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  1. #1
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    New Stairs Phobia or something else?

    Marlin did a strange thing this past weekend. While my husband and I were upstairs tidying up, he stood at the bottom and barked to come up. When we gave him the o.k., he flew up the steps but he was extremely clumsy and fast as if it was his first time trying out stairs! Anyway, he seemed o.k. but after that he would not come up the steps again. Now, when he needs to come up he just barks and stretches out his front paws as far as he can but doesn't move forward. We have to give him a push up the steps and really encourage him with treats and toys. Still, we end up practically carrying him up. He does not seem hurt at all, and will jump up the two small steps on our deck no problem. He walks in the park every morning and seems fine. The only thing that appears a little off is the fact that he is not playing as hard as he normally would with his Golden Doodle friend, but I am chalking that up to the heat. And maybe I'm overreacting. I'm kinda stumped and am wondering if its just a fear phase? He is almost 11 months old and never has shown any fear before. I am going to schedule an appt. with vet just to give him the once over. People have said to me in the past that Marlin's back-end sways when he walks sometimes and we have discussed with vet. BTW, both Marlin's parent's were OFA cleared with excellent hips, but I'm still worried. Any thoughts?

  2. #2
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    First thing that comes to my mind is maybe he slipped on the stairs and is now skiddish. Are your stairs wood or carpeted? Wood can be slippery and hard for dogs to get any traction. I dunno. That's just my first thought.

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    Marlin&Me (07-09-2014)

  4. #3
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    After I posted, I thought about that. We actually have carpet on our stairs, but I was now wondering if maybe his nail might have gotten caught on the carpet?....

  5. #4
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Same thought here. Maybe he pulled a muscle. Carpeting will definitely help or some type of nonskid surface on the stairs. I had to do this with the senior dogs on the deck stairs even though there are only three. Also, stairs without a riser that the dog can see through will make many dogs hesitate.

    If you have carpeting already, keep up confidence building.

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  7. #5
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    He is at the age that another fear stage is not uncommon. Keep working/encouraging him with treats or what ever works best to get him through this. Chances are he either slipped or was startled when you weren't watching, it doesn't take much to cause a fear of something that previously was not, at this age. Most of the time I would say to be more matter of fact and ignore the fears to work past them but stairs are something I don't like to mess with, they can get really hurt trying to go up or down too quickly because of the fear.
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  9. #6
    Senior Dog BaconsMom's Avatar
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    Sounds like 2nd fear stage. Bacon is currently is the midst of this. A puppy who has never been scared of anyone, is now cautious when approaching tall men. We just continue to praise him when he says hi to them. This too shall pass.
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  11. #7
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    Found out more about the fear stages of a Lab, after reading about it here. Tammy has some really good advice, and at this stage I'd be really cautious with stairs.

    KAZ

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  13. #8
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    Also, if he is the right size for it (Mulder is, but my girls haven't been), it is easy for them to accidentally whack their knee on the steps on the way up. This used to happen to Mulder all the time, and then he would think that the stairs bit him and not want to go up them for a few weeks until he forgot ... until the next time. I never understood what was happening until my trainer mentioned it, and then I saw him do it. It could be something like that causing fear.

    Now, at 15 with not so great rear end and balance, he just stays downstairs

  14. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    Also, if he is the right size for it (Mulder is, but my girls haven't been), it is easy for them to accidentally whack their knee on the steps on the way up. This used to happen to Mulder all the time, and then he would think that the stairs bit him and not want to go up them for a few weeks until he forgot ... until the next time. I never understood what was happening until my trainer mentioned it, and then I saw him do it. It could be something like that causing fear.
    This makes sense to me because the last time he went up the steps he made alot of noise with his body slaming! Anyway, I took him to the vet because on Friday morning, he didn't finish his breakfast which has never ever happened. His meals usually disappear within 30 seconds! This made me nervous so off we went. He is going to be xrayed Tuesday morning because I have been concerned about his walk from time to time as well. Also, I have noticed lately that sometimes he drags his front paw, as if it turns in. It is something that I mostly hear, but don't always see, meaning I can hear his nails scrap the ground as his paw turns inward. As I mentioned in my first post, Marlin's parents both have all health clearances, including excellent hips OFA. I do think though that the stairs is a fear thing because he is jumping up onto our bed which is pretty high without any issues. I am doing the xrays because I am more concerned about his front legs at this point. And he still isn't eating like normal. The vet did a complete blood panel and urine analysis, because I was also concerned about his energy level (thought he tires quickly compared to some other puppies his age). The vet is checking for lyme and other related tick diseases. I will know more on Tuesday.

  15. #10
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    Fingers crossed all tick related tests come back negative. Maybe he did hit his elbow as Annette47 stated Mulder did thinking the steps bit him, and there's a bruise, as Marlin is having no problems jumping on the bed? Sending good thoughts for your Marlin.

    KAZ

 



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