Hello Cooper and Cooper's Dad!  Cemil is another of the Big Dogs here (148#) and one with a pretty low energy level.  Lying around and watching over everything are Anatolian Shepherd normal activities, not requiring a huge physical effort.  So he took a little longer to get to the main milestones, but he eventually did.  He just had his 21-months ampuversary and is doing everything he did before except stairs and the dog door (although he did go out and come back in once).

Here's something you can do to make the t-shirt work better:  pull it up from his back so it's snug on his belly and put a rubber band on to hold it like that.  It makes a sort of pony tail in the middle of his back, but you can tuck it under so it doesn't look so silly.  Cemil lived in a t-shirt for almost a month.

Cooper sure is handsome.  Sorry you had to end up here, but we're glad you're here too.

Mary and Cemil

Hi again Coops

Yes, Cemil was an earlier member of the intransigent block of cement Club, arriving about a year before me. The ability or will (or owner's tolerance) to do stairs varies greatly. I live in a house with many steep stairs. Tazzie pretty much did them as well as he ever did on four legs. The indoors steps were carpeted but the outdoor were not. Even so, he would even hoof into the attic if someone left the door open (I did not like that!), where there was no carpet on the steep stairs. Tazzie was a pyrenees x collie cross, about 80 lbs pre-amp, so a bit lighter than your dog, but with a very long torso.

On a daily basis, he bounded down the set of 15 or so steps, two or three at a time, to greet the mail carrier. Life didn't change all that much after amputation as far as those things were concerned. Even the first week, he was doing steps from the main floor to the basement, or from the deck to the grass. Of course, some people might prefer to curtail such activities, especially at that stage of the game.

Once he heals, I'd take Cooper's lead when it comes to these things. I remember watching videos of Niki, a large rottie, doing steps of the sort you are describing very early in the game (was it her first week?).

Tazzie hardly ever peed or poo'd when I was watching. But eventually I'd catch glimpses of him hopping off to the side of the yard to do his business. Sounds like Cooper is doing fine in that department now.

Comet is only >40lbs but she has always done stairs UP and DOWN with ease!     It's her mom that has trouble on the stairs!    She's 12 years old and has had surgery on both back knees and she just jumped on the couch last night!

So, don't worry too much about it now!