Our 9 month male berner will not come down the stairs using one paw at a time. Instead he bounds down the stairs (two at a time) like a bunny rabbit would do with his two front paws hitting the stairs at the same time. We have tried slowing him down and forcing him to use one paw per stair and he simply refuses. Eveything else seems normals (No strange gait or limping)He is 90 lbs and we worry that he is going to slip. Has anyone had any experience with this?

This is a real sign of an orthopedic issue, I am sorry to say. I see this often and it is a telltale sign. Listen to him in what he is willing and not willing to do and he will show you the issue. Given he is unwilling to bear weight on his front going downhill shows a likely issue in the front - likely either elbow or shoulder and he should be x-rayed asap. Be sure to x-ray shoulders, elbows, and hips for clear baseline on his orthopedic health and consider submitting to the OFA for full radiologist review (this is THE expert panel to diagnose ortho issues). Keep in mind that regular vets are NOT trained to read orthopedic films and are not certified in orthopedic conditions so I recommend going to an orthopedic specialist (Board certified) or have a vet take the x-rays and simply submit to the OFA.

The OFA application can be obtained here:

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

Both dysplasia and OCD are extremely common so just FYI.

Good luck and hope he is ok!

I agree. storm goes down the same way and it is an elbow issue.

another thing storm did was sit pretty a lot. he had to get the weight off the elbows.

when he trots he puts weight on both legs, not one at a time. he does not run, when he does he puts weight on both paws.

getting out of the car is hard on him. we have to take the weight of his front end and ease him down onto his paws.

he never ran as a puppy. I did not realize this until after he had surgery and therapy. I cried when I seen him run for the first time. I could not believe that I missed that. He does not run fast or hard, but he does the storm run.

I can not stress enough about the joint issues with these guys. I hear it all the time on here.

get your puppy checked.

I have the same issue with one of my berners, although her elbows are normal and her hips are OFA Good, it is just something that she does.

Good advice. I personally would not let them use the stairs till at least 18 months old and have something like a non slip rug at the bottom so they do not slip on tiles or laminate flooring.

Ollie was kept off stairs till at least 18 months and Dillon is not allowed. At the moment if he comes up he is carried and when to big to be carried he will be gated off the stairs till a lot older. We already have a gate in place and he is learning stairs are out of bounds.

He is not allowed to use the 6 steps in the garden either we have a ramp in place for him.

I think for most it is important to teach HOW to use stairs and build appropriate muscle with not doing any joint damage and to this end, I do not want to recommend avoiding any and all stairs. I have never done this personally as my puppies are allowed to walk up or down curbs....and the two steps on my front sidewalk......BUT I do limit full flights of stairs for the first 6 months, and then, because I do not isolate my Berners and they always sleep with us, they are required to walk very slowly up and down. I recommend holding on to a collar and walking them up and down. As long as they do this slowly, there is no joint impact or excessive wear and most physical therapists say good for muscle development which further supports the joint.

So speed is my personal recommendation to manage.