Zion can go up and down the stairs very easily and expertly.

Sometimes he gets stuck on the bottom of the stairs that leads to the front door and whimpers.  What do I have to do?  All I do is go downstairs to where he is then 'shoo' him up.

Then he successfully climbs up the stairs to freedom.  I never have to touch him.

Is he not aware of his own physical ability?

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Hi Andrew, it really depends, how old is Zion? If he was jumping down (catching discs / agility) before 12 to 16 months, the growth plates might not have “closed” properly, since calcium and minerals harden the soft area around that time, he might be really hurting if that was the case.

Otherwise, gently run your fingers and check his leg, under arm and paws, are there any chaffing from harness use? does he yelp when you bent his leg a certain angle? any weird plants stuck between paw pads? All these can cause him to think twice going upstairs.

If you've ruled out all physical causes, then you can back track and see if there are any emotional causes, bad experience like missing a step, misstep during a hot pursuit...etc. Good luck :)
Hmm he's only 4 months and been learning stairs for quite a few weeks.

Now you got me worried. I'll do a run through then report back.
Okay, that makes perfect sense, Zion is relatively young and will continue to push the envelope :) But do keep jumping down stairs to a minimum and check his range of movement just to be safe. Good luck!
Actually I would rule out dumb...have you ever been in a hurry and carried him up the steps? If so he may be waiting for you to do so again...just a thought!
Oh, I doubt he is dumb. At 4month he's still a little guy - maybe he just gets scared down there and wants you to wait for him or go with him. As long as it isn't anything physical - i'm sure he will grow out of it.
Loki would go up half our stairs and wine like that. But I caught on quick he would do it for attention. When I was busy doing other things. He would also pretend he could not jump up on the couch. When he does it time and time again without a second thought.   Jane you are right; I did carry him up the stairs. I learned real fast, they will play you. :-D The little smarty pants. But it never hurts to check and make sure Zion isn't hurting like Sam suggested. Better to be safe then sorry. 
Several weeks ago, Milly who is three years old, slipped on the stairs as she was running up them. I think she may have banged her knee quite a bit. However, my husband and I went away for the weekend and when we returned it had seemed as though she had forgotten how to use the stairs (I posted here about that). This lasted a few days until the ding of the microwave got to her and she ran up the stairs to excessive amounts of praise. I was carrying her up the stairs those few days and every now and then she will stand on the bottom stair and whine waiting to be carried up. I ignore her and up she come by herself. Maybe Zion fell and is now afraid of the big bad stairs? When he does use them make a fuss over him and he maybe willing to do so by himself again:)
Are the stairs smooth and slippery?
I'd suggest minimizing jumping onto/off of smooth surfaces. If you have bare floors, nonskid throw-rugs are a nuisance but better takeoff/landing zones.
When I painted the basement stairs, I added nonskid sand to the paint; harder to wash, collects dirt, much safer.
Joanna Kimball has a blog somewhere that discusses growth plate injury among many other things.
Our breeder was quite firm with me: no big physical challenges or long hikes until 1 year old.

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