My dog can't jump

[MyBabies]

Yes, this may sound like a silly problem, but we are tired of having to pick her up so she can sit on the couch/lay down on the bed. Willow is 16 weeks and though she tries so hard she can not jump. At all. If she tries really really hard she can maybe get 2 inches off the ground. She once managed to get up on her puppy sitters couch by biting Oscar's tail (her puppy sitters dog) and he pulled her up.

Do any of you have any ideas how to "train" her to jump? Thank you!

[LavenderRott]

She is just a baby and shouldn't be jumping that high anyway.

As she gets older, she should be able to jump higher - depending on her breed. Face it, if she is a yorkie or a chihuahua she may never be able to jump high enough to get on higher furniture.

If you are really bothered by it - there are stairs you can buy.

[BMDLuver]

It's good your little one does not attempt to jump as most likely not ready for it. A friend's chi jumped off the bed, something she did a few times and this time she landed off and snapped the bone diagonally, 3 surgeries later she's now fine.

My crested will not jump up but can jump off.... my yorkie, 3 times smaller than her can now get up and down but she did it in her own good time.

IMHO, don't push it and as LR suggested, buy stairs if you really insist on this jumping up.

[14+kitties]

What breed is she? Like Lavendar Rott said.... small breeds may never be able to jump that high. She is only a baby at 4months. If she is a larger breed then either give her time or take her to your vet and have her checked to see if there is something going on with her bones. Those pet steps work very well for little ones and older dogs who are losing their mobility.

[kandy]

If it's a large breed pup - you should discourage jumping anyway. Jumping on and off things like furniture or out of vehicles can cause problems with joints and ligaments.

[Luvmypitgirls]

When we first brought Kato home (10week~ish), I placed him up on my bed with me for a "nuggle". It was a bad idea, really bad idea, for he got a little spooked by something and jumped off. He ended up hurting his back and his one hip. Since then he has regular doggy chiro appts, he'll be 5 this year and will have to have these appts for the rest of his life.:sad: I will forever feel guilty about it too, my poor Rotti~baby.

So my humble advice would be not to encourage your dog to jump up or down until physically able, and even then I would discourage jumping up on anything unless invited first.

[Longblades]

I agree with all who said she is probably better off not jumping up anyway. My 17 month old Lab pup certainly can jump up and down from my vehicle tailgate but I don't let him. I boost him up and lift him down to prevent stress on his young joints. Up can be hard on the hips. Down can be bad for elbows and more.

How does your pup get down?