Are stairs a dealbreaker? - Page 2

Mikey T · 11-26-2012, 07:53 AM

as has been said there is a big difference between the risk of a pup and stairs and a adult. Never had a basset with a back issue and all the houses the lived in were multistory and the had fre access to the stairs

CatherineM · 11-26-2012, 11:38 AM

I used to have a house that had an apartment over the garage. It had a long straight stairway with no landing coming down from it. My basset would go visit my tenant every night when he got off work. He climbed all the way up no problem. It was coming down. He'd get this rhythm going, bounce bounce bounce, and then get out of step and slide down the rest of the way. It was even worse in winter when it got icy. Never deterred him though.

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deano76 · 11-27-2012, 05:47 AM

I have stairs but have always kept a baby gate at the bottom to stop Boris going up. That's not to say he didn't work out how to open it after about 2 days but I soon found a fix for that

Now the only time I let him up is when it's bathtime and even though it's only once every few months, it worries the life out of me. He runs up in what looks like 4 jumps (probably just excitement because he knows it's an out-of-bounds area!) but personally, I wouldn't be happy with him going up and down them on a daily basis. Others I know though, let their Bassets have a free reign of the house and have never had a problem. I'm just an over-protective dad

rebobinar · 11-27-2012, 10:23 AM

Thanks, all. I didn't realize it's their fronts that are the problem with stairs more than their backs. I could probably have a ramp in the back if necessary. My stairs to get to the upstairs are not the steep stairs of older houses (I've lived with those before and had a kid tumble down once or twice - scary!) but the wide carpeted stairs with a landing between that you see more today. I'm hoping they could be negotiated so pup could sleep upstairs. I mean, I could carry a pup, but some of these guys seem to get quite large as they grow!
Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

Soundtrack · 11-27-2012, 10:51 AM

I try to keep puppies from doing stairs, and generally recommend that they be carried DOWN for as long as the owner is able to do it. Going up is not a problem, but going down they tend to hop instead of step, and that's a lot of weight to be putting on growing bones. However, once they're mature mine do stairs all the time.

Benson · 11-27-2012, 02:22 PM

We had stairs in our old house and had stair gates at the top and bottom. Benson never had any issues, but we were careful to carry him when he was little and when he had a dodgy leg. We were more concerned when he would jump on the furniture when our backs were turned.

srwafu · 11-29-2012, 02:30 PM

Well Frida is 5 and she has no problem with stairs, apart from ocassional laziness!

But bigger jumps can be a bit stressy, like into the sofa (not that it stops her mind!), perhaps as she gets even older we might need to make her a little step something to help the larger gaps

rebobinar · 11-29-2012, 06:53 PM

My daughter is really hoping the pup will be able to sleep with her - she sleeps in a bottom bunk so it's pretty low to the ground, but I told her we'd get her a ramp just to be safe.

Wworm · 12-02-2012, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wioleta

I think one of the threads about stairs was about someone living in a 3rd floor apartment. That would mean doing all 3 flights every single time they went outside to potty or to go anywhere else. So it would be a lot more stairs, especially all at once. That could be a lot harder on a basset than the amount of stairs you have in your house.

oh yeah that mighta been us. we were on 2nd floor apt when getting Worm. since there were stairs and even an elevator, we thought for sure there must be a way to ground level without stairs because of ADA rules... wrong!! not handicapped accessible and we were forced to take one flight of stairs ~7-8 steps every time we take Worm out for bathroom.

yikes that was definitely less than ideal. my understanding is that it's fine for them to do stairs after the age of one, so long as no back or weight issues. but up until one year old, it's best to avoid going DOWN stairs (up is ok) due to the strain and weight placed on their fronts, which are still developing. oh well i guess time will tell how it affected Worm. nothing so far tho he is still very young

Gus218 · 12-02-2012, 08:36 PM

Both of my bassets are under 1 year and go up and down the three steps to go out. I have a two story older house with steep steps. Gus will go up but can't get down and Roscoe won't even try to go up. There is no reason for them to go up there (our bedroom is on the first floor) so a baby gate is my best friend.

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11-27-2012, 10:23 AM	#14 (permalink)
rebobinar Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 67	Thanks, all. I didn't realize it's their fronts that are the problem with stairs more than their backs. I could probably have a ramp in the back if necessary. My stairs to get to the upstairs are not the steep stairs of older houses (I've lived with those before and had a kid tumble down once or twice - scary!) but the wide carpeted stairs with a landing between that you see more today. I'm hoping they could be negotiated so pup could sleep upstairs. I mean, I could carry a pup, but some of these guys seem to get quite large as they grow! Thanks again for sharing your experiences. Last edited by rebobinar; 11-27-2012 at 10:24 AM. Reason: edited because I posted mid-sentence - oops!

11-27-2012, 10:51 AM	#15 (permalink)
Soundtrack Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,352	I try to keep puppies from doing stairs, and generally recommend that they be carried DOWN for as long as the owner is able to do it. Going up is not a problem, but going down they tend to hop instead of step, and that's a lot of weight to be putting on growing bones. However, once they're mature mine do stairs all the time. __________________ Rosie-Ch Soundtrack Cracklin' Rose CGN AGN RA Am RN TT Melody-Ch Soundtrack Unchained Melody TT Sailor-Ch Soundtrack Expedition Sailor RN TT Chili-Ch Soundtrack Spice Up Your Life Curry-Ch Soundtrack Canadian Brass Pepper-Ch Pennieslogon Living La Vida Loca CGN Vina-Ch Soundtrack Grand Illusion Leila-Ch Soundtrack Almost Paradise Deela-Ch Soundtrack Wink Of An Eye Hermione - Soundtrack Spellbound Eowyn - Soundtrack Rain Dance

11-26-2012, 07:53 AM	#11 (permalink)
Mikey T Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: West Warrwick, RI Posts: 9,134	as has been said there is a big difference between the risk of a pup and stairs and a adult. Never had a basset with a back issue and all the houses the lived in were multistory and the had fre access to the stairs

11-26-2012, 11:38 AM	#12 (permalink)
CatherineM Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 1,198	I used to have a house that had an apartment over the garage. It had a long straight stairway with no landing coming down from it. My basset would go visit my tenant every night when he got off work. He climbed all the way up no problem. It was coming down. He'd get this rhythm going, bounce bounce bounce, and then get out of step and slide down the rest of the way. It was even worse in winter when it got icy. Never deterred him though. Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

11-27-2012, 05:47 AM	#13 (permalink)
deano76 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Essex, UK Posts: 17	I have stairs but have always kept a baby gate at the bottom to stop Boris going up. That's not to say he didn't work out how to open it after about 2 days but I soon found a fix for that Now the only time I let him up is when it's bathtime and even though it's only once every few months, it worries the life out of me. He runs up in what looks like 4 jumps (probably just excitement because he knows it's an out-of-bounds area!) but personally, I wouldn't be happy with him going up and down them on a daily basis. Others I know though, let their Bassets have a free reign of the house and have never had a problem. I'm just an over-protective dad

11-27-2012, 02:22 PM	#16 (permalink)
Benson Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: WSM, UK Posts: 377	We had stairs in our old house and had stair gates at the top and bottom. Benson never had any issues, but we were careful to carry him when he was little and when he had a dodgy leg. We were more concerned when he would jump on the furniture when our backs were turned.

11-29-2012, 02:30 PM	#17 (permalink)
srwafu Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Oslo Posts: 86	Well Frida is 5 and she has no problem with stairs, apart from ocassional laziness! But bigger jumps can be a bit stressy, like into the sofa (not that it stops her mind!), perhaps as she gets even older we might need to make her a little step something to help the larger gaps

11-29-2012, 06:53 PM	#18 (permalink)
rebobinar Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 67	My daughter is really hoping the pup will be able to sleep with her - she sleeps in a bottom bunk so it's pretty low to the ground, but I told her we'd get her a ramp just to be safe.

12-02-2012, 08:36 PM	#20 (permalink)
Gus218 Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 61	Both of my bassets are under 1 year and go up and down the three steps to go out. I have a two story older house with steep steps. Gus will go up but can't get down and Roscoe won't even try to go up. There is no reason for them to go up there (our bedroom is on the first floor) so a baby gate is my best friend. Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

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