Training tips Don’t know if anybody is still having trouble getting their pets to use these stairs, but I wrote this up just in case. I have a chronic illness and sometimes am confined to bed for much of the day. I bought these steps because the bed is very high and I got a new puppy a month ago. When it was just the Chihuahua, reaching down to scoop him up was quite uncomfortable, but it was doable, and once he was up he would stay there as long as I did. It’s a different story with the pup, a somewhat heavier than usual toy poodle (poodle sizes are based on height, not weight). He would cry to come up, stay a few minutes, jump down for a sip of water, cry to come up, grab a nibble, cry to come up, etc. and all this reaching down 28” and lifting him was getting to me. I received the steps on Tuesday, four days ago, but did not set them up until Wednesday. As suggested in an excellent review posted here, I placed them against the bed rather than facing it to provide more support. I tried all the suggestions that came with the product, but dogs, just like most adults, are wary of new technology. The dogs would stretch from the floor to grab the treats, but would not climb. After considerable effort I got the poodle up onto the first step, which he accomplished by hurling himself at the stairs so hard I had to put heavy books behind them to prevent them from sliding on the hardwood, even though I used the miniscule rubber feet supplied with the stairs (providing 2 of the feet for each stair post would be much better). He would climb no farther. The Chihuahua quickly got afraid of the whole process. So I called it quits for the day rather than make the steps an object of terror. Meanwhile, my big Siamese cat, Bob Buttinsky, was miffed that only dog treats were being used in the training process and I had to repeatedly shove him off the stairs to work with the dogs. The next day I changed tactics, using an approach I call “Baby Steps.” One at a time I started the dogs from the fourth step and patted the bed, and each readily made the little jot up. Then I placed the hind legs on the third step and each climbed onto the bed to much praise and affection. From the second step, the Chihuahua made the climb, but the poodle jumped off. I immediately put him back on the third step so he would end the session on a positive note. I decided to use Bob as inspiration for the dogs, and he readily climbed all to the way to the bed with just a few treats and a bit of encouragement. He also used them to climb down and has continued to do so. Later we had two more successful sessions starting Peanut, the 5 year old Chihuahua, on step 2 and Charlie the poodle on step 3. Friday, day 3, I began with Peanut, hind feet on the second step and he climbed the rest of the way up, piece of cake. Charlie, watching, made the climb from the floor on his own initiative without any assistance, as soon as Peanut reached the top! Then I put Peanut on the floor, patted the first step and he, too, used the steps easily. I repeated this a few times and did so again in other sessions and they are trained. I will continue to reinforce this training multiple times a day until they readily use the stairs whenever they want up. Summary: 1. Once you set up the stairs, that must be the only way the pets can make it up to a bed or favored piece of furniture, no more lifting. This is essential, even though at first it means more work to help them. (However, I would make an exception if you are, for example, trying to get an older large dog into a vehicle. You can’t walk away if he won’t try!) 2. Make sessions short and fun. If your dogs are getting tired, frustrated or frightened, session is over. If they appear stressed by your attempts to train them (Peanut’s anxiety) or exhibit undesired behaviors (Charlie hurling himself), don’t get discouraged, but wait at least 24 hours before trying again. You don’t want to reinforce negative results. 3. Repeat sessions multiple times the same day to reinforce what they have learned so far, without trying to introduce the next step. 4. If you use treats, break them into tiny pieces. They may not work if Fido is full. And make sure they are something very yummy that you reserve only for training. 5. Be lavish with praise and encouragement. They want to please you and at first will overcome their doubts only because they love and trust you. 6. Be confident you can do this—if you have doubts, they will too. Expect it to take some time for them to learn this new skill so you don’t push them too fast, although they may surprise you like my pups did! 7. Try the suggestions in the pamphlet. That may be all you need. If they fail you, try the Baby Steps way. 8. Use your other pets for encouragement. Dogs are very social and pay close attention to other dogs or to cat buddies. They are also often jealous of praise and will attempt to outdo each other. Watching Bob may have made a big impression on Charlie and Charlie definitely got Peanut to make the climb. He wasn’t going to be outdone by the little whippersnapper! 9. Punishment is not appropriate if your dog is slow in figuring this out. He is either not sure what you want, knows what you want but doesn’t know how to do it, or is scared stiff. Patting the next step usually works in the first case, and Baby Steps should resolve the other two issues. If he isn’t getting it, make the first move super super easy and acknowledge its accomplishment with both treats and praise. 10. If you have a large dog, please contact the seller prior to purchase to make sure the steps will accommodate him. If you have questions, please post them as a comment and I will answer if I can. I am a retired veterinarian with experience in training and behavioral medicine.
