Dog ramp suggestions

[Elvisinflorida]

When my aging 75lb greyhound could no longer make the jump to the seat, I re-trained him to jump into the foot-well. His aging problem is doggy sciatica (lumbra sacral stenosis) nerve deficit in the rear quarter, not arthritis or hip-displaysia.

I always train my dogs the "in" command meaning to enter the door, etc. I placed a large cardboard box on the seat to divert his attention to the foot-well. I said "in" and he made jump into the foot-well and then stepped up onto the seat. He's been doing this for the past six months or so. I'm hoping that it can continue for a while yet. It took me a few weeks to figure out the box-on-the-seat trick to divert his jump target!

I tried a ramp that I made with two furring strips (1"X2"), 1/4" plywood covered with shag carpet cut to interior car width for its length and 16" wide. I had also previously taught him the "up the ramp" command at a local dog park agility course. So he did use it without flinching too much! BTW, it's lighter than the aluminum one from Petsmart and fits in the rear seat foot-well athwart-ships but I didn't like the detail of setting it into the door frame and storing it. So I'm going with the method in the above paragraph while he still has the strength and coordination for that maneuver.

If you decide on a ramp, I highly recommend this home-made one since it is lighter and far less expensive than the pet store ones. Just cut the furring strips to length and screw to the cut-to-size plywood. Hot glue some shag carpet onto it. I used two shag bathroom rugs. It's an easy and fast build. 16"X58" fits in the rear foot-well side-to-side.

Place the ramp on the door frame. It's not long enough to go up to the seat level. The dog can typically make the small rise from the ramp on the door frame to the seat level.

My ramp is now in full time duty in my home along-side of my bed so he can still get up there!

At the time I was training my 5 year old Greyhound 2 walk up a ramp on the dog park agility course, I had no idea that I would be training him for a skill needed in his old age. Dogs have long term memory so train them when they're young for the ramp and they will remember it when they are old and in need of that skill.

 

[CaptOchs]

Dogs generally won't use the ramp on their own at first. You need to leash them to get them up or down. That builds confidence. When looking for a ramp be conscious of how much it bounces. My dog hated any sort of bounce and felt uncomfortable. My ramp has this sandpaper texture for grip. I don't think he liked that either. If he were still alive I would have glued outdoor carpet to it. I am about to post my ramp for sale, but I'm in Rochester NY.

 

[spanz]

Our dog refused to use a ramp. It was a worthless purchase. I just pick our 12 YO 80lb lab up and set her in. Our 1 year old lab jumps in no problem. They both jump out.

i have the exact same problem. my dog is getting to old to jump up onto the back seat. so i bought a two step plastic thing for her to walk up.
she refused to use it. i had to throw it away.

take her to a doggie store that has them, and see if your odog will use it

 

[jparadee]

I too have an elderly puppers (yellow lab) that can barely jump into the back of my 2017 Expy EL. I bought a folding ramp similar to the Weathertech ramp, but the dog was reluctant to use it, so I screwed a piece of carpet to the walking surface and now she'll go up and sometime down to go on car rides. Works like charm.

 

[Lee Dame]

We’ve used ramps for our dogs for probably 20 years. I’ve made some of them and have bought a PetSmart ramp that we are currently using with our 2018 Expedition Max (they go in the back). When it is in the collapsed state it fits cross-wise between the cargo net and the door so it is fairly secure there. Just have to be careful opening the rear hatch when on a slope. We have found that training the older dogs is hard. It is more difficult for them to gain the confidence to use the ramp. So, we tend to train them when they are young and then, even if they don’t use it for a number of years, when they get older it comes more naturally. Good luck with your search.

 

[Keesdad]

Rather than a ramp, I use a step that attaches to the hitch receiver and swings out for use. My dogs adapted to it quickly. It’s called Twistep from Heininger Holdings. www.heininger.com

 

[StealthyBulldog]

We have always done agility with our dogs so using a ramp is normal, but not at first! Biggest thing to remember is to teach progression. First start the ramp just laying flat on the grass, reward them whenever they step on it, (also say the word ramp, walk on, whichever) then reward only once they get all 4 paws on. Then get them to walk on it the whole length. Then once the dog is super comfortable with it, put it on the bottom step of a deck and reward them for walking up it. Be extremely positive and never forceful. Use high reward treats, cooked up cubes of chicken, cut up cheese, something they go crazy for! Most of all go SLOW!! Make sure they are 100% comfortable with the current step before raising it. This isn't something that will only take 20 minutes, it might, depending on the dog, but be willing to work at it for days if needed. If your dog seems to be getting frustrated, try to end it on a good note, always with LOTS of high voiced praise whenever they accomplished the task you asked. Don't expect your dog to want to work at it for an hour, most dogs will get bored of it after 20 minutes (unless a Malinois or German Shepherd, they love to work!) Like I said, always end it on a high note and try again the next day!

 

[Mike Wolfe]

Here is what we have used for our Dogs for many years
We have a 105lb Husky Mix (12 years old) & a 85lb Rotty mix (6 years old)
Amazon.com : PetSafe Happy Ride Folding Pet Ramp, 62 Inch, Portable Lightweight Dog and Cat Ramp, Great for Cars, Trucks and SUVs - Side Rails and High Traction Surface : Pet Door Safety Ramps : Pet Supplies

 

[Elvisinflorida]

Rather than a ramp, I use a step that attaches to the hitch receiver and swings out for use. My dogs adapted to it quickly. It’s called Twistep from Heininger Holdings. www.heininger.com

https://www.heininger.biz/twistep-for-suvs

 

[StealthyBulldog]

I actually had a step made back in '04 for my '03 Tahoe! I hadn't seen one before, just thought it would be better if it was always attached! A kid that worked for us was taking Metals in school, so I designed it all up and he fabricated it as part of his school mark! Here's a couple pics