How can I get my english mastiff to go up stairs.?
Our mastiff used to sleep with us. Just moved to a two story and he will not go up the stairs. Tried putting treats all the way up the stairs and he will get as many as he can reach without going up the stairs. At night he stands at the stairs and cries when we go to bed, but will not venture up the stairs.
put the leash on your dog & walk w/ him up the stairs. if he won’t go at first put him up a few stairs or in the midde so he has no choice than to go up w/ you — keep him on a tight leash so you don’t let him turn around & jump down — be careful he doesn’t pull you down… maybe one person next to him & one behind. keep petting him & reassuring him.
put hes/hers favourite treats on the steps a step or 2 apart , and then stand at the top and say hes/hers name- after a few times he/she will get it.
hey! don’t frighten it just let it be for sometime!
you could carry him up. and then he might get used to it and not be so scared. then he might take a chance.
it may be uncomfortable for your mastiff, get him checked for joint diseases, common in large breed dogs, maybe try building a ramp, with a gradual grade, if possible it would make it make it easier for the mastiff joints
Sit at the foot and play, give treats, praise….keep doing this and trying work your way up the stairs. Little by little.
Try to make a game out of you running up and down, get his mind on chasiing you and a fav toy.
Have you got an extra pillow with your scent on it? You could lay it on the stairs too
and ease it up, along with some treats.
Maybe even try to coax him up with his food bowl.
Or maybe you could find some stairs/steps outside and practice walking up and down them with him on a leash.
can you manage to carry him up there? ??
ONce he is there and sees what is going on maybe he won’t be scared.AND the only way he can get down is on his own…
Our dog was scared to go down to our rec area in the new house, but she finally got the hang of it…once she relaized that was where the popcorn was! And it is cooler there and her personal ottoman is there too.
Just throwing out some ideas…good luck!
I got my english mastiff climbing stairs when he was small but recently couldnt get him to get in our giant tub for a bath. He just looked unsure of how to navigate it. He has grown a lot since the last bath I guess:) Anyhow, my method of coaxing could be used for the stairs thing I think…I put his favorite little person ( my son who is eight) in the tub with a piece of ham. Then when he tried to get in and couldnt quite do it he backed off and I upped the treat by handing my son ( still in the tub) a near empty peanut butter jar. He climbed right in then. Something about mastiffs and their love of kids cannot be matched – then add peanut butter and you have a great negotiating tool. Just keep it light and try things that you know he likes and encourage him gently. Pushing them never works in my experience. I think they can sense your stress level too so just keep your vibe very easy and loving. This has helped us a lot with Monty. Hope this helps you. I am pretty sure Monty would try rock climbing if there was a near empty peanut butter jar in it for him. Also, for the record, Monty would not do anything that he considered to be a stretch for a regular treat even is favorite dog treat. He is the sweetest thing ever but as with most mastiffs I have met, he is a combination of stubborn/sweet/smart and LAZY. Why do something scary for a generic treat when he can just do his regular tricks later for one, you know? So make the treats really off the charts like a hotdog or something that you know will make his eyes big.
Good luck!