Help with dog not going upstairs!!!

[porkchopexpress]

Hello everybody!

We have encountered a problem and need some help! It looks like somebody here could help...

Well we have only had Snuggs our Border Collie for 3 full days now, he is 2 years old. The problem is that he won't go upstairs. I think we upset him because on his first couple of hours with us, we made the bad mistake of giving him a wash in the bathroom, which is upstairs. Now he seems to never want to go upstairs.

We have tried a lot to get him upstairs - laid food on every step, but he doesnt want to come up. When we leave, I think he has had problems in the past because he gets nervous when there is nobody around. He got so nervous yesterday when we all went upstairs that he had an accident and now he just sits and waits for us to come down.

Does anybody have any ideas of how to get him to go up the stairs? I really dont want to resort to dragging him upstairs

Thanks guys/girls.

 

[hageman_hi]

I think I might be able to help you. Vega dislikes stairs and up until about a few weeks ago would go DOWN them but not UP. She just didnt know how I think...but here's my suggestion to try...
try encouraging her to go up with that lovely thing all dogs will do about anything for...treats! Stand in front of her a few stairs up and give her a treat or two, then back up the stairs a few more stairs. She if she will come up and take another treat. When she does, lavish her with tons of praise, even if she goes right back down. Continue this until she goes up the entire flight, and let her sniff around upstairs and see what its like. If she needs help going down the stairs, the same trick might work but be careful, mine tends to fly down the stairs like her tail is on fire, just to be done with it! If she refuses to go any farther, go back down a couple stairs and try again. Don't push her too much, if she's not ready she's not, but curiosity will eventually get ahold of her...as well as her stomach.
You never know, if you adopted her her previouse owners may have scolded her for going up the stairs. I know a few people who dont let their dogs go up the stairs. Could be something that you need to un-train!
best wishes
Meagan

 

[porkchopexpress]

Thanks Meeghan!!!

I'll give that a try, congratulating himm on every step. Ive tried the treats, but maybe I should keep at it. He will only come up to about the fourth step.... and I think its what we did when we bathed him - he hated it!!!

Thank for the advice!

 

[mrose_s]

I'll give that a try, congratulating himm on every step. Ive tried the treats, but maybe I should keep at it. He will only come up to about the fourth step....

if this is the case, you could try geting him up to about the third step, and then congragulating him, once he isconfident to that far, take him a little further, congratulate him and practice that for a few days. It will probabl;y take a while any way you do it, but keep at it

 

[hageman_hi]

PS and no more baths in the upstairs until he knows he wont get one EVERY time he goes up there!! lol good luck
Meagan

 

[candy722]

So if you give him a bath downstairs I wonder what will he do. Just curious he might go upstairs possibly?

 

[porkchopexpress]

Hi people, thanks for the comments and suggestions!

He is gradually coming up the stairs now, but still wont go all the way. A lot of his sudden willingness to come upstairs has to do with him being starved for 24 hours under vet orders as he has an upset stomach, really bad diaroahhhhh agghhh I can never spell that word, but anyway his poop is pretty bad and bloody so he is really hungry right now until the morning. Its hard, but hopefully we can get to the morning without him having accidents. He is good being bathed downstairs, no problems, just a warm bucket and sponge in the garden and he likes it. I think a little taster could help him on his way tonight coming up the stairs.

 

[porkchopexpress]

At last, he's finally being comfortable (gradually) by coming upstairs. Thanks!!