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Puppies and Stairs

4K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Jac 
#1 ·
What is the situation with the puppies and the stairs? Maggie is 10 months old and loves to follow us upstairs. I am worried that maybe she is doing this too often based on some of the posts that I have seen. Does anyone know of specific guidelines for puppies and their ages with stairs? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Hi there! I just found out about the "no stairs" thing too. Mind you my pup is only 11 weeks old. However, I was surprised that neither my breeder or my vet told me about it. We were exercising Sage on the stairs (luckily only for a couple of days) when I read about it here on this forum. Thank goodness I did--I would have hated to do anything that would cause her future problems. Anyway, I believe that the guideline is not until 18 months for stairs and running (I think mostly on hard surfaces) or jumping when they land on their back legs. I think a few stairs are okay, at least I hope so. Sage has to go up and down a couple of stairs to go potty outside, and also in and out of our sunken living room. I can't picture carrying her everytime she comes or goes from the living room :lol: Anyhow, I imagine that you have read a lot from this forum already (I know I have) and probably already read a post or two regarding this, but just in case you hadn't. :)
 
#3 ·
I'm not sure about ages and guidelines, but both of mine are young and we try to limit the stairs. We have lots of stairs in our house, and it seems I am always running up and down for one thing or another! And, of course, the dogs want to follow me. During the day I keep a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to prevent them from running up and down too much. It's kind of a pain, but then I always know that they're not causing trouble on the second floor and that it saves their little joints just a little. The things we do for these dogs...

Bridget, Summer, and Duke
 
#4 ·
So is it really bad for dogs to be running up and down the stairs at a young age? My little guy Link has been going up and down the stairs since Saturday because he won't stop following either of us around the house. Our Kitchen where is dog dish is, is up stairs and his crate where he sleeps is downstairs. Due to space and such it's not really an option to have it another way.

How bad are the stairs for our little guys?
 
#6 ·
I live on an island where most of the houses are on stilts and dogs have to learn how to negotiate the stairs early on. I think the issue is to not let them race down the stairs because it can be dangerous, just as it would be for a child or anyone really. I carried Sawyer up and down the stairs until he became too heavy, but now carrying a 50 lb.-and-still-growing guy up and down the stairs every time he needs to pee is really not an option so I use a leash to control his speed.
 
#7 ·
Hi,
I don't think that you need to keep them from going up and down small stairs, but I do think it is bad for large stairs and especially if they are running and tumbling on them.
My information comes from a vet who specializes in hip problems...he is the vet that did the PennHip testing on all of my dogs and he said that you should be very careful when excercising dogs, especially large breed dogs.
They are growing quickly, their growth plates are not solid and yes, they can become injured.
I guess that you should discuss it with your vet and then make an informed decision. All vets do not agree on all issues...like any other profession, experts will not see things the same way.
But my information came from a vet that I trust very much, during a candid and specific discussion about my dog's hips.
I have read that 18 months is the time when a dog is finished growing and that is why, I believe, the limit for rough play and exercise is at 18 months of age.
 
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