Author Topic: Stairs and our middle "child"  (Read 3340 times)

Offline tessajane

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Stairs and our middle "child"
« on: July 27, 2005, 02:41:50 pm »
Hello!
I posted a pic of our girls serveral weeks ago, below I have added a new pick done about one month ago when my puppy was not 3 months.

I have had a problem with our middle apricot mastiff (Mya Grace), several weeks ago she fell going UP the stairs.  She has always been afraid of the stairs, but she just turned a year and thought thoughs troubles were behind us.  Any way by the grace of god I caught her, and managed to get her back up the stairs.  Since then my hubby has put side rails on the stairs so that nobody can slip though, which I think was her problem.

We tried everything to get her back up the stairs, I baited her with cookies, wieners, her most favorite squeeky toy. But no go, the other dogs will go up no problem.  Anyway I called our trainer last night and her advice was to pick her up and put her on the stair, stand behind her so she couldn't back down, have her on her lead with someone else from up the stairs to guide her.....well it was quite the racket but I am please to say that it WORKED!!!!!

Anyone else have mastiffs that have fears?  Mya alerts us to anything different in the yard it could be a new plant!  Should I be worried about it?
Thanks for the tips!
Tina

lins_saving_grace

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Re: Stairs and our middle "child"
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2005, 02:45:44 pm »
SUCH A CUTE PICTURE!
I have Rotts instead but they both had stair issues.  It went away in time and they soon started bouncing up and down and up and down and up and down. 

Offline jabear

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Re: Stairs and our middle "child"
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2005, 02:59:13 pm »
Tina,
Great picture of you furkids. They are so gorgeous! Every once in a while Bear gets weary about going up stairs that hang (like the outside ones where you can see through each stair) so we have to really encourage him. Once on them though he goes so fast just to finish being on them. It's cute.
Hugs,
Jaime
  Mom to one handsome black Bear.

Offline greek4

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Re: Stairs and our middle "child"
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2005, 09:23:55 pm »
Maia, my OEM has a lot more fear than Rocco does.  Maia has never encountered steps before but she goes really slowly when moving from carpet to hardwood kitchen floor.  She won't come into the laundry room without massive amounts of coaxing if the ironing board is up.  What do I do when she is timid of a new situation...I keep putting her into that situation until she gets used to it.  It is frustrating at times but I don't want a dog that is afraid of new situations.

I try to make Maia feel safe because I'm there and she hasn't failed me yet, the ironing board is our major obstical lately.
Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

Offline tessajane

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Re: Stairs and our middle "child"
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2005, 03:31:36 am »
Thanks for the info on the ironing board!  I will keep introducing her to new situations.  Sometimes even a garbage bag on the floor frightens her.  The other two just think it is a new play toy!
~Tina

Offline Jaimie

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Re: Stairs and our middle "child"
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2005, 03:46:11 pm »
When I train horses that are frightened of different things I have sessions with them where I expose them to all different kinds of things like paper and plastic bag,s big tarps that they must walk over and many other things, we call it desensitizing.  Maybe it would work for you and your dog :)