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  1. #11
    Senior Dog Doreen Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by greagre View Post
    Thank you! Just for clarification, do you mean when dog gets old and develops some problem like arthritis, then it will be hard and bad for dogs to climb stairs? Or do you mean that climbing stairs when dogs are young will eventually lead to some problems that will show when they get older? Thank you!
    Our guys used stairs all their lives and never had an issue until old age diminished their capabilities. Stairs didn't cause it IMO.

  2. #12
    Senior Dog ckfalz's Avatar
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    No stairs for me now but I had a dog at a previous house and he went up and down stairs every time he went in and out of the house. No problems.
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  3. #13
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Just make sure you have a good plan for when the dog is old - the stairs won't cause any issues, old age might. My last Lab lived to be nearly 17 years old and I had to help him with even one stair so he would not fall over. Think about how it will affect your dog, especially if those taking care of him are older or might have difficultly helping a 70+ lb dog in and out of the house. There might be things you can do -- those sandpaper strips on the stairs, mats, etc. I always consider these things when looking at a home as well as a car.

  4. #14
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by greagre View Post
    Thank you! Just for clarification, do you mean when dog gets old and develops some problem like arthritis, then it will be hard and bad for dogs to climb stairs? Or do you mean that climbing stairs when dogs are young will eventually lead to some problems that will show when they get older? Thank you!
    Good question. Stairs are a fact of life and they should not Cause problems if you monitor and don't allow unsupervised play and running up and down them.

    Ailments like arthritis, bad backs, hips, elbows can happen without stairs from old age or injury. Then you might have problems. My dog injured his elbow at age 6, it's not operable and it's not going to get better. My sister's house is like yours, stairs to the basement then out, or steep stairs from the deck off the kitchen at the back - or out the front door, around the sloping side yard to the back yard. It's pain enough visiting her house and taking mine out for a pee but an added complication is our two dogs play and they want to run up and down the stairs. I hate Sis's house.
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  5. #15
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    I live in a "walk up" (the street level is just the garage and "basement" and then the main floor is on the second floor; bedrooms on the third floor). Rocky is 11 (will be 12 in April). it's rough especially as we have to do stairs every time he goes outside but so far we're managing. He had a few slips on the wood stairs to the front door so is now afraid of those - but still doing ok with all the other carpetted stairs. So I recommend runners or carpets Rocky does suffer from arthritis and lower back issues.

    Our family dog couldn't do stairs per say during his last years but my dad could carry him when needed and we worked with slings (I couldn't lift him so used a sling-type harness to help support his weight up and down). I need to start training Rocky with a sling as he currently freaks out when we try to help him up and down stairs.

    note: I bought my house three years ago so I knew it would be an issue fairly soon. But my options in the city were limited (balance time away from home for travel to/from work and cost of the houses and wanting a bit of a yard). I may need to come up with alternative solutions in the near future (be it I move or if my parents move into town maybe Rock could hang out there some days - which would break my heart but buy me time to move).

  6. #16
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    We lived in a second story apartment with no elevator when Daisy was a puppy. Daisy has walked up and down stairs from the moment she has been able to do them. We have never limited stairs, it would have broken our backs to have carried her up and down the stairs for the first year. We now live in a two story townhouse with Daisy and her mini doxie sister. Both go up and down stairs with no issues.

  7. #17
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    Multiple split level house w/ carpeted stairs here... All of my Labs have been raised in it and I don't have problems even w/ my Seniors but then they all have good hips/ elbows too. The only time I've restricted them was after surgery (spay or C-section) and that was for a week or so.
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  8. #18
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    Two story w/ basement here. Hoku is not supposed to go into the basement (because that's where the cat litter box is, as well as tools, etc.—it's not supervised), but she comes upstairs every night (that's where the beds are), and probably up and down once or twice otherwise. There are stairs down into the back yard and front yard. Have not had any issues. We obviously do not allow running (well, ideally) or stair play.
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  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abulafia View Post
    We obviously do not allow running (well, ideally) or stair play.
    Yes, we have a “no shenanigans on the stairs” rule for the puppies as well, because they frequently burst into random bouts of wrestling and play biting ... but they are not allowed to do it on the stairs!
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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