Re: going upstairs

In Reply to: going upstairs
Category:   Behavior Problems
Posted by:  matt
Posted on:  October 31, 2002 at 09:05:51

: My pup Rambo , is the best dog. He is housebroken and great around other dogs and children. He is only 7 months. But my big problem is him going upstairs. We put up a gate but he always seems to knock it down or push it enough where he can jump over it and he can really jump. We don't want to get a bigger gate because its to awkward in the house and we don't want it to fall on him and hurt him.So what can i do because we also tried verbal commands but none have worked.

Response:

Hi Matt,

Glad to hear all is going well with Rambo. I can understand your dilemma, it's tough to keep places off-limits to these terriers, because they are kings and queens of the world ;)

Well, for the long-term the best thing would be to spend some time training him to not go upstairs. You can do this by leashing him in the house and whenever he attempts to go upstairs give him a firm "NO" and a leash correction. Of course this will take time, patience, and a whole lot of repetition, something that many people just don't have the time to do especially raising a family and working so you could do what we have done in some instances and that is the use of a "Scat Mat". These can be purchased via pet catalogs and might also be available at large pet specialty stores.

These give a mild electrical shock, much like walking across carpeting in a dry house with no humidity and then touching something. Unpleasant to be sure but not harmful. I would like to hug the person that invented them haha!

Anyway you could put one in front of the gate. That way he can't even get to the gate to screw around with it! After one or two attempts he should understand that if he goes near the gate or steps he's going to get a slight shock. Usually after some time, you can keep the thing turned off although if your terrier is as smart as one of mine, he will figure when the light is on or off haha!