12/01/2026
𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬. 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬. 👇
I see a lot of very confident advice online telling owners to ban certain movements in older or arthritic dogs:
❌ no stairs
❌ no sofas
❌ no jumping
❌ no car access
❌ no running
I understand why that advice exists.
It’s designed to be simple, safe, and idiot-proof.
But clinically?
It’s often lazy.
Rehabilitation isn’t about rules — it’s about function.
I don’t ask:
“Should dogs do stairs?”
I ask:
“How is this dog doing stairs right now?”
Because everything depends.
It always has.
𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝. 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧. 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
I live with two older greyhounds.
Both have had spinal strokes.
Same house. Same environment. Same rehab brain behind the decisions.
Different needs.
Both of my dogs still use the stairs every day:
➡️ one controlled descent in the morning
➡️ one ascent in the evening
Stairs are an incredibly important part of their life — maintaining:
✅ strength
✅ balance
✅ coordination
✅ confidence
If they can do them well, I want to preserve that function for as long as possible.
Otherwise it’s very simply: use it or lose it.
𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐯𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲 (𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭)
🐾 Woody
Woody is 12 years old and ~40 kg — big, tall, powerful.
When he came home after his spinal stroke, he was advised no sofas.
I disagreed.
He could get on and off the sofa safely, confidently, and within his capacity — so I allowed it.
Removing that task would have accelerated decline, not prevented it.
He did have about a week with no stairs initially — for everyone’s safety while he stabilised.
Then we reintroduced stairs with safety measures.
What changed long-term was car access:
Jumping into the boot was too high and too risky, so we modified the task.
👉 Woody uses steps in and out of the car.
🐾 Misty
Misty is nearly 13 and ~27 kg. After her stroke (Oct 2023) she was completely paralysed in her left hind limb.
She now jumps into the car daily, clears the back seat cleanly, and hates being assisted on the way up.
On the way down, I manage the risk:
✔ harness
✔ spotting
👉 Misty jumps. Woody uses steps.
Same house. Same clinician. Two dogs. Two strategies.
(And yes — I review it constantly and will change it the second it needs changing.)
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬
Rehabilitation is not about banning movement.
It’s about judging it.
If a dog is coping with a task well, my priority is to preserve that function.
If they’re struggling, we talk about:
• supervision
• assistance
• environmental changes
• strengthening around the task
Rehab is dynamic, not dogmatic.
This isn’t me telling anyone what to do with their dog.
It’s me explaining how I practise — and why.
Avoidance feels safe.
Management requires thought.
And “it depends” isn’t a cop-out — it’s clinical reasoning.
🎥 Video added below (Misty post-stroke). A video paints a thousand words.
