Hello! Just wondering how long I have to wait before I can let Leon (18 week Golden Retriever) climb stairs? I know it's probably going to be ages but it would be nice to see an end to lugging him around in sight! He is sooo heavy now, I have to get OH to carry him cos i'm scared I might drop him or fall which restricts my day somewhat. Also, same question with regards to lifting him in/out of car cos that's bad enough! 

18 weeks!!!! Oh my God. That's 4 -1/2 months old! Stop carrying him before you ruin your back. My goodness. That won't hurt him to go on stairs. I have a 9 month old Doberman and while I understand about their fast growing, large bones etc, I have never carried him up and down stairs. Of course I only have about 4 or 5 outside porch steps, but he did those at 9 weeks and he's done stairs in other people's houses. I've had Shepherds and other big boned dogs and I never worried about such a thing. And I did have stairs before with them.

I have been being careful about repetitive, excessive exercise all at the same gait. But we do go for an hour or so off leash every day and he can do what he likes. He runs, trots, canters, leaps around, stops and sniffs, pesters my other dogs. He even fell in the lake by accident one time. He looked mighty suprised....couldn't swim as nicely as my Lab or even as well as the Chihuahuas. They're great little swimmers. So, he gets his exercise.

So if you're not confident with my opinion, (I'm no veterinarian) check with your vet. Just don't wreck your own back. These dogs get heavy early on don't they.

Carrie

You are quite right to be cautious - stairs (especially stairs taken at speed) are very bad for both hips (going up) and shoulders (coming down). So carry him for as long as you possibly can, and when he gets too big for that, put him on the lead and make him go slowly up and down. No charging freely!
:)

Millie mastered our stairs at 9 weeks (no mean feat, they are incredibly steep, my sister's Westie won't even attempt to go up!) and it was a few days after that, that I read on here that they shouldn't go up and downstairs until they are something like 18 months old....OOOPS!!!  I then became very paranoid about it!

As soon as she had mastered them, that was it, every time our back was turned she'd be up them like a shot, so out came the babygate!

I sort of mix and match it now (she's nearly 7 months). I keep a box at the bottom of the stairs to stop her going up willy-nilly during the day, and if we are going up together I carry her, but sometimes if I'm carrying other stuff, or she's messing about and refusing to go with me I will let her go up by herself.  OH always lets her go up to bed by herself, he thinks it wears her out just before bed.

She has to go slowly - she's a Scottie so she couldn't run up them if she wanted to!

I always carry her down though - a) because I'm too frightened to let her because the stairs are so steep and b) because she's too scared to do it anyway!  She has come down once - she was upstairs with OH when he got the scarey hoover out and I was downstairs loading the washing machine.  I heard a slight thud from the bottom of the stairs and Millie came walking out all nonchalant, and trotted of to the garden, lol

I carried my Beardie as long as I could but stopped the day I tripped and fired him up ahead of me. Decided he was probably safer on his own feet. Luckily he only had to go up/down to sleep in his cage in my room at night.

If he is too heavy, just make sure he goes up and down slowly....... specially down!

My dogs have been known to use the stairs as a racetrack, and before i could stop it, they all fell down the stairs,......t his has effectively stopped them doing that again, but i dont have large breeds prone to hip problems, dont do it my way, make absolutely certain the dog cant gallop up and down the stairs and you should be fine!

Em

I think some people carry things to the extreme, not only with this topic, but others. They get a tiny bit of information and run with it like a horse takes a bit in it's teeth. So take what you find on a message board with a grain of salt, including my posts and back yourself up with some other sources of information.

My thoughts are that the important thing is to not force your dog to do more than is reasonable, an excessive amount of concussion on the ground, of course is not good, long, repetitive exercise. If you have a sandy beach nearby or if your dog likes to swim, that's great. I've had several large boned dogs over my life and have never encountered a problem with the amount of exercise they've had. (I also have a medical education and clinical background and know something about anatomy and physiology.) Off leash, my dogs choose when they want to run, trot, walk or rest or I'll stop and sit on a rock or log and they'll mill around for a break, and we're not talking about steep hills or extremely long periods of time. That's what my breeder and vets also have told me sounds fine. They're educated in these things. With my 9 month old, we go for about 45 min. to an hour off leash and then he can do what he wants in the yard later in the day.

I think with the stairs, if he goes slowly, it should be fine and if he has adequate nutrition and enough exercise, his muscles, tendons, ligaments, vascular system and connective tissue will develop and help support his bones and joints. I wouldn't take a dog who is carried everywhere and suddenly turn it out for a big workout. It needs to be gradually built up, little by little and again, not to the point of the extreme, hard landing or on pavement or long distances of the same, repetitive gait. But let your dog be a dog.

There are different schools of thought on this and every topic. I would encourage you to talk it over with your breeder and your vet if you're not sure. Or get a couple opinions from vets.

Be careful, ligaments and tendons are so easily ruptured and it is hard for large dogs to come downstairs, their hocks hit the steps!

The odd step is ok but if you are talking about the 13 steps involved in the staircase in your house then I would avoid them and just not allow the dog up by using a stair gate.

If you can avoid the stairs do so.I would never let my pups do stairs until about 18 months of age....although the odd one or two steps is ok IMO.
With soft bones whats the point of risking a fall (which I know can happen anywhere but stairs are added risk) and damaging hips etc.
As for jumping in and out of cars...the same...about 18 months.By that time the boys have all learnt to wait and then be steady getting out.
Archer

LOL. I can just see me...5'3", 110LBs (ok so I lied a little there) carrying my 9 month old, 80 LB Doberman up stairs. And at 18 months he'll probably weigh about 90....almost as much as me. LOL. I'll need a crane brought in or put in an elevator. Actually, I don't have many stairs.

Thank you all! We do have a stairgate and he never goes up without me and sleeps downstairs anyway so it's not too much of a problem now but there is the odd occasion where he needs to go up, like the other day when he rolled in a big pile of poo in the field and it was most definitely bathtime!! Ended up waiting an hour for OH to arrive, trying to keep very smelly dog away from new sofa (effectively I might add)!Do I take it that it would be ok to very carefully take him up and back down again on a lead on those occasions thus not overdoing it? Having never been allowed up he is very wary anyway, don't think he would walk down unless I left a treat trail or made daft noises! I appreciate its easy to get carried away with something but I find so much good advice here I tend to pay attention to what is said.

By the way Carrie if you find a doggie crane company could you post a link cos I may be needing one!!!!

when I get my pup he there isnt an option about not using stairs, how do I overcome this as he is going to be too big for me to carry in the end :(

This applies to everyone I think. If in doubt about what your breed should do at various ages and growth, ask the breeder. Lets face it you not only paid a goodly sum for the dog but also for their experience with that particular breed. :)

Charlie
I can't see the harm in every now and again as long as your careful...
Archer

Now that I can promise, he's so precious to me and to think I was petrified of dogs 10 weeks ago!!! Just look at me now hee hee. But I don't want to be wrapping him up in cotton wool either, suppose it's all about finding a happy medium.