Hi, I'm new to the forum and I am waiting to get my new lab puppy at the end of april. I have been doing all kinds of reading and learning for my coming role as a puppy owner and trying to prepare myself as much as I can before I get him in my hands. I live in an apartment and was a little worried about raising a lab in one but after reading many stories about people raising their labradors in apartments I have learned it's possible as long as he gets enough of exercise, which is not a problem because I am a very active person. But there is one thing that concerns me and that is stairs. I have been reading about puppies being very vulnarable to going up and down stairs while they're young. The problem is that I live on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator in my building. So I wanted to check if there are any people here who have been in the same situation while raising a puppy and how they handled it? Should I carry him up and down the stairs till he gets too heavy to carry and then teach him how to properly walk up and down stairs? Also, when he will be older and fully grown, if it will have any long term effect on him going up and down the stairs every day to go for walks? Maybe my best solution would be to just find a new place to live at ground level. Any tips and thoughts are well apreciated, thanks!
Welcome to the forum In many cities it's the norm to have an apartment and in these places it's also normal for lots and lots of people living in apartments to have dogs. So it's definitely manageable. Carry him while he's too small to negotiate the stairs and then when he's big enough to get from one stair to the other teach him to walk up and down them slowly, stopping frequently on cue for a treat. Teach him he has to stop and wait at the top and bottom of the stairs too. That's for your safety also If you always give him a treat for stopping and waiting he'll learn pretty fast. Always do it on lead and at a walk and things should be fine.
I live in an apartment, albeit we are the ground floor, so have a large terrace for the dogs to go out on. But, we're on a hill, and so there are stairs to actually leave the building. As @Oberon says, carry your puppy while you can, and then teach him to go up and down the stairs slowly on lead. My puppy is 5 months and a heavy lump; I take her in the lift most of the time, even though it's only one floor (I look ridiculously lazy to anyone watching!), but we do the stairs every so often to get her used to them. She's far better at going down than up
