Can't get my little girl to go into the basement

[GTuck]

I want to keep my dogs in the basement during the day, but she is frightened to go near the steps. Even if I sit at the top of the steps she won't come near me. How do I go about training her to go downt he basement steps when she won't even go near them?

[Liz P]

How old is she? Where did you get her? What is her history/background?

[hoku's mum]

Do you have other stairs in the house, is it just the basement stairs she is fearful of? If you don't have any other stairs, take her someplace with stairs and start slowly working with her there, treats for one paw on a step, make it fun. If you have other stairs, and it's just the basement, maybe a smell down there, the dark, maybe she watched to many scary movies in another life! Take it slow, play games near the stairs, treat her for approaching, just don't force her, or she will freak out being left down there (I know I would, but I DID watch to many scary movies as a kid!)

[Barb Scott]

Carry her down the steps, let her walk back up until she is comfortable. BTW, if you only put her in the basement when you leave, she'll learn to hate it in no time...

Barb S

[2 Devils]

1st - why keep her in the basement? Could you just put her in a crate instead?

2nd - I usually take puppies to the middle of the stairs and put them down. I will then take some yummy treats and put them either up the stairs or down the stairs depending on what I want to accomplish.

 

The dog may be scared of any number of things in the basement but as Barb said if you only plan to keep them in the basement when you leave the dogs will learn to dislike it unless you make it a fun place. You may try feeding them in the basement. Put toys down there, etc...

 

I know a bc that would not go down my basement stairs when he was visiting because at his house he only goes to the basement when he gets a bath. When picked his butt up and took him down stairs. He got to do some flyball boxwork once he got there. The next time he came over, he stood at the basement stairs whining trying to get to the basement because he knows my basement is fun. He still does not like his basement.

[sharkie]

it could be that shes afraid of heights if your stairs are like the hollow ones at playgrounds

[sweet_ceana]

What about making stairs fun? Rolling a ball up or down them. Maybe even a slinky? Ceana learned in a similar way.... only her fun thing was to chase kitties. I do not suggest using kitties, but that might make her like the stairs.

[Beth G]

I agree. Make those stairs as fun as possible! Using treats works well too.

[WyoBC]

Yeah, make them as fun as possible. I got Black Jack to go down by carring him down the first time, then letting him come back up. He got the hang of it after that. But he knows it's a fun time when we go down there. Lots of toys, playing, watching tv, playing, naps, playing I can leave him down there now because I only leave him down there for a few minutes at a time.

[GTuck]

All great ideas. I've had her since she was a puppy, and we've just never gone down there. There are two steps into my house, but that's it. They of course are not a problem. I want to keep her down there during the day because it's very cool. She is crate trained and would just sleep in her crate most of the day anyway until I got home. When I get home that is where I hang out and she just stands at the top of the steps and stares at me. My other dog comes down and hangs out. I've tried the ball down the steps thing, and she almost goes for it. If only I had a real life squirrel, that would do it for sure.