[nagdu] Steps

[Julie J]

I accidentally taught Monty to cross in front of me at curbs by offering a 
treat with my right hand at each curb.  I owner train and this was in the 
beginning of curb training. I did eventually get him to stop straight 
because I found the crossing over annoying.  If you find the crossing in 
front of you helpful, I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it at 
stairs or curbs, whichever feels right.

You could do this by offering a treat with your right hand, like I did, at 
each step. Or you could ask your dog to target your right hand at the top of 
each step before you continue.  this is very similar to what Steve suggested 
about the railing.  Eventually the dog will incorporate the hand touch or 
railing into the regular protocol for stairs.

I think the main thing will be to be consistent with getting the dog into 
the desired position at the desired place and then to make sure the dog 
understands this is a great thing by offering pets, praise or treats. I'd 
exaggerate the whole thing in the beginning, making sure to really play it 
up as a huge deal.   Once the behavior is solid you can offer intermittent 
treats/pets and very gradually tone it down until you praise it at the same 
level as other behaviors.

HTH
Julie