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Dogster

advice sought for adding doggie stept to our bed

Share advice for keeping your aging dog happy and healthy

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Member Since
10/04/2012

Barked: Wed Oct 10, '12 11:03am PST


	Our 12 yr old golden retriever is beginning to have difficulty jumping up on our bed. We see tons of ramps and steps online, but worry if any are good and safe, oe even if she'll take to them. We thought of hiring a handyman to build some steps and add carpet to them. We will do anything to keep our Molly close to us, as she is our baby. Has anyone had success with using indoor doggie steps next to the bed? Thank you very much.

1248293

Barked: Wed Oct 10, '12 2:48pm PST


	Savannah is 13-1/2 and we started having problems about a year ago. She is 32 lbs and our bed is relatively high, luckily we have carpet which helped cushion a rather scary fall-back. We tried some of those pet steps and they just didn't work for us (tried two different ones available at Petco/Amazon). They seemed better suited for smaller dogs or cats, since the steps themselves were not wide or deep enough for Savannah to comfortably climb on. They just didn't seem all that sturdy, either. We tried a ramp but it was too bulky and Savannah was terrified of it. What ended up working perfectly for us was getting a padded bench for the foot of the bed. It is exactly half the height from the floor to the bed. It only took a couple of tries and Savannah figured out it was for her to get on the bed. Now she loves leaping up and down and has had no stumbles. We have the added benefit that it is attractive, matches our other furniture, and we can use the inside for storage. It was less than $100 from Costco. She is still pretty able, though, so this might not work if your pup has arthritis or can't jump at all.

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Barked: Thu Oct 11, '12 8:14pm PST


	Search for "Pet Studio Dog Steps" on Amazon, they are awesome! They are all wood and very sturdy. The steps are carpeted, deep, and have low risers, so it puts less stress on the joints. Duke is 90 lbs and tall, and these steps support his weight and body size with no trouble. They also convert readily to a ramp, although we don't use that feature (too steep, Duke was scared of the ramp). And the steps fold flat and have a carrying handle! We recently took them on vacation so Duke could get in the hotel bed. They look very nice...like a piece of furniture. I highly recommend!!

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1248293

Barked: Fri Oct 12, '12 6:11am PST


	Hi Duke, did you get the two step or three step variety? Looks MUCH better than the ones we tried (Amazon or Petco: : Pet Gear Easy Step and Solvit Pupstep, neither of which I would recommend for more than 15 lbs). P.S. Not to hijack, but does anyone have any solutions for the car? Our tailgate is kind of high and I'm envisioning future problems. Had a telescoping ramp but it was heavy, unwieldy, and too steep.

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Live life to the- fullest

Barked: Fri Oct 12, '12 10:52am PST


	I made steps for Sara while she was still a puppy. I'll add a picture when I get back to the house. I measured the bed height and made three steps out of half inch plywood and 1 by 6 pine (plywood for risers and pine for steps. I went to WalMart and got a carpet runner for less than $10 and stapled it to the steps. It took less than 5 minutes to teach her to use the steps (treats are wonderful training tools). She's used the steps ever since. I was afraid years of jumping wouldn't be good on her hips and knees so just started her out with steps. However, a friend brought her golden over and after following Sara a couple of times it easily went up and down the steps on it's own, and this dog is probably 4-5 years old. I'll add a photo tonight.

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Barked: Sat Oct 13, '12 3:18pm PST


	Doggie steps work great. Jazz didn't want to use them at first, but I walked her up & down them on leash & after 3 times she was sold on them. The funny thing is that my cat, who can jump 10 feet in any direction, loves the steps & he uses them too.

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Chloe's got Mom- wrapped around- her paws

Barked: Sun Oct 14, '12 6:41pm PST


	Hi everyone I didn't know whether to post this.... Chloe couldn't jump on the bed & she is on Dasaquin per her vet.... I bought doggie steps for her but she didn't take to them. Then I ordered a ramp from Pet Steps (909) 948-5494 5433 Amethyst Street, Alta Loma, CA 91737 She now loves the ramp & uses it to get onto the bed. I am so happy. However, they didn't respond quickly & if you goggle them, they didn't get a great rating from the BBB. But THANK GOD, they did deliver & it works for Chloe. I hope this helps

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"Gunner" Da- Big Boy- Angel

Da Big Boy- Rules, I AM the- Big Boy!

Barked: Sun Oct 14, '12 9:15pm PST


	Hi there, we actually bought our steps from the local farm store, they are steps that are used to be able to get on a horse, they are extremely sturdy, well made but not so pretty. We just put them on the side of the bed that is not seen from the doorway. We tried a few of the steps that we saw online and at the pet stores but they were not sturdy enough and the dogs would get off of them as they felt unsure of them. Gunner used them for over 7 yrs every night, he never had a problem on them. We still use them for our dogs and cats. I did put some gripping stuff that you put under rugs to make sure they can grip onto them, I did that more for me than for them. Hope you find something that works well.

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Titus

Cave canis- vigilo omnis

Barked: Tue Oct 16, '12 9:41am PST


	We made our own ramp for our SUV - the ready-made ones were too short (and as a result, too steep) for our big dog. We used two pieces of plywood covered with carpet and hinged them in the middle so it could fold in half. For convenience sake, I just kept it in the back of the truck.

I'm king of the- world!

Barked: Sun Oct 21, '12 5:18pm PST


	Savannah, sorry for the delay, I haven't been back here in awhile. I have the 3-step model and it's perfect for Duke. He's TALL as he has some Great Dane in him. On my bed, which is a pillow-top, the steps go to a few inches below the top of the mattress. So technically, he is taking 4 steps (3 on the steps and the last one on the bed). With a lower bed, it would probably come to the top of the mattress. The gradual incline of these steps makes it SO much easier for Duke to get in bed! Did I mention they fold flat and have a carrying handle?

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