She’s the most perfect puppy ever

My 16-week-old Rough Collie, Winnie, has been doing wonderfully with training overall! She’s picked up commands like sit, stay, place, crate, and recall fairly easily. We do several short training sessions throughout the day, and she’s generally very eager to learn.

However, there’s one thing we just cannot seem to figure out: the stairs in my apartment building.

She has absolutely no problem going up and down the outdoor steps at my parents’ house. She’ll do those confidently and without hesitation. But the stairs in my apartment building? Absolutely not. 😭

I’ve tried treats, praise, and gentle encouragement. I even once tried placing her on the last couple of steps to see if she’d continue upward, but she literally backed DOWN them instead. Won’t be doing that again!

I live on the third floor, so this is becoming a concern as she gets bigger. She’s growing quickly, and carrying her up and down the stairs multiple times a day won’t be sustainable much longer.

The apartment stairs are fairly steep with dark treads, and I’m wondering if they’re just intimidating to her. I know Collies can be sensitive, so I really don’t want to force her or turn this into a negative experience.

Has anyone else’s Collie struggled with certain types of stairs as a puppy? Did they eventually gain confidence with age, or did you have to work through it with specific training exercises?

I’d love to hear what worked for you!

Where is the best place to put the kennel when initially kennel training? We currently have a dog that is kennel trained as in he will willingly go in one and not bark or pout about it if we needed him to. He sleeps in bed every night with us, so I’m wondering where the best place to put a new puppies kennel would be? As in our bedroom, the living room (a place we’d be in and out of or a room that is separate from everything?