Hey there. I’m living with a wonderful chi/rat terrier mix. We are in the middle of a behavior mod plan for getting her outdoors, but it’s very slow going. Any advice for moving things along? I feel like she’s not fully experiencing the wonders of being a doggy by staying inside all the time. Right now she’s terrified to even go down the stairs.

Of course working with a trainer is #1, but dogs work best with positive association. How can you make the steps rewarding? When a dog is fearful, unfortunately things have to go slow. Rushing a fearful dog will only cause more fear. It has to be the dog’s own will to make those decisions. Just as you’d never throw a fearful dog into a pool to teach it that the water is fine, you don’t want to rush the dog into a situation they find scary. Sometimes positive reinforcement with a trainer isn’t enough, and you need an animal behaviorist. But making the steps more inviting – perhaps they’re too steep? Too slippery? You have to figure out what about those steps are scary, and try to modify them as opposed to the dog.