Is your dog afraid of the staircase? Some dogs are scared of moving up and down stairs. This is somewhat frequent anxiety or anxiety, particularly in young puppies who might not have struck them while they had been dogs. Luckily, you can help your puppy get over this anxiety and move down and up the stairs with confidence. Here is what you want to know whether your puppy has a panic of the staircase.
Rule Out a Health Condition
Before beginning looking for behavioral problems that might give rise to a dog’s anxiety about stairs, speak with your vet. Your dog’s anxiety may stem from a concrete issue. He might not wish to go down and up the stairs since it causes him pain (in circumstances of arthritis or an accident ). Have your vet rule out a health condition before you begin any training.
Cause of a Fear of Moving Up and Down Stairs
Nearly all dogs that are scared of stairs create the anxiety due to a lack of early exposure. If you reside in one story house, it is possible your pet will not see stairs before a bit later in life. You might even dissuade your pup out of moving on the staircase to keep him contained into one room.
On occasion, a puppy can develop a fear of staircase from a traumatic encounter. By way of instance, a puppy who falls down the staircase might be left having a phobia of the climbing staircase. If your dog’s anxiety shows severe symptoms like aggression and other destructive behaviour, it is important to consult your vet to help you understand where might the anxiety is coming from. There are also calming dog treats proven to be effective and safe that you can try out, you can get them at karmapets.org.
Overcoming a Fear of Moving Up and Down Stairs
The majority of the time, a puppy’s fear of staircase is simple to conquer. These tips can help you navigate the procedure:
- Clear off these measures. Be certain that there is not anything about the staircase your pet can trip over or knock over. Being startled in this way could lead to a significant setback in your practice.
- Distract the fearful dog. As opposed to creating a huge deal of attempting to force your puppy up and down the steps, you can try out tricking him into moving down or up by deflecting him a bit. Pat your hands from your thighs, speak with your puppy in a joyful tone and then give him plenty of attention. Have a step up one step and then back down as you keep the happy conversation. Sneak in a couple of your pet’s favorite snacks here and there. Next time go up a couple of steps and down. To get a mild strain, you could have the ability to get the puppy to follow you down and up a couple of steps before realizing it. If you figure out how to find the puppy on the measures, make sure you give a lot of praise and a few treats. Gently operate on coaxing the dog a bit further every time.
- Take it one step at a time. A whole staircase may be too much for the dog to manage, but odds are he will be fine with you. If his dread is light, simply pick him up and place him on step one. Wave a couple treats in the front of the nose, and then tempt him down the measure. Again, use a lot of positive reinforcement to promote him. Once he’s comfortable with one measure, move him up yet, and tempt him down with treats. This way, you need to be able to slowly make your puppy comfortable with browsing the staircase.
- Reverse it to go up the stairs. You can perform exactly the very same steps as previously to instruct your pet to go up the staircase. Begin with giving him treats when he’s at the base of the stairs. Then throw a few treats at the base step. Once he’s comfortable taking these snacks, throw some snacks on another step. Gently focus on getting your puppy to measure up the staircase to find the treats. Before you know that the puppy is going to soon be navigating the stairs like an expert!
Don’t forget to be patient with your pet. Based upon his level of dread, it might take a while for him to get comfortable with all the staircase. Function, in short, optimistic training sessions. If your dog appears frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed or tired, it is time to finish the session. Always try to finish on a positive note. If you realize your pet’s phobia is too extreme to conquer, it is a fantastic idea to seek support from a dog trainer or behaviorist. You may ask your veterinarian for recommendations that will assist you to discover the ideal professional.
