[puppylove2]

My puppy is terrified of going down the steps. He has no problem going upstairs. I've tried having him come down 2 or 3 steps at a time but he won't.
Instead he'll run the other way. When we're upstairs and I need to go down he'll follow me up until I reach the stairs and back away and start barking. When I'm at the steps and reach for him, he runs away in fear. I've been having to carry him downstairs now everytime. I would really like for him to come down on his own. I've even tried leaving him upstairs alone when I go down to see if he will follow but instead he finds something else to get into. Usually it is something else like my laundry. He loves socks and underwear but that's another story. I'm working with him on that, wish me luck. Any advise? This is puppylove2 but what I really need is some puppypower!

[cougarfan06]

Try putting him on the very last step and have him come down from there. Have a tasty treat in your hand and have him step down. Do this several times until he is comfortable with that step. Then put him on the next step and repeat until you can get him to do all of the steps. Remember to do each step one at a time. Don't skip a step! Steps looking down for a puppy is like you looking from a ledge of a cliff. I wouldn't go near the edge! Hope this helps.

[puppylove2]

I will give this a try and see what happens. Spanky is a Bichon and he's only 3 months old and weighs 4 lbs.
Yes, I do realize he is little but I just thought if he learned to go up the steps so fast it would be the same for going down. I did think about offering him a treat to get him to do it but a co-worker of mine told me that would not be a good idea because then he will expect it all of the time. I should only give him treats for tricks. I don't know, but that's what I was told.