Stairs and hips

[cyn121099]

I'm always learning something new. I live in a two story house. I read that bare stairs are hard on dogs hips because they have to climb them with their paws in an unnatural position. Unnatural meaning back on the pads of their feet as opposed to pushing off with their toes and nails. I immediately carpeted the stairs. That was five years ago. Bad hips are the thing nightmares are made of. My half mastiff puppy has mastered climbing the stairs. He is only eight weeks old. At first I thought "how cute". My second thought was "Oh no, his hips". Any thoughts on this?

 

[Smart_Family]

Going up is ok but carry him down the stairs for awhile.

 

[cyn121099]

Thank you!

 

[ruthcatrin]

Don't let him jump or race down, controled decents only!

 

[DMikeM]

Some breeders recommend a harness for going down stairs so you can control the descent with a leash. A normal collar is not recommended because of possible injuries.

 

[cyn121099]

Thank you again. I am using a harness instead of a collar. I let him wear it a little longer every day. He is not too thrilled with it. Love this site. Learned something new "controlled descent".

 

[baybpaulsmom]

I learned that my pup can't control how fast his weight pushes him going down so I have to stand in front of him and "force" him to slow it down.

I typically try to carry him down but he is getting pretty heavy these days.

 

[cyn121099]

Thanks for the tip. Heavy is becoming an issue. I feel like I'm doing laps with a bowling ball.