Do you allow your cocker upstairs?

[oreo]

Hi there, we've had oreo a week . Everything going fantastic so far but with 2 chidren (4 and 7) we have banished most toys to the bedrooms and when they want to play properly they go there or play at the kitchen table. We're very keen that they still have their own space that they can get all their toys out without worrying about oreo chewing or interfering with games. Do I persevere just removing oreo each time she goes upstairs, incendently I can't go upstairs without her crying! Or should I just invest in stair gate? I'm I doing right not allowing her upstairs in the first place?  :-\Tahnks Hayley x

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

My parents never let any of their 3 cockers upstairs - the only time they went up was being carried for a bath (so maybe they didn't want to go upstairs anyway as that was their association with it!). The last one used to sit at the bottom of the stairs waiting for my mum. A stair gate would make it easier to stop him, but just removing him and saying "no" should be enough. I'd stick with the rule - much easier for the kids' toys (which could be fatal if the dog swallowed something sharp).

We live in a flat which has two stairs - one "up" to the bedroom and one "down" to the living room. We're trying to train Henry to realise that the bedroom is out of bounds - removing any time he ventures "up" there, but he is allowed in the hallway, as this is the way to go out! It's quite tricky, but he seems to be getting the hang of it (now he's big enough to actually jump up the stairs!).

[ElaineH]

Little pups shouldn't be going up and down stairs anyway, I'd get a stair gate if I were you.

[Tiger]

Monty's not allowed upstairs in our house (oh has a slight allergy to dogs so it gives him a dog free space) but he's already learnt that when we go to my parents it's total free range (upstairs, beds everything!).

I've been teaching him sit-stay if he follows me otherwise he's confined to the kitchen & conservatory if he starts ignoring that.

I'd say persevere if you want to have a cocker free area. At least until he stops chewing everything in sight :-)

[cazza]

Little pups shouldn't be going up and down stairs anyway, I'd get a stair gate if I were you.

Agree with this

However in this house the dogs are allowed upstairs as our lounge is upstairs, so they come up in the evening - when they were pups they got carried upstaurs and I also had a stair gate so they couldn't go up unattended

[twiceover2]

It sounds like it's easiest and safest for you to not let Oreo upstairs.  We have a stairgate and Pippa and Barney are only allowed through it on rare occasions, usually for a bath or if one of us goes out really early and the other is still in bed, in which case we let the dogs upstairs to carry on sleeping as otherwise they think it's time for them to be up and about too.

Our dogs are perfectly happy downstairs the rest of the time.  Oreo will be happy with whatever you decide as long as you are consistent with it so he knows the rules.

[Holly2009]

Not much help, but our Holly didn't learn how to go up stairs untill she was 2yrs old and we would of let her - when she was big enough 

Not sure how we're gunna get on with our two new blue bubas, I think we will probably stick the stairgate up  

[bentley1984]

My Gsd went everywhere in the house slept on the bed or under it at my side..she wouldn't of coped if she couldn't follow me everywhere xx

[oreo]

Thanks for the advice everyone. We're definetly going to persevere, I think its important that the kids still have thier space and we have peace of mind that oreo isn't eating things she shouldn't. She'll wait at the bottom of the stairs while she can see me at the top but as soon as a shut the bathroom door or turn at back on her she's up like a rocket. Then I take her down put her in the kitchen and shut the door and she crys, but yet she's fine when we've left her in the house by herself. Even left for 2 and half hours yesterday, ( was only meant to be an hour but things just didn't go that way) but she was absolutly fine. In her crate fast asleep. May invest in a gate soon! x

[Jane57]

We have a stair gate on our living room door so Riley cant get upstairs or to the front door.
He does occasionally get upstairs but trying to keep him out of the habit. I would like it to be a dog free zone for now.

[Holly2009]

I'd probably worry about one of the kids getting knocked over on the stairs with a pup bombing about also 

[jmanagh]

We have a stair gate as our dogs are not allowed upstairs either. Like you, we have children who like to have toys out in their bedrooms and upstairs is a safe haven for our cats as downstairs is somewhat a little hectic to the cats with 3 dogs and children. I have a 3 year old and she can manage to open and close the stair gate (we do have one that closes automatically if they forget). Stick with it as it is harder to reverse things if you give in and then change your mind 

[SteveB]

In our old house all the dogs would go up the stairs but only when we went up there. Now we have a dormer with open stairs none of them go up there (we sleep downstairs). It does irritate the cockers though as we feed the cats at the top of the stairs (as we do not like them on worktops and if we put it on the floor you can imagine what would happen) and they can see the cats food tray. Lulu has made two or three steps but then gets scared and comes back down. So she just sits there in the morning looking jealously up the stairs.

[max2011]

At the moment Max has been confined to the kitchen, dining, family room and utility which is where we spend most of the time. Then like you the children can keep their toys on the floor in their rooms without us worrying about them being eaten!

We are moving soon and I want Max to have access to all of the downstairs but not upstairs. I would prefer not to use a gate but think it will make life easier and quicker than training him not to come up. Those with gates are they at the bottom or top or the stairs??

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Charlie is allowed upstairs, when he was little he used to get carried up and down (we had a stair gate) and when we were out the gate was shut. We did restrict his access in the house when we weren't in but when we are in all doors are open.

Now I've moved he's still allowed everywhere - however there is one rom where he isn't allowed - unless we are in there and it houses the computer and the reason he isn't allowed is I don't dare allow him near the wires, just in case. I don't care about the wires, I just care about what might happen if he did chew them (not that he's a chewer).

I think go with what your instincts and stick to it. If you don't want Oreo upstairs then don't let her - it doesn't matter what other people think, go with what you want.

Max2011 - stairgate at the bottom!