When we picked up our beautiful Latte at the adoption agency, we not only got a dog and a few accessories, we also got a whole package of instructions to read about sleep aggression, what a racing greyhound’s life was like and some of the things we would have to teach him.
Even though we had learned that racing greyhounds don’t know about stairs, we just didn’t realize what it really meant when an almost 2 year old dog doesn’t know how to jump into a car or walk up or down stairs.
Well … what it means is that we had teach him – like a little child.
Learning the stairs took about 2 days. Two days filled with lots of treats, and bonding activities like the two of us humans – one in front of him and one behind – at the bottom of the stairs moving his legs one at a time, first the front legs, then catching up with the back legs, one step at a time.
The first night, we actually carried him upstairs to allow him to sleep in his crate in our bedroom. Then we carried him back down when he had to go out in the night. I use “we” loosely here, because Latte weighed about 70 pounds at the time and my husband was much better equipped to carry him or lift him down the stairs than I was. And after he was done with business, lifting him or “stepping” up the stairs, it was again.
This went on for 2 solid days and nights: coaxing one leg from step to step about 10 times a day.
Going down the stairs appeared to be more of a challenge than up the stairs, It probably more of a mental challenge: imagine facing down a steep black double diamond ski run. That’s what it must have felt like for him. That always takes a few treats for me, too.
Then on the third day, I was working in my home office when Latte, who usually sleeps on his bed in the office when either one of us is there, got up and walked down the hall. I didn’t pay much attention until I heard noises (like running and panting) from down the hall. I got up to check and low and behold there was Latte, looking smug, smiling a “look what I am doing” smile, he stood at the top of the stairs looking down for a while, then he placed one awkward foot in front of the other with his butt straight up in the air and started his wacky descent down the stairs. As soon as he was at the bottom, he turned back around and came back up, kind of scraggly, but up he came nevertheless. He repeated that about 3 more times and then ran back to the office, panting, smiling and lying back down on his bed. Smiling a proud. I DID IT all by myself smile.
Now, he takes about 3 strides to “fly” up the entire flight of stairs (8 steps at first, then a landing and a 90 degree right turn and another 8 steps) and always wins the race if I am inclined to race him for it.
Now – the jumping into the car thing … that’s still a challenge and we’re still lifting him into the car as of this writing (18 months later).
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