It’s unsettling to see small puppies close to a set of stairs. They may bravely go up to the edge of the stairs or choose to remain by the wall sobbing. But when is it acceptable to allow them to ascend the stairs?
Each puppy is unique in terms of their confidence and abilities, so there is no set age at which they can climb stairs.
Some puppies with hip dysplasia may have more difficulty climbing stairs.
Learn the appropriate age for puppies to climb stairs and how to safely train your puppy to do so.
Learn how to make the stairs safe for puppies and about the risks of having a puppy around stairs.
Are stairs bad for a puppy’s hips?
Going up and down stairs can be very bad for a puppy’s hips if it is under 12 weeks old, especially if the puppy runs up and down a lot of stairs.
A puppy is born with cartilage hips. A fibrous tissue called a ligament anchors the ball of each hip. Over time, the cartilage turns to strong bone.
The hip bone develops normally, with a smooth-rolling ball in a rounded socket, provided the ligament is unharmed. As the dog moves its legs, the hip ball wiggles gently in its socket.
In a dog, the normal hip bones appear like this:
The hip’s ball moves and develops abnormally if the ligament is torn or damaged, and it does not fit snugly into the socket. The rim of the socket is harmed when the dog moves its legs because the bones rub against one another.
Hip dysplasia is the term for this abnormal growth, which can make life very painful for a puppy and even make it impossible for the dog to walk in old age.
Below is an X-ray showing hip dysplasia. Compared to the hips that are normal, can you see how the hips’ balls in the X-ray above slightly protrude from their sockets?
A young puppy’s hips are subjected to jarring pressure from climbing and descending stairs, which can harm the hip ligaments and cause hip dysplasia. Although not all dogs develop hip dysplasia, larger breeds and puppies who injure their hip ligaments are more likely to do so.
The American Journal of Veterinary Research cited a large breed dog study that revealed the following results:
Risk of Arthritis When Older
Your puppy’s risk of developing arthritis as he ages will increase if he puts too much stress on his hip joints by climbing or jumping up (or down) stairs.
Use Ramps
To enable your dog to navigate steps without putting undue stress on his hip joints, you might want to consider installing ramps in your home.
Ramps are practical for use over stairs and to help a dog get onto your bed.
If you like having your dog sleep next to you, it’s not advised for him to jump up onto your bed when he’s a puppy because it will put similar strain on his hip joints.
You can purchase or construct a ramp so that he can safely climb onto your bed or, if his bed is elevated, onto his bed.
FAQ
Is climbing stairs good for puppies?
However, there are signs that stair climbing is related to later bone damage. Even experts are unsure as of this time whether it actually hurts puppies. In light of this, it is best to prevent the puppy from ascending and descending the stairs by itself for the first few months.
Why puppies should not climb stairs?
When climbing stairs, young puppies won’t have a strong grip, making them easily fall and hurt themselves, sometimes fatally. The majority of falling incidents occur on waxed or polished wooden stairs, which are slippery for your puppy.