Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 8 month old pup is currently 17 lbs. and has been a tripawd for several months, since she was under 11 lbs. and lost one of her rear legs (unsure why; she came to us as a foster before surgery.) I am aware that pups with only one rear leg tend to have trouble going up stairs, but my dog can, she just won't go up our staircase at home. We have to carry her, which is getting tough for me at her weight (I have a chronic pain condition.)
Our home stairs are carpeted and not open behind or underneath; they are plenty wide; and she is not a tiny dog, so she isn't dwarfed by them. There is a landing on the 3rd step, and another landing after 4 more steps.
Here's the kicker -- she can go up a set of outdoor stairs nearby JUST FINE! There is a building nearby with a deck that has open wood stairs (6 of them, I think) and when we're there, she will go up and down them without any issue! So my theory about her not being able to go up stairs isn't true. She must be afraid. She goes DOWN our staircase just fine.
She isn't that food motivated (she only responds to training when treats are involved sometimes, and yes, I've tried cheese, hot dogs, chicken, peanut butter, etc.) so training is slow. Using treats, toys/play and excitement does nothing to convince her to even put a paw on a stair above her.
Do I need to hire a trainer/behavioralist to help with her fear, or is there something else I should try?? Thank you so much!
Hi and welcome! What an interesting challenge!
On my phone now so real quick then I will have more feedback tomorrow...but what happens when you don't carry her up? Have you tried a little tough love?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome.
My first little rear amp Tripawd could never go up more than 2 or 3 stairs- but she was consistent with that on all stairs. My current little rear amp flies up and down all stairs.
A couple of thoughts-
Did she fall or stumble on the stairs she won't go up? I've had sensitive dogs that would be discouraged from trying something again that they had fallen on, or had a bad or scary experience.
Is her vision OK? Are the problem stairs particularly dark or all one color? At her age this probably isn't an issue but I have an old Pug Boy who will not go up one of our short flights of stairs- he does fine on three other short flights. His vision is poor and I think on the one staircase he can't see the individual steps. The stairs are also pretty steep and dark wood (with carpet treads) so it probably looks like a wall to him.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
jerry said
Hi and welcome! What an interesting challenge!On my phone now so real quick then I will have more feedback tomorrow...but what happens when you don't carry her up? Have you tried a little tough love?
Thanks, Jerry! Yes, we have tried "tough love"...she may whine once in a while if we go upstairs without her, but she generally just accepts it...and then chews on something she shouldn't, like the baseboards. We have done our best to keep her away from all things tat can be damaged by chewing, but also WE want her to be able to join us upstairs! We spend a lot of time up there; it's where my office is, and during the day I'm going up and down constantly.
krun15 said
Hello and welcome.My first little rear amp Tripawd could never go up more than 2 or 3 stairs- but she was consistent with that on all stairs. My current little rear amp flies up and down all stairs.
A couple of thoughts-
Did she fall or stumble on the stairs she won't go up? I've had sensitive dogs that would be discouraged from trying something again that they had fallen on, or had a bad or scary experience.
Is her vision OK? Are the problem stairs particularly dark or all one color? At her age this probably isn't an issue but I have an old Pug Boy who will not go up one of our short flights of stairs- he does fine on three other short flights. His vision is poor and I think on the one staircase he can't see the individual steps. The stairs are also pretty steep and dark wood (with carpet treads) so it probably looks like a wall to him.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Hi Karen, we have not seen her tumble on the stairs, no. That said, I do assume she is afraid for some reason, even if we don't know what that reason is. The stairs are covered in a medium grey carpet, so not dark or light, but yes, all one color. I have no reason to believe that she has vision problems (she is only 8 months old, and the vet has not suggested there are any problems.)
Jody I'm so glad you returned, sorry I forgot to continue my answer. But it looks like Karen has some great thoughts there, like having her vision checked out? Dogs have such poor depth perception skills as it is, that maybe she has a harder time judging distance on carpet? Not being able to do so is scary, which is why many dogs won't use ramps, they make it hard to tell distance to the ground.
Another thought: is there anything upstairs that may have scared her? Do you have any planters or things low to the ground that may have freaked her out the first time she saw them? Or cats that she might have gotten into a tussle with? Have you tried going upstairs on all fours, just to experience what she sees as she tries to go up? I know it sounds nutty, but just throwing that out there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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