Dogs and Stairs

Help! Our dog refuses to use our spiral staircase.

Dear Bark: We have a seven-year-old, 45-pound Lab/Husky mix and live in a condo with a spiral staircase. Our dog does not like the spiral staircase, and will not use it. We tried training her ourselves and we even hired a trainer, but no dice. Because she likes being close to us, we eventually started carrying her up and down the stairs every day, but recently, she’s become increasingly unhappy about being physically transported. Since moving isn’t an option, we’re faced with leaving her alone downstairs when we go to bed or continuing to carry her despite her objections. Is there another way to approach this?

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