could, just the sofa and recliner


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