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I've been asked to bring Daniel, my ten year old rough collie, to one of the local hospitals for therapy visits. We would have to take an elevator to get to the correct floor.

 

Do dogs have problems with ears, etc. when riding in an elevator, like some people do? Is it likely to cause balance issues, CVD or nausea?

 

Pam

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I took my dog, for the first time, in an elevator last week. The elevator had a window, and she didn't seem to like the moving landscape. Otherwise, I don't think she would've had any idea we were going up. She did not seem to have balance issues; just didn't want to be by the window.

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Mine all ride in elevators. Probably the highest floor they've gone is maybe 20. Wick hates it, but that's her motion phobia. Rex isn't thrilled with the movement, but he's tolerable. Lou is chill. None seems to indicate any type of ear issue or nausea. Sorry, I don't know what CVD is.

 

Maybe try it out first on just a one-floor trip to see how he does?

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Mine all ride in elevators. Probably the highest floor they've gone is maybe 20. Wick hates it, but that's her motion phobia. Rex isn't thrilled with the movement, but he's tolerable. Lou is chill. None seems to indicate any type of ear issue or nausea. Sorry, I don't know what CVD is.

 

Maybe try it out first on just a one-floor trip to see how he does?

Sorry. Canine vestibular syndrome. I thought it was canine vestibular disorder. :rolleyes:

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My first border collie lived in a high-rise apartment building with me in West Philly. Ella rode the elevator multiple times a day, every day, for years with no incident whatsoever. And it was a small, old, bumpy one, not like a fancy hospital elevator. My other dogs have done hotel elevators fine. You could try having him lie down if he seems unsteady.

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Nellie has been fine with most elevators, and we have stayed in places where she is riding the elevator multiple times a day and to some pretty high floors. The only time I have noticed a problem was in Kansas City and it was a glass elevator. Once it started moving that really freaked her out, but she seems fine with the others.

 

Good luck and I am sure he will be fine.

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I bring my Lab on a couple of different therapy visits where we have to ride in an elevator 3-4 floors. He has never seemed to experience a problem with it, but I have seen a couple of dogs in the group who will crouch or lay down on the floor when the elevator is in motion... I guess they are uncomfortable with the movement? Most dogs I have seen, however, have no issues.

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I had one BC mix who absolutely hated elevators. That said, she probably never rode in one until she was 8 or 9 years old. My now-oldster never really liked them, but tolerated them. She didn't like the unsettling "stop" - so I just make her lie down when she gets in. I was determined my youngster, now almost 6, was going to LIKE them! So, I found what I believe is the ONLY elevator in my small town. When he was about 4 months old, he ate lunch in that elevator every day for about a week. He hasn't been in one in awhile, but I think he'd at least be OK with it.

 

A vet once told me that dogs don't have the same inner ear configuration that we do, so they don't suffer that "popping" that we do, either in elevators, driving over high elevation passes or flying. Just what I heard....

 

diane

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My two will tolerate an elevator, but they don't like 'em. They feel the floor pressing up as it rises and they don't like the sense of unseen movement. They look pretty pathetic during the ride and are VERY glad to get off. ;)

 

Never tried an escalator, but I think my two would leave the country if I even thought of it! :lol:

 

~ Gloria

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Now for an extra degree of difficulty - who has dogs that can ride an escalator? smile.gif

 

ME!! Well, I actually don't know for certain, but Kenzi has no issues balancing on moving stuff (she'll have her back feet on the arm of the couch and front on the arm of a rocking chair :blink: ) so I'm assuming that she'd just go with the flow. Kipp would probably wonder why I'm subjecting him to such a slow and painful death at first but there is a good chance he'd get over that if steak was involved.

 

As far as first elevator rides went for my dogs - Missy wasn't at all fazed. Kipp flattened himself to the floor. Kenzi had the whole "what's this, what's this, what's this" expression all over her face, but was otherwise fine.

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Dear Doggers,

 

I've never had trouble with my dogs on elevators though the first ride spooks them. Sometimes I have a luggage cart two dogs and other guests in a motel elevator. BUT: I have read of inattentive people who had the elevator door close with them outside and their leashed dog inside (or vice versa). Dead dog.

 

Donald McCaig

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Well, it sounds encouraging. Daniel is pretty unfazed by most things. The one thing I forgot to mention is that there are actually two elevators; the first one being a glass enclosed one to get to the entrance of the hospital. As some have mentioned, that might be more of a problem. I'm not terribly fond of it myself. ;)

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Elevators don't bother Jody one bit, not even the very first time. He was fine with the movement. It didn't even bother him that everything changed on the other side of the door when it opened at the end of the ride. He took it like it was no big deal.

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Well, it sounds encouraging. Daniel is pretty unfazed by most things. The one thing I forgot to mention is that there are actually two elevators; the first one being a glass enclosed one to get to the entrance of the hospital. As some have mentioned, that might be more of a problem. I'm not terribly fond of it myself. ;)

 

I tried Robin out when he was about five months old - there are only two buildings with public elevators in our town (guess you can tell how small we are!)- in the library and the court house. As the one in the courthouse is only used for handicapped people getting to the second floor courtroom, we opted for the library. Up wasn't a problem, but down was a distinctly different story. He splayed out on the floor and stayed there. We've returned now and again to brush up on our elevator skills, but he's still not comfortable with "down". He'd rather not go in the elevator at all, but he does so because I ask him.

 

So glad you and Danial are going on therapy visits! You are going to be a great team and will really lift people's spirits!

 

Liz

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Why do you "have" to take an elevator to get to the correct floor? I would think that, by safety regulations, all floors and areas would have to have access by stairs as well as elevators.

 

I think most dogs adapt pretty well to the unsettling movements of the elevator if you make it pleasant - treats!

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glass elevators bother some of my dogs a bit but cookies fixes the problem. Escalators are OK, not great but just OK in their opinion

 

In Germany we saw dogs riding in elevators and escalators allthe time, it is necessity for many city bound dogs. Althought the one Border Collie we saw in the German subway had bolted up the escalator and took a rather large 'dump' at the top-guess that was his opinion of the escalator!

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Duncan comes to work with me, and we regularly ride the elevator 3-5 floors. (It was easier on a puppy's joints than taking that many stairs, and I'm often hauling a computer, lunch, etc.). He was startled the first time or two and now takes it for granted.

 

In fact, when he sees me grab the bag of treats (meaning, we're going upstairs to do some photocopying: the photocopy machine, for a while, was a Scary Monster, until he realized I was a walking treat dispenser when I was in the photocopy room and it was operating), he wants to run directly to the elevator door. Running not being allowed on slippery linoleum floors, it gives us a chance to work on "steady" and (that failing) "LIE DOWN".

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Haha, Pam! oh, sheesh, well, maybe that's why in so many places dogs are banned from, lol! What a mess that must have been...

 

My brother lives in NYC and little Daisy (a miniature fox terrier) never had problems with elevators but she grew up with them so that makes a difference.

 

Eluane has been in an elevator when I was at HOK. She had zero problems with it. She was busy looking at me and the ball I had in my hand, lol! I brought her to work with me at 3:00 a.m. because I simply was setting the workstations for to do 3D test renderings and only needed to stay for about 1/2 an hour.... Lol, the ball we did lose by the way.... A coworker guessed it was mine because they found the tennis ball when Eluane decided to wander away and she left it in the big conference room :o

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My oldest 3 have all been in elevators. Hannah and Jetta seemed a bit startled or confused when it first started moving but then neither would care. Turbo was absolutely horrified of the hole/crack in the floor between the floor and elevator...he thought it was going to suck him down. He actually stopped and pulled back the first time and would not step over it so DH had to pick him up. He was quite nervous of the movement too...flattened on the floor, but got over that after a couple rides. The crack however...its still going to eat him in his opinion. We can get him in but he balks and then quickly jumps over the hole. He's the same way when he sees gutter grates and other things with "holes".

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Elevators aren't a problem for Kit. I think we'll skip the escalators, though - she's not a fan of strange flooring (shiny or slippery), and I think the small grating of an escalator would qualify. Oddly enough, this flooring thing seems to be the one major irrational fear she clings to - otherwise she's always been extremely confident.

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