Dogs and Stairs: Safety Statistics That Might Surprise You

It’s widely known among parents that a home is not designed with a baby’s safety in mind, but what about the safety of your fur babies? Statistics show that a number of home factors may be an overlooked safety hazard for your pup, and one of them is your staircase. 

The risks of climbing stairs lie not only in the potential for falling, but also in added stress on a small dog’s joints caused by daily trips up and down the stairs - an average of 12 each day. (Your pup makes an average of 12 tips on the stairs each day, which equals 560 steps per day, 131,000 steps in a  year and 1.5 million steps in a lifetime. 

Take into consideration that the average height of each step is 8 inches, which is taller than most small-breed dogs, and it’s easy to see how a home’s staircase can be a huge feat for your dog to conquer. Consider keeping the stairs as off-limits as you can. After your children are old enough to handle the stairs, keep your Stair Barrier in place to limit your dog’s access to the stairs. You can neatly roll it to the side when you and your family are home, but close it off during the day while you’re at work and your dog is home alone.

You can also minimize the stair’s impact on your dog’s body by training them not to skip the last steps in the staircase. When running down the staircase, small dogs often disregard the last two or three steps. Training your dog to pause at the bottom of the staircase and sit before navigating the last step can help prevent injury and premature joint wear.