The first few times you probably just picked him up. That works once. It stops working around the fourth trip of the day, when your forearms are done and the stairs are still there.
Why arms stop working on stairs specifically
Carrying him in your arms puts his whole weight on your forearms and pulls your shoulders forward, so you lean back to balance it. On flat ground that is manageable for a while.
Stairs are a different problem, and not because of the weight. It is because both of your arms are full, and that leaves nothing for the railing. You are carrying eighty pounds down a staircase with no free hand, and you cannot see your own feet.
A towel or a folded sheet
Free, and you already own one. It goes under his belly and you lift from both ends, walking beside him.
It works when he can still put some weight on his legs and only needs help holding himself up. It does not work when he cannot bear weight at all, because a towel holds up his middle and leaves his legs hanging underneath him, still touching down on every step.
Two people
If someone else is home, this is the best option and it costs nothing. One person at the chest, one at the hips, and you go slowly. The problem is that it is not available at eleven at night, which is usually when you need it.
A full-body carrier
His legs go through four openings and his weight sits in a padded panel, which then loads onto two shoulder straps instead of your forearms. Nothing touches down.
The reason it matters on stairs, more than anywhere else, is the free hand. You get the railing back.
The part nobody tells you
- Going down is harder than going up. Your balance is already committed forward and you cannot see the step.
- Both feet on each step. One stair at a time, no rhythm, no skipping.
- Do not twist. Turn your whole body at the landing instead of rotating at the waist.
- Clear the stairs first. Shoes, laundry, the other dog. You will not see any of it on the way down.
If he has just had surgery, whatever your vet told you about weight on that leg wins over anything on this page. Ask them how much he is allowed to bear before you choose a method.
