Fear Behaviors

Out of the blue last night our dog Lily was afraid of descending the cellar stairs. The stairs she goes up and down a zillion times a day following us. She must have slipped on the linoleum. The steps are curved and always slightly unnerving to our dogs. Bill and I each tried coaxing Lily down the stairs in cheerful voices but no luck. This morning I put bits of kibble on the top three stairs. She descended one step keeping her rear legs on the top step. I imagined her point of view; being rewarded at every step with a few nibbles, I referred to them as "the money stairs". I continued to putz in the kitchen making coffee and toast. After about fifteen minutes I heard her taking cautious steps descending the stairs by herself. Fascinating. Perhaps I should make a set of money stairs for myself.