The GIANT Stairs

Guess what, everyone! Orent walked down the big stairs today! All the way from our door down to the sidewalk. That's three steep flights. And let me tell you, he did NOT want to. He pitched a fit at the top of each flight of indoor stairs (the outdoor stairs have been a piece of cake since day 2). Peanut butter did not help. He dug in his (front) heels, wrinkled his brow, and panted, yawned, and squeaked (dog stress). But we knew he could do it! So we just told him how good he was every time he inched forward, that we knew he could do it, and called him to come on. And eventually (when we weren't looking!) he leaned against the wall (dog railing?) and started walking down. He got stuck partway down but persevered!

And then... he did it again! Before dinner I used his training treats (i.e. the first half of his kibble at each meal, no special food for this pup) to entice him down the stairs again. I think I was calmer this time, which helped him be calmer. He was still wrinkly and obstinate and nervous, but less so, for less time. Today he'll probably be even calmer and braver. So far, he's only tried stairs on a pretty empty bladder, but we're hoping that before he's too big to carry he can walk down the stairs while "full" with no accidents.