Ooh, my Milly used to be terrified of stairs too. Think of it as a huge mountain for them to climb. Teaching them to go up is easier than back down, I remember after teaching Milly to climb stairs, she would run up, then cry until I carried her back down. That lasted a few days until we got the down-the-stairs method worked out.
Treats is a great idea, but try taking it one step at a time... literally!
The way I did it was to sit on the bottom step with a treat, then when she came up, treat, then go down a step and encourage her back down a step. Try that a few times, then try going up two stairs next time, then back down two stairs. Then three, then four, after 3 or 4 you might find you're able to skip a couple.
I think it was after about 6 or 7 stairs that she "got it", and since then there's been no stopping her. It took a few days though, 5 minutes a few times a day (bearing in mind how terrifying and stressful it might be for your pooch!) |