The most frequent piece of advice that other dachshund owners give me is do not let your dog jump off things. A lot of them have horror stories about how they came home to find their dog paralyzed and assumed it was from the little guy jumping off the couch.
So, last week, I broke down and got Lyndsey her own personal set of stairs. She's used them a few times, but mostly to go up, not down, and her usage usually involves me bribing her with a toy or treat.
LT loves getting up on any and all furniture in the house; the bed, the couches, the rocking chairs, the footstools. She acts like she's spring loaded. I've seen her get real air. I bet she could clear a good three or three and a half feet.
So, I've listened to the advice about not letting her jump, but who out there has advice on how to get her to use her stairs?
Is she scared of the stairs? Or does she just ignore them?
ReplyDeleteWe have steps for the bed and steps for the sofa as well, and two wieners who use them always. My advice is to make sure your steps are heavy enough that they don't slide at all when Lyndsey uses them. She needs to feel safe and secure on them. Continue to show her how to use them, rewarding her with training treats and lots of love. Don't force her, maybe sit on the steps with her as she's coming down. Also, when you see her trying to jump say NO JUMP very firmly and show her the stairs, followed by a treat if she uses them. Keep this up until she's confident using the stairs by herself, shouldn't take too long.
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