For most older dogs the stairs are the most dangerous spot in the house. Going up takes strength, coming down takes balance. Balance is exactly what disappears first. You have roughly three options: make the stairs safer, help your dog or close the stairs off. Which one fits depends on what your dog can still manage alone.

First this: what is going wrong right now?

Watch closely for a few days and note where it breaks down. Does your dog hesitate at the top and then rush down in one go? That is a grip and confidence problem. Does he stall halfway up or sink through his hindquarters? Then it is about strength.

That distinction decides everything that follows. Grip you solve with the stairs themselves, strength you do not.

Option 1: make the stairs safer

This is the first step as long as your dog can in principle still handle the stairs. Smooth wooden or varnished treads are the problem, not the staircase as such.

• Anti-slip strips or carpeted treads. The most direct fix, though it does change your staircase.
• Grip under the paws. Anti-slip socks work on every floor in the house, the stairs included, without any building work. How to find the right size is in the size calculator.
• Light at the top and bottom. Older dogs see less well. A lamp on the landing helps more than you would expect.

A fuller overview of what works on stairs is in dogs slipping on the stairs.

Option 2: helping them walk

If your dog can still do the stairs but no longer alone, you help. That works with a harness with a handle on the back or a support sling under the belly. You take over part of the weight while your dog keeps stepping.

That last part matters more than it sounds. Continuing to step keeps the muscles going. Muscle loss in an old dog is a vicious circle. Why that works is covered in older dogs struggling to get up.

On carrying: with a small dog that is fine. With a large dog it is risky, for both of you. You need both hands, you cannot see your feet and a startled dog moves at exactly the wrong moment. If a large dog really has to be carried, do it with two people or ask your vet about a lifting harness.

Option 3: closing the stairs off

At some point the safest staircase is one your dog no longer uses. That feels like a loss, especially if he came upstairs for fifteen years, but a single fall can cost a hip or an elbow.

If you close the stairs off, move what belongs with it. The bed downstairs, the water bowl within reach and your own daytime presence on the ground floor. A dog left behind at a stair gate while the family sits upstairs will whine and try anyway.

A stair gate is the clearest solution. Put one at the top and at the bottom, because dogs that can no longer manage often try to go down rather than up.

How to choose

The order is usually this. As long as your dog goes independently but looks unsure, improve the grip. If it still goes well with help, assist and keep the muscles working. If every staircase visibly costs effort or something has already gone wrong once, close it off.

Not sure where your dog stands? Discuss it with your vet. With arthritis or hip problems the answer depends on the diagnosis, not on the staircase. In arthritis in your dog you will find what else you can adapt at home.

Frequently asked questions

Should an old dog still use stairs?

As long as he does it independently and without hesitating, using stairs is fine and keeps the muscles going. The moment your dog hesitates at the top, stops halfway or sinks down, it is time to help or close off. With arthritis your vet decides what is responsible.

Is it better to carry my dog up the stairs?

With a small dog you can, with a large dog it creates risk for both of you. Carrying also removes all muscle load, which is exactly what you want to preserve. Helping with a support harness is therefore preferable to carrying.

Do anti-slip socks help on a wooden staircase?

They give grip on the tread, so your dog slides less when pushing off and landing. They do not replace strength: in a dog whose hindquarters give way, the strength problem leads and socks alone are not enough.