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Post by welshbec on Sept 17, 2008 3:25:30 GMT -5
We've had Paco for over two months now and he has been no problem. When we are out of the house he has the run of the downstairs but there is a babygate on the stairs to stop him going up. About three weeks ago we were out shopping only to return to find he had managed to get upstairs - we think he must have pushed the babygate over. He was terrified upstairs and was shaking and refused to come down so I had to carry him. Our stairs are polished wood and quite slippery. He was told off and we thought that would be the end of that. Anyway, my partner returned from work on Friday night to find him upstairs again. And again he was told off. She put him on the lead and guided him upstairs. HOWEVER, when I returned from work last night once again the babygate was pushed over and he was upstairs. I guided him down with the lead and gave him a big row. But this morning, after I left for work, my partner was still in bed, she heard a noise and found him sticking in nose in the babygate and she thinks he has learned to open it. NIGHTMARE.
The babygate we have is a pressure fit one but it is extremley secure and we cannot budge it. We cannot see how he is opening it.
Any advice? We are really worried that this is going to continue and he will end up hurting himself on the stairs.
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Post by Princess C on Sept 17, 2008 3:44:07 GMT -5
We've had Paco for over two months now and he has been no problem. When we are out of the house he has the run of the downstairs but there is a babygate on the stairs to stop him going up. About three weeks ago we were out shopping only to return to find he had managed to get upstairs - we think he must have pushed the babygate over. He was terrified upstairs and was shaking and refused to come down so I had to carry him. Our stairs are polished wood and quite slippery. He was told off and we thought that would be the end of that. Anyway, my partner returned from work on Friday night to find him upstairs again. And again he was told off. She put him on the lead and guided him upstairs. HOWEVER, when I returned from work last night once again the babygate was pushed over and he was upstairs. I guided him down with the lead and gave him a big row. But this morning, after I left for work, my partner was still in bed, she heard a noise and found him sticking in nose in the babygate and she thinks he has learned to open it. NIGHTMARE. The babygate we have is a pressure fit one but it is extremley secure and we cannot budge it. We cannot see how he is opening it. Any advice? We are really worried that this is going to continue and he will end up hurting himself on the stairs. Firstly, don't tell him off unless you catch him doing it - if you keep leading him downstairs then telling him off, the poor chap will associate going downstairs with being told off - no wonder he's standing at the top shaking, not only are the wooden stairs frightening, he gets a bollocking every time you take him down them  Does he open the baby gate or knock it over? Can you replace it with something that he won't move? Can you put rubber treads on the stairs to make them safer? I have wooden stairs and one of mine won't use them, but the others do freely. Matilda frightened herself slipping once and hasn't climbed them since...perhaps allowing him to hurt himself would make him make the decision not to keep trying, although unless he is very wobbly, why not just teach him to climb up and down them safely and shut the upstairs doors if you don't want him to have free run up there? Finally, I know many people don't like to yell at their dogs, but I have five in a three storey house, so by the time I reach whoever is being norty, they've usually stopped  So I do stand at the bottom of the stairs and exercise my 'voice of doom' - you could chastise him with your voice every time you hear him rattle the baby gate, for example - that's far more likely to stop him trying to go upstairs than telling him off later. HTH |
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Post by welshbec on Sept 17, 2008 3:52:01 GMT -5
Paco was told off when he was upstairs - not when we brought him down.
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Post by Aoj on Sept 17, 2008 4:14:06 GMT -5
Paco was told off when he was upstairs - not when we brought him down. The same principal applies though, Welshbec, unless you actually catch him doing it, he will have no idea what you are telling him off for. |
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Post by welshbec on Sept 17, 2008 4:16:50 GMT -5
I understand that but as I've caught him upstairs and effectively he is "doing it" i.e. he shouldn't be up there, I thought it was OK to tell him off upstairs. If not, I take your advice. Obviously I am new to this.
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Post by Nettie on Sept 17, 2008 4:21:40 GMT -5
Your other option is to change the gate from the pressure one to one that is physically attached to the wall so he can't knock it over.
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Post by vickyb on Sept 17, 2008 4:44:12 GMT -5
I take it your house is like ours in that the stairs are off the living room so he can't be kept away from them? We've got carpet on the stairs, would you be willing to do that? a runner up the centre held by stair rods looks nice. Ours just have the run of the place but we've made the spare room into their room with waterproof covers on the bed just in case, then an old quilt and lots of cushions and 2 dog beds on the floor, they love it as its out of the way.
One last thought is that we stopped Gracie counter surfing by putting citronella oil on the edge of the worktops and bin. She hated it so much she stopped very quickly. (I hate it too but only needed to do it for a couple of weeks) Its a long shot but cheap and worth a try. Also can you leave him something that smells of you to reassure him, something you've worn or slept on, in case he's trying to be near to you and upstairs has your scent. Have you tried a dap diffuser which helps to calm and settle them just in case it is a separation anxiety thing rather than a desire to explore.
As for telling him off upstairs, again that's too late, its no good telling off the effect, it needs to be the action, which I know is impossible when they only do it if you're not there. Good luck,
Vicky
Another thought - can you put something which will rattle when he touches the gate to scare him? Perhaps a rattle or something like that - a bit more aversion therapy or anything you can think of that he doesn't like.
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Post by Princess C on Sept 17, 2008 5:21:09 GMT -5
I understand that but as I've caught him upstairs and effectively he is "doing it" i.e. he shouldn't be up there, I thought it was OK to tell him off upstairs. If not, I take your advice. Obviously I am new to this. Just being there is not an action, so he is unable to acknowledge it as such - pulling over or opening the babygate, gallumphing up the stairs, or indeed doing anything else you don't want him to do, if you reprimand him whilst he is doing it, he will understand why he is being told off. If you tell him off just for being upstairs, he could assume that he shouldn't be standing, he shouldn't be frightened, or indeed just that you come home from work or shopping and always tell him off  People often say 'He/she knows they have been bad, because they look guilty when I come in/see the damage/notice the poo' - dogs don't feel guilt - they pick up on the fact that you are cross, or they become conditioned that they will always be told off whenever their human reappears, which is even more sad... |
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Post by jackie on Sept 17, 2008 8:34:44 GMT -5
Poor Paco, I wonder why he is so determined to get upstairs that he risks the treacherous wooden treads? We reluctantly put carpet wraps on our open plan wooden stairs because they were so slippery so I can see why you are worried about him having an accident.  Are you using the wall cups to secure the gate and have you got a proper dog gate? Our gate was from Argos and is very secure. |
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Post by welshbec on Sept 17, 2008 8:40:22 GMT -5
Jackie - are the wall cups the plastic things that are supposed to go on the end of the rubber bits? I didn't actually use them as our house is old and the walls are not exactly straight! But I will try them tonight. Other than that the gate is very secure - I can't move it. My partner seems to think he has been using his nose to open the latch! It's odd really as he is fine being left alone and has just started to randomnly do this for some reason. Perhaps it is just him being inquisitive as he is incredibly nosey.
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Post by just jackie on Sept 17, 2008 10:20:17 GMT -5
If he is actually opening the gate is there any way you could secure it shut?
I know it will probably prove to be a pain having to fasten and unfasten it, but if Paco realises that he can't open it he may well give up trying after a while, and then you can stop securing it.
Just a thought.
Jackie
x
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Post by jackie on Sept 17, 2008 10:41:21 GMT -5
Jackie - are the wall cups the plastic things that are supposed to go on the end of the rubber bits? Yes, from experience I know the gates are much safer with those on.  |
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Post by angels on Sept 17, 2008 12:08:17 GMT -5
I had a stair gate on the bottom of the stairs when we first had our hound. We removed it after a month or so and he's never been up it again. We attached it to the wall and the stair post, because it was on the bottom step it made it too high to fiddle with...
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Post by annar on Sept 17, 2008 15:36:55 GMT -5
an old clip collar through the gate and the fixings to keep it shut should help and would also be easy enough for you to open and close with not much hassle. annax
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yeti
Ironing Piling Up
Posts: 312
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Post by yeti on Sept 18, 2008 6:26:20 GMT -5
I'd like to come at this from a different angle - why is he not allowed upstairs?
Where I'm coming from is that if the idea of him going upstairs is OK but you are concerned that he might hurt himself might it not be better to teach him how to do the stairs rather than prevent him?
He can obviously do the up. With those of mine that couldn't do stairs I found that walking down with them or just in front to steady them a few times soon sorted it (I still have to do this with Troy from time to time when he "forgets" he can do stairs).
My guess for as to why he tries to get up there is probably that his pack leaders go up there so it must be a good place. Again, I base this on my lot who generally want to be at least on the same floor, if not in the same room, as me when I'm at home.
If you don't want him upstairs then as well as the other advice here what about leaving him something that smells of you when you are out - an old T-shirt or trainers (those are Monty's favourite) for example?
PS Like PrincessC I also have a "voice of doom" (great phrase) that is used to good effect from time to time. I sometimes wonder if The Beasts think humans can see through walls.
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