How do you transport a puppy from a long staircase.

[greekblue]

I am moving to a house that has a long quite steep staircase that leads to my bedroom (Niki sleeps in my room).

I have to carry her up or down the stairs until she is six months old because that could damage her joints. She is becoming quite heavy, so I was wondering if you have any ideas about a very long ramp specifically for house long staircases or any idea that would make Niki's transport upstairs / downstairs and into the yard for potty easier.

[Ritz459]

Personally, I'd let her walk up the stairs. Gate off the bottom so she can't run like an idiot up and down them, and when you need to take her upstairs, clip her on a leash and have her slowly walk up.

I don't see slowly walking up stairs can hurt her joints and by the time she is six months old, I think it will be impossible to carry her, as she is going to be a huge dog.

But then again, I've never owned a LARGE breed dog, so I don't know. I wouldn't, however, let her have free run of the stairs where she can run up and down them for fun.

[greekblue]

I am going to put a gate for sure because she is only two months old, but the breeder told me that until she is six months old I should carry her up and down the stairs, I should never let her run and play on hardwood / tiled floors or other slippery surfaces (I should cover with carpet / rag, and I should not let or encourage jumping; all these is a large breed puppy can easily cause damage to the joints.

[britishbandit]

I agree that going up and down the stairs by herself is fine. But regardless of breed/age, it's not a good idea to let a dog run on hardwood/tiled floors. Never mind the joints, falling on a surface like that can cause all kinds of injury. I know a woman with a Chihuahua who's dog slipped and fell on a ceramic floor, and shattered it's leg.

The thing to remember with large breeds and taking these easy on the joints, is not that you CAN'T let them run, jump....etc, but not in excess. Like don't have them jog with you, or beside you while your're on a bike, and don't have them running and jumping agility equipment, or like they're on an agility course.......things like that while they're still forming. And that would mean for large breeds waiting till they are more like 2 years old, not 6 months old.

Of course that doesn't mean you can't carry her up and down stairs, but be warned, sometimes having them never "do" stairs, can cause problems later on. I lived in a house with only one floor for the first 8 months I had my old dog Harley. When I moved to a house with stairs, he was terrified of them. He would stand at the top or bottom looking at me wanting to follow, but so scared to do so, he'd actually pee. It took me months of working with him patiently to get him going up and down by himself, and at 80lbs, you can bet your arse I couldn't carry him. LOL

[Ritz459]

Of course that doesn't mean you can't carry her up and down stairs, but be warned, sometimes having them never "do" stairs, can cause problems later on.

I second this. When we first brought Sadie home she was too little to climb up the steps. By the time she was big enough to make the first step, she balked. I had to pick her up and set her on the very first step and she just sat there and whined and cried, and whined and cried. I tried bribing her to get her to come down one step, and she just cried. I finally left the room and she panicked and hopped off the step. It wasn't until she was around four-five months old that she would finally walk down stairs without me bribing her. lol

But regardless of breed/age, it's not a good idea to let a dog run on hardwood/tiled floors. Never mind the joints, falling on a surface like that can cause all kinds of injury. I know a woman with a Chihuahua who's dog slipped and fell on a ceramic floor, and shattered it's leg.

I never knew that. So I take it this means I should stop playing fetch with Chloe on our wood floor, huh?

[britishbandit]

Originally Posted by Ritz459

I never knew that. So I take it this means I should stop playing fetch with Chloe on our wood floor, huh?

I wouldn't personally risk having a dog run on that kind of surface (although real wood isn't as bad as the laminate). We play little games and such in the kitchen (ceramic), but I don't have PJ and Tysa running back and fourth on it. But it can be worse for dogs that don't have as much traction. Like if they have long claws, or a lot of fur on their paws.