Welcome to the Wednesday Dogs of Dogster! Every Wednesday, we share a narrative from considered one of our Dogsters. This week is about Kate & Gizmo, her scruffy Pug combine.
The final time you heard from me, I informed you about the entire games Gizmo and I play at his mealtimes. One of these video games, the scavenger hunt, closely makes use of the steps as a tough kibble hiding place. Gizmo delicately picks his means up and down the steps, totally checking every step like some type of detective-slash-blood hound-slash-rock climber. But it wasn’t all the time like this…
When I first adopted Gizmo, he had completely no concept find out how to go up or down the steps. I adopted him as an grownup rescue, so I don’t know what his earlier expertise with stairs was, however it was clear that one thing about this staircase was torquing his little thoughts.
Stair Scare
Let me preface this by saying that I reside in an previous Victorian home with polished wooden stairs. It’s only one flight, with somewhat touchdown, a handrail, and a few steps on the backside. It’s a nice-looking staircase, however it’s additionally very clean and extremely slippery when you’re carrying socks or not being cautious the place you set your paws.
I attempted luring him up the primary set of steps with treats, calling him from the highest, and depositing him simply a few steps beneath the highest, to no avail. When I went up the steps with out him, he whined from the underside – by no means pleased to be alone, this little Velcro dog.
I earn a living from home, and I had my desk simply on the high of the steps. The day after I introduced him house, I carried him up the steps to hitch me for the work day. When I went downstairs with out him to make lunch, he once more whined however didn’t try the large unhealthy stairs.
Honestly, it was type of a aid: put him on the high or backside of the steps, and he would keep there. And when his little landshark part took over, I might simply stroll down a stair or two and escape the razor-sharp enamel.
One Step at a Time… Or Not
At this level, I believed this is able to most likely be a gradual course of. I pictured Gizmo slowly, cautiously studying every step at a time, perhaps needing a pickup partway up for a number of weeks, earlier than lastly making all of it the best way. But in the future, I left him on the primary flooring whereas I popped upstairs to seize one thing. The subsequent factor I knew, there was the thundering of tiny paws and his fluffy head appeared on the high of the steps!
I suppose his want to be with me (always) overruled his concern of the steps, and he simply went for it. Gizmo’s default stair methodology rapidly settled into velocity: he runs the entire flight, high to touchdown, in about 5 seconds, then pauses to see if I’m following.
Advanced Stair Techniques
Now that he’s assured within the fundamental stair mechanics, Gizmo and I’ve been engaged on some extra superior methods. This contains stopping partway up or down, going up or down a single stair at a time, and observing me throughout the room from halfway up the steps (simply kidding about that final one – I didn’t prepare him to do this!).
To follow these tough expertise, I arrange coaching programs – like having a chunk of kibble on every stair, alternating sides, so he might follow turning round and weaving down the steps. At this level, he’s principally an Olympian!
He now loves to face on the touchdown searching the window – it’s an ideal spot to bark on the squirrels tightrope strolling the fence all day. Honestly, the coaching could have been somewhat too efficient…

Mr. Stair Master
Gizmo’s a assured man (most likely due to his early stardom), however the stairs practically received the most effective of him. Of course, you’d by no means comprehend it watching him speed-race right now!
Did your canine ever battle with stairs? Help Gizmo really feel higher about his studying curve by sharing your story within the feedback!