This board is great, I enjoy reading all the posts and you are all very helpful.
Does anyone have advice about stairs? All of our bedrooms are up-stairs and I have read that greyhounds will learn to climb them eventually. So far Elmo will only go up the 3 stairs onto our porch and once he's inside he's stuck in the living room, den or kltchen. I have been sleeping downstairs since Saturday when we got him because he starts whining when he's alone for to long and he knows we're in the other room.
I have tried putting treats leading up the stairs, tried going up to the top calling him, and even tried helping him up a little while he had his front paws on the second step and he yelped and ran away. He ran back wagging his tail though so I hink he was alright.
Any advice?
Thanks again, you guys have been great!
Full Version: Stairs!
I am sorry I have no advice (we have no stairs and the ones Ty has been confronted with he has had no problems).
But ... CONGRATULATIONS on adopting ELMO!
Tara
But ... CONGRATULATIONS on adopting ELMO!
Tara
Al never had to do stairs when i first got him, i live in an apartment on the 1st floor, i would take him to the stairways and see if he'd go up them and he wouldn't but i didn't train him or anything for them... finally one day we got to a situation were he had to go up them... (i had carried him up stairs a few times but not this day i made him do it!) some people try treats and all that training jazz... i just pulled on his leash and MADE him go up them... now he will go up stairs, he doesn't go up the gracefully or anything, its actually pretty funny to watch him bring those hind legs up 
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Do you have carpet on the stairs? If not - good luck, greys have a "hare foot" which slips and slides all over hardwood and your grey has decided not to break his/her neck to please you...
If you do have carpet, then - no problem. Approach the steps with the hound between and slightly in front of your legs and leaning on you (the closer you get, the more he'll be leaning... OK, he's really trying to escape.) Place the front legs (one at a time) three to four steps up, and push the butt with your legs. Hound has nowhere to go but up. The first few times won't be pretty, but he'll get up there. With a really resistance hound (who will freeze) you'll need a partner to move the legs, one foot at a time.
Down is harder - you and a partner need to bring hound to steps. Hound will not want to come. One of you needs to hold the hound to prevent escape, while the other moves the feet down the steps, until hound decides to move his own feet. DO NOT PUSH OR PULL FOR DOWN!! Move the feet and no one will get hurt.
If you do have carpet, then - no problem. Approach the steps with the hound between and slightly in front of your legs and leaning on you (the closer you get, the more he'll be leaning... OK, he's really trying to escape.) Place the front legs (one at a time) three to four steps up, and push the butt with your legs. Hound has nowhere to go but up. The first few times won't be pretty, but he'll get up there. With a really resistance hound (who will freeze) you'll need a partner to move the legs, one foot at a time.
Down is harder - you and a partner need to bring hound to steps. Hound will not want to come. One of you needs to hold the hound to prevent escape, while the other moves the feet down the steps, until hound decides to move his own feet. DO NOT PUSH OR PULL FOR DOWN!! Move the feet and no one will get hurt.
| QUOTE (JudiK @ Oct 24 2007, 03:11 PM) |
| Do you have carpet on the stairs? If not - good luck, greys have a "hare foot" which slips and slides all over hardwood and your grey has decided not to break his/her neck to please you... If you do have carpet, then - no problem. Approach the steps with the hound between and slightly in front of your legs and leaning on you (the closer you get, the more he'll be leaning... OK, he's really trying to escape.) Place the front legs (one at a time) three to four steps up, and push the butt with your legs. Hound has nowhere to go but up. The first few times won't be pretty, but he'll get up there. With a really resistance hound (who will freeze) you'll need a partner to move the legs, one foot at a time. Down is harder - you and a partner need to bring hound to steps. Hound will not want to come. One of you needs to hold the hound to prevent escape, while the other moves the feet down the steps, until hound decides to move his own feet. DO NOT PUSH OR PULL FOR DOWN!! Move the feet and no one will get hurt. |
Yes we have carpet everywhere except our front hall and kitchen. I'm going to try again tonight thanks for the advice. It's funny he looks almost exactly like your dog in the pic, less stripes thoug. he even has the same color collar!
its very frustrating, but it can be done..... when we got bullet, he didnt do the stairs at all, and being the movie buffs that we were, we were always down in the theater, so he would whine till he got tired of whining then go lay on the couch alone. I beleive it needs to be said that he was a relinquishment, and was with that family for a couple years after his racing retirement. They had stairs, and said he never went up them, and they were OK with him not going to their bedrooms.
On with the training.... I never did the treat leading thing, i figure a reward is for something well DONE... so he only got one when he was done. what I did was lead him down the stairs first..... this was easy, and im talking about basements and youre talking about upstairs, but just reverse it. Anyways, he was really good about being led down the stairs, and eventually learned to go down them on his own way before he was comfortable enough to go up them on his own. After i led him down the stairs, i would always give him a treat.
UP!!!! this was the biggest frustration.... Bullet did the same thing when i tried to "help" him up the stairs, yelped, ran away, and came back ail wagging.... I think he helps in anticipation of pain, and not really pain... .goofball... anyways, i think you are on the right track. Set his front paws up on the 2nd or 3rd step, then pick up one back leg at a time and put it on that 1st one. He may yelp in anticipation, but once he realizes that he wont get hurt and trusts you, you will get alot more headway with your training. We had 15 steps to go up, and each step went just like that.... one back leg at a time, then both back legs were up, i would pull up his front paws and place them on the next step. Sometimes he would try to back down, but this was after a baout a week after starting, so i would just put his front paws back on the steps i placed them on, and we would continue. I would say 2 weeks, and he was gingerly walking up the stairs on his own, and boy was he excited when he got up there!!!!!
To further help you, in the first week, i would not hold these "classes" more than 2 times a day, unless he is REALLY doing well, but definitely only once or twice in the first 2-3 days. Reason being, boredom and frustration doesnt breed knowledge.
Good luck, he should be walking up those stairs and hopping in your bed in no time!!
On with the training.... I never did the treat leading thing, i figure a reward is for something well DONE... so he only got one when he was done. what I did was lead him down the stairs first..... this was easy, and im talking about basements and youre talking about upstairs, but just reverse it. Anyways, he was really good about being led down the stairs, and eventually learned to go down them on his own way before he was comfortable enough to go up them on his own. After i led him down the stairs, i would always give him a treat.
UP!!!! this was the biggest frustration.... Bullet did the same thing when i tried to "help" him up the stairs, yelped, ran away, and came back ail wagging.... I think he helps in anticipation of pain, and not really pain... .goofball... anyways, i think you are on the right track. Set his front paws up on the 2nd or 3rd step, then pick up one back leg at a time and put it on that 1st one. He may yelp in anticipation, but once he realizes that he wont get hurt and trusts you, you will get alot more headway with your training. We had 15 steps to go up, and each step went just like that.... one back leg at a time, then both back legs were up, i would pull up his front paws and place them on the next step. Sometimes he would try to back down, but this was after a baout a week after starting, so i would just put his front paws back on the steps i placed them on, and we would continue. I would say 2 weeks, and he was gingerly walking up the stairs on his own, and boy was he excited when he got up there!!!!!
To further help you, in the first week, i would not hold these "classes" more than 2 times a day, unless he is REALLY doing well, but definitely only once or twice in the first 2-3 days. Reason being, boredom and frustration doesnt breed knowledge.
Good luck, he should be walking up those stairs and hopping in your bed in no time!!