I"m glad you asked these questions! 

First, yep, one week or so out of surgery is waaaay too soon to do steps alone. That's why the Webmaster is indispensable when you you have stairs. All dogs recover at different paces but if you want to ensure he's not overdoing it, I would keep assisting him for at least another month. I may be overprotective but that's what we did for Jerry and Wyatt Ray .

Also, regarding:

It almost seems like he just has the strategy wrong - like he's trying to pull himself up with his front legs.

BINGO! That's a keen observation. The reason he is doing that is because dogs have all their movement propulsion in the rear legs. From jumping to running, dogs use those back legs to move. When one is missing, that one rear leg is doing ALL the work. So yes, that's why he poops out. It's one of the biggest challenges for rear-leg amputees. Going upstairs is especially challenging, because they need that propulsion. Downstairs, you'll see in time that it's not a problem (but you should still assist, always, to avoid spills). In time you'll also see that his front limbs and chest will become really muscular, as it compensates for the lack of strength in the rear.

Don't fret though, because if you stick to a good core-strengthening exercise routine (see the Tripawds Gear blog ), he can build up his core muscles enough to help that rear leg move move move!

I was wondering how many folks send their tripawds to daycare, and when they felt their dog was ready

Sounds like you have a great staff there who will monitor his activity, that's great.

I think playing in limited amounts would be good rehab plus great for him to be able to socialize.

I don't want to be a downer on this one, but daycare interaction could be detrimental IF they allow the dogs to run around a large area all day long. It's the type of "explosive" activity (quick stops/starts, running) that rehab therapists discourage for Tripawds. Again, especially with rear leggers, that kind of activity in too many long increments could put that remaining rear leg at risk of a muscle pull or even worse, a cruciate tear, which is one of the most common injuries we see in Tripawds (front or rear). If you can do the pet sitter route for a while, or better yet, find a rehab therapy clinic you can take him to a few times a week during your work day (many will do daycare), that would so ideal. And don't forget, the Tripawds Foundation will pay for your first rehab therapy consult too!

Does all this make sense? Let us know, we're here to help!