If you had / have dogs, and were designing a house, would you design stairways a certain way to accommodate them? And how would you do it?

In my experience, dogs learn to manage stairs even if it takes a little while and they get pretty adept at scrambling where they want to go. I wouldn’t worry about designing stairs particularly for them.

Literally, only the carpet. I’ve had my own dogs for 45 years, and the only time regular stairs might be a problem is for very very old dogs that are arthritic and infirm.

No. The dogs won’t be around forever and any other people who might someday live in the house would want the construction to follow what’s normal for building code.

How about small incline steps on the outside of the staircase, or a carpeted ramp?

I would put in a space that can be used as a closet now, and always converted to an elevator shaft. This is done all the time in three story houses. This is useful for anyone in the house who has trouble using the stairs, although the dog cannot use it alone, unless it has some sort of special setting to automatically go up or done if someone steps in it. If someone has a large dog that cannot climb the stairs, they can bring the dog up or downstairs in the elevator.

I always like stairs that have a landing half way up, usually they turn, but they don’t have to. I think they are safer. If you have a dog that struggles to get upstairs, maybe that will give it a resting spot halfway.

I like the idea of a ramp, which is what @KNOWITALL suggested immediately above. Ramps can take up a lot of space if they don’t have steep inclines. As steep as a typical staircase seems very steep to me. I can picture a ramp against a wall, turning once, with storage below it to utilize the space. A narrow ramp could accommodate a dog or thin or small person, or a wide one can accommodate a wheel chair or walker or larger person.

Friends have an unlit, wooden stairs, with two bends in it.
Their four big dogs walk them up and down, day or night, without problem.

Dogs are more capable and agile than us stiff and stupid humans (who need everything easy and soft and lighted).

@rebbel, absolutely! Unless you are planning a life of elderly and disabled dogs, anything beyond carpeted stairs (to protect the floor!) is just silly. I have had very large dogs, who even when they are old and sore, do fine 9n stairs with a little help, that’s all. Ramps and stuff would just be superfluous.

@canidmajor Right?!!

I would not build a staircase with the idea that a dog will need a handicap stairway. I’m sure that wouldn’t be up to code and it feels like you aren’t giving the dog a chance to be a dog.
I lost my dog suddenly a couple months ago and had to carry a 70 lb. dog down the stairs to the car. It can be done.

My old Dakota had TMJ and arthritis. It hurt her to climb up and down the deck stairs. Rick built her a handicap ramp. She was so relieved.

No. No more than I would design a kitchen for goldfish.

@chyna I checked on this already, and if anyone needs to know, building codes stipulate how steep stairs can be, and how shallow the treads.

But to make the treads deeper, which would be needed for dogs—or to make the risers lower.in other words altogether gentler slope than standard, there is no code against.

Its just that it would take up a lot more space, as the length would increase/

Why are you so sure that dogs need different stairs? Stairs are not natural formations for either humans or dogs, but dogs adapt just as well as humans do, often better, in fact, due to their quadrupedal abilities.