how do I teach my dog to use pet stairs/steps?

Question

My chihuahua is not able to come up on my bed by herself so I am always having to pick her up to put her on my bed. So I decided to get pet stairs for her. But she is not taking to them right away, so I am trying to train her to use them. First I put a treat on the top step, but all she has to do is put one paw on the stairs to get to it. So then I put a treat on the bed, but she just trys to get to it without using the stairs. So then I physically put her on the stairs, but when I do this she kind of freezes up. I use a lot of good girls and good doggies and am always upbeat and happy when I do this with her. I've only done this twice, once yesterday and once today, since I don't want to scare her. Does anyone have any experience with this same scenario? Should I keep doing what I'm doing until she learns how to use them? She is a very good dog and listens to me, she comes when she's called etc.

Answer 1

It sounds cruel, but don't pick her up. Dogs are incredibly manipulative. If she can physically get up there and you know it, then let her whine and cry. Little dogs like Chihuahua's, Mini Pincher's and Lhasa Ahpso's are the biggest whiners, and will do anything to get picked up.

Keep doing what you're doing with the food. If she wants it bad enough, she'll figure out a way. They way she's currently figured out that if she behaves pathetically enough, eventually you'll take care of it.

Answer 2

Bedside Dog Bed With Stairs

Answer 3

I once had an elderly lady for a friend. She had a wonderful little dog. A mix of some sort. She had the dog trained well and it behaved very well. Learn here https://tr.im/gHn00

She kept an uncovered candy dish on her coffee table with candy in it. The dog was forbidden to eat the candy. When she was in the room observing the dog he did not even appear to notice the candy. One day while she was in her dinning room she happened to look in a mirror and could see her dog in the living room. He did not know he was being watched. For several minutes he was sitting in front of the candy bowl staring at the candy. Finally he reached in and took one. He placed it on the table and stared at it, he woofed at it. He stared some more, licked his chops and PUT IT BACK in the bowl and walked away. Did he want the candy, oh yeah. Did he eat it? Nope. They can be trained that well but most, I'll admit, are not trained that well. When I was a young boy, maybe 5 years old. We had a german shepherd. He was very well trained also. My mom could leave food unattended on the table, no problem. She would open the oven door and set a pan roast beef or roast chicken on the door to cool. No problem. He would not touch it, watched or not. But butter? Whole other story. You leave a stick of butter anywhere he could reach and it was gone. He was a large shepherd so there were not many places he could not reach. Really, I think the number of dogs trained to the point they will leave food alone when not being supervised is very small indeed.
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Now if we are talking obedience training, not food grubbing, that is a different story. Way back when I was first learning obedience training one of the final exercises was to put our dogs in a down/stay and not only leave the room but leave the building for 15 minutes. The only person that stayed was our trainer, not the owners. Most of the dogs in my class did not break their stay, which would be an automatic fail. I'm happy to report my dog was one of the ones that passed.

Answer 4

Since your dog seems to be scared going up the stairs, maybe you could carry her up the stairs (with her legs touching the steps), and put her on your bed. Then she might realize that when she goes up the steps, she gets to be on your bed. When both of my dogs were learning how to go up the stairs at my house, that is how i taught them and it worked pretty well.

Answer 5

i know this sounds ridiculous, and don't try it if the stairs are too small, but maybe if you went up the stairs she might see that they aren't scary. Or put her favourite toy up on the top step. A treat always goes well with my dog, so keep trying that aswell!

she just needs to build up some doggy confidence!

Answer 6

Umm, i had this problem with a puppy of a friend. First, give them the stairs as an only way out, such as putting tall boxes beside the stairs and a poste behind with a treat on the bed.

Answer 7

Show her a treat in your hand and cup the treat in your palm. Put your hand with the treat on the first stair. When she is coming up, put your hand with the treat on the second stair. do this until she comes all the way up the stairs. and when she reaches your bed, give her the treat. You can also try calling her name while you are on your bed, because soon she will realize she has no choice but to use the stairs.

Answer 8

I actually have a cat which will fetch his toy mouse. the 2nd day I have been given him from the shelter as a 4 month previous kitten, I threw a mouse into the corridor and he right this moment extra it back. A year and a 0.5 later and he nonetheless does it. he's likewise discovered, on his very own, to in no way do it while business enterprise comes over and that i attempt for example.

Answer 9

Don't just do it once a day. You should do it a few times a day so that she gets used to it. Keep doing what your doing putting her on the step then you get on the bed and tell her to come up on the bed. Good Luck

Answer 10

My advice would be to keep doing what you're doing, it's only because the steps are new so maybe your dog feels a little awkward around them - remember, they are only animals.
My rabbit didn't take too kindly to using her litter pan at first, i did the same sort of thing with her and now she uses it everyday without me telling her to.
Keep trying!