yorkietalkjilly | 04-13-2014 12:21 PM | Quote:
Originally Posted by Christinee
(Post 4420882)
That is true. We've decided to carpet them. The ones upstairs for the bed are carpeted, but we bought them that way.
So far he has ignored the stairs and keeps jumping up and down on the couch as usual. Oh well. Once he realizes they are there for him, I am sure he will use them. He uses the one by the bed every time. Then again, the bed is a lot higher than the couch. | Oh, I'm glad you are going to carpet them. I don't think you'll be sorry you did. Big dogs or calm dogs can use plain stairs with no problem but these terriers are crazy when on alert and going after their "prey" or racing to the visitor at the door. I had poodles years back and none of them ever raced as hard to go after or get to something as my terriers did/do. Even the small ones that had to use carpeted stools or steps to jump up just ran to and up the jump and never raced like an Indy car coming and hit them just anyhow when in a huge hurry!
Tibbe is so wild, he worries me silly. I hear him coming running hard and I know he's about to bolt into the room and hit his stairs or ramp and start yelling, "Slow down, Tibbe!" and unless I can get it out fast enough, he's hit that ramp speeding at the top! That's what I so love - and fear - about terriers. They are so committed to their hunt and boy, just don't think ahead at all. I've just held my breath more than a few times after he fell and picked himself up and dashed on, expecting at any moment to see him begin to limp. One of these days I have to start to slow him down. He's so totally focused on his object of what he's trying to get to, little thing. Such heart!
Tibbe just jumped on the couch, too, when I first got his stairs, until I trained him to use his stairs or his ramp in the bedroom, using treats and happy praise and "uh oh"'d him for not using them so now he uses them full time. If he's in a terrible hurry, he can sail completely over them coming or going but I always scold him for that and he's stopped doing that altogether, little toot.
If Charlie thinks they feel slick to his feet, he might sense he could slip and won't use them but likely he's just not used to them in the den and you'll have to train him to use them. I thought Tibbe never would stop bypassing them but finally he did start to use them. Now, if I can just get him to slow down when he's on the hunt and racing! |