Comment

Comment by Wynne Phillips on May 17, 2008 at 9:02am

Yeah, wood steps are tough. Gus will not go up or down ours (and he is 4!!), but they only go to the finished basement so he's not missing much. When we had a cat, it actually worked out well because the cat could hang out down there and not be bothered. Interestingly, there are four wood steps going from our deck to the lawn, which is how Gus gets out. He handles those fine, but I think it's because they're a lot wider and not the slippery wood like the indoor steps.

Comment by Bridget on May 17, 2008 at 8:18am

Thanks to all! I started looking at our house from a pup's eyeball view yesterday and realized that there were LOTS of stairs. Porches leading outside and up to the second level which is where my boys end up spending lots of time. I figure she'll really be wanting to be with them a great deal and wondered what your experiences were. Thanks for sharing them with me!

Comment by Stephanie & Lola on May 17, 2008 at 4:43am

Be careful on wood steps, Lola fell down once and will never attempt to go down again. She will be 2 in June and is still petrified from falling when she was 5 months. She only goes up and I have to carry her down

Comment by Dawn on May 16, 2008 at 11:09pm

Bella is 11 weeks old (as you know) and she hasn't even attempted going down the steps yet. She'll sit at top and bark at me. I'm sure she'll try it as she gets older but part of me is afraid I'm going to be carrying about a 30 pound corgi the rest of her life! I guess it's good excercise for me. And, both our porches have steps so they're kinda like outdoor playpens for her. I prop the front door open and she can come and go as she pleases!

Comment by mikonami on May 16, 2008 at 9:33pm

Hey! I actually have a video of Mei's 2nd or 3rd attempt to go up and down the stairs. I think it really depends on their personality. Mei DEFINATELY wasn't coordinated back and front when she started going. She still doesn't know how long she is and falls off the bed...couch...into the pool, etc. Someone posted on my video that their corgi still doesn't go down the stairs and she's 2 years old. I would say, let the pup experiment. =)

Comment by Sylvia & Timmy on May 16, 2008 at 9:09pm

I would say as soon as their coordination between the front and back half start to communicate!!! LOL That's the hardest thing, they get their front paws up and can't figure out that the back legs have to move too. I would figure somewhere around 12-14 weeks.

Reading some of your other posts regarding preparing for the puppy, congratulations on actually taking the time to familiarize yourself with the breed and puppies in general. You noted that preventing accidents makes potty training easier. To that end consider tethering her to you or one of your other family members, maybe take turns. That keeps everyone on top of what she's doing and where she is!!!

Congratulations and hope to see more pics of the new baby soon.