# Stairs at what age?



## Jean_NJ (Dec 15, 2010)

Our 9 week old puppy is still to small for stairs, but what are the thoughts on them? Our last golden I carried him up and down until I couldn't any longer because I had read at the time that for developing hips it was better to wait. Since that was a decade ago I was wondering if there are any new studies giving hints on when steps are ok?
Thanks


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## kobusclan6 (Feb 10, 2009)

I wonder this also, because I had never heard of this until yesterday when I picked up the new pup "Brody". The breeder told me this and I was baffled. I live in a two story so I am very curious and need to know if this is the case and if so, when is it okay to let them use them. 
Thanks for asking the ? =)


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## goldprof (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm curious about this too and hope someone experienced will respond!


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

I can tell you what I have done with two dogs - one that is currently 4.5 years old (came home at 10 weeks) and one that is turning 4 months on January 30th (came home at 9 weeks).

I have 3 steps from my deck to the yard. Both did the deck steps from day one.

I have a flight of steps to the second floor bedrooms. These steps are only needed once a day each way. At 12 weeks old I started having both go up in the evening by themselves. Going down I carried them until around 14 weeks old just because it's early morning and I didn't want any potty accidents.

My 4.5 year old has never had any orthopedic issues.


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## Peek-a-Boo (Dec 24, 2011)

We were told the same thing. We live on the top floor of a 3 storey condo complex and we've been carrying Boo up and down several times a day to go outside. He came home at 8 weeks, he's now 13 weeks and he's just now starting to walk up and down by himself. Sometimes we still carry him part of the way but he's growing fast and getting heavy! Going down is no problem at all for him, but I'm more worried about going up. He does it without issues but sometimes he wants to go too fast and hop up instead of walk, so i try to slow him down so he's actually walking up normally instead of raising both back paws up at once and jumping to the next step, which i assume can't be too good on his hips. So i'm being careful about that.


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## Dakotadog (Jan 2, 2012)

My eight and a half week golden can do stairs in small amounts. It takes some coaxing and we still carry her up our stairs to our bedrooms but she wil walk up the stairs from the door to the main floor. Just keep trying and use treats!!


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

I carried Kahuna up and down all stairs until about 12 ish weeks so he didn't hurt himself or harm development... I introduced him slowly... I make him take his time... I make him do it now because, well, for one he's huge haha; but the other is that he needs to develop his coordination etc... Just be with them when you think they're ready and don't allow any jumping etc


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## Maddie'sMom2011 (Apr 26, 2011)

Maddie was 12 weeks when we got her. We have one step into our living room (no biggie) and basement steps. We carried her up & down her first couple of times down, but she figured them out (we actually enticed our bridge boy Jake down them when we first got him, with a steak). We have a pool table down there and spend many weekend evenings shooting pool. I can't tell you how many times Steve carried our bridge babies Maggie & Jake down those steps. Maddie likes to nose tip her tennis ball so it goes down the basement, she goes down after it (even in the dark). Just take it slow & easy, nothing to extreme for growing baby joints.


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## Puppy_To_Be_Named_Later (Jan 26, 2012)

At 10 weeks Obi can go up a lot easier then he can come down. To get to the bedroom we have a landing halfway up so it helps alot. He's a big boy for his age though...


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

A trainer told another in our class 4-6 mo. old pups, that the secret was getting them to do stairs slowly so not to hurt their hips. The running up and down is what messes their hips up, but slowly doing stairs would allow the dog to adjust his/her body. She suggested they always walk ahead of the dog and block their way to slow them down. So stair, stop, stair, stop, but these were older pups than yours is.

Think until they are older and you can't carry them and if you have mulit levels of stairs I would carry them up and down. Not fun, but would save their hips from any wear and tear.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I lived in a third-floor walk-up when Tesia came home at 9 weeks. I carried her up and down the stairs until one day, when we went out into the hallway, I turned to lock the door - and she started down the stairs on her own. It was perfect timing because she was just starting to get a little too heavy to lug up and down three flights of stairs. She did the stairs herself from that day on. She was probably... 14 or 15 weeks old? Can't quite remember.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

With both our Goldens (don't remember past dogs) we taught them how to do steps pretty early. With Maggie we had full flight from the deck to the yard and a 2 story house, with Hank he didn't need to go to our second story in this house since our bedroom is on the 1st floor. There are 3 steps to the yard. Neither has/had hip issues.

I would just discourage unnecessary running up & down stairs during early development.


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## goldenrio (Jan 7, 2012)

We live on the second floor of a 3 story building.....right now I carry Rio up and down the stairs but once he's hopefully around 12ish weeks old I'm going to have to start teaching him to walk up and down himself because I will be very close to delivering our baby then via Csection and I know I won't be able to carry him down stairs after surgery.


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