#226 Stair Safety For Dogs

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Ever feel that jolt of panic when your dog launches up the stairs like it’s race day? We break down a quiet, reliable stair routine that strips away chaos and replaces it with calm control. 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Most people teach weight at the front door, but
another valuable and oftenoverlooked place to use it is on
the stairs.
Stairs can be dangerous for bothof you.
They're narrow, echoey, and easyto slip on.
So my rule is simple.

(00:24):
My dog can go before me or afterme, but not with me.
When I start teaching weight atthe stairs, I begin at the
bottom of the staircase.
I cue weight one time, just onceat the very beginning.
Even if my dog breaks, I don'trepeat the cue.

(00:45):
From that point forward, my bodydoes all the talking.
If I keep saying wait, wait,wait, wait, I'm just going to
add too much excitement to thesituation.
So I cue weight and I take oneslow step up.
If my dog tries to step up withme, I simply move and stand

(01:07):
right in front of him, right inhis path.
That's called a body block.
I don't step back down to thefloor, but I don't talk to him,
I don't correct him verbally, Idon't even look at him, I watch
him in my peripheral vision.
But I just calmly hold my grounduntil he steps back down to the

(01:29):
floor.
Then I see if I can make it tothe second step before I release
him.
If he breaks again, meaning hetries to walk up the stairs with
me, I silently and quickly stepback down to the first step and
block his path.
And then once he backs off, I'llstep back up on the second step.

(01:52):
When I can stand on the secondstep and he remains on the floor
for four to five seconds, that'sa good enough weight to begin
with.
And I will immediately releasehim to go up the stairs.
And my release word is free,although some people use the
word okay.
The key is to stay quiet andconsistent.

(02:15):
If you throw your hands up andlaugh it off, your dog learns
that it's a game.
Beat the human before therelease cue.
That's why it's important toincrease the number of steps
slowly.
If your dog breaks and gets pastyou even once, it reinforces
that racing up the stairs works,and they'll try it again next

(02:37):
time.
Once your dog can wait and yougo up two steps before releasing
him, next time go five steps,and then seven, and then the
full flight of stairs.
But just keep building graduallyso your dog's successes outweigh
the mistakes.

(02:58):
And when it's time to come downthe stairs, the process is
exactly the same, just inreverse.
Cue weight once, face your dog,and come down the stairs
backwards at first until you'reconfident in your reaction time.
This way you can watch him andknow the moment that he tries to

(03:18):
step down the stairs with you.
This version of weight buildspatience, control, and safety,
not through words, but throughclear, calm body language.
And before long, your dog willunderstand that the stairs are
no longer a race, they're ateamwork exercise.