Dog Ramps & Pet Steps

No matter what kind of dog ramps or pet steps you are looking for we've got them all: aluminum dog ramps, handy telescoping dog ramps (including Solvit products) and bi-fold ramps, and wooden, furniture grade dog ramps. You can get pet steps for your SUV or pickup truck with a box hitch, carpeted pet steps in zebra or leopard print for your home and water dog ramps and pet steps for the boat, by the dock or in the pool.

Here are a few tips on training your dog to use dog ramps or pet steps:

After several attempts many people give up trying to teach dogs to use dog ramps or pet steps because they think their dog can't do it.

Some dog ramps are adjustable such as telescoping dog ramps. If you have a telescoping dog ramp, start training with the ramp only at a slight incline and extended to its maximum length. That way it will be less steep for your pet to climb. You can slowly increase the incline as your dog's confidence grows.

It's best to start training dogs from the bottom of dog ramps or pet steps, not from the top. For your dog's safety stay close by during the training, but don't interfere unless it looks as though your dog is going to fall off the dog ramp or pet steps. Place food or a treat a few inches in front of your dog. (It helps if your dog is hungry, so do your training before a regular meal time.) When your dog makes any move forward towards the food, reinforce the behavior with another little piece of a treat a little further up. Keep advancing until your dog successfully gets to the top of the dog ramp or pet steps.

Once dogs learn to walk up dog ramps or pet steps without hesitation, they are ready to be trained to walk down. What goes up does not necessarily go down...at least not in the same way. Many dogs will want to jump off a ramp when they are about half way down. Dogs should not jump off dog ramps or pet steps, especially if they are suffering from age-related arthritis or joint pain, or are recovering from surgery or an injury.

If your dog is insists on jumping off the ramp instead of walking down the full length, you may want to keep hold of the collar and lead him or her down the ramp properly. Ideally, you want to train your dog to walk all the way down to the bottom. Use the same training method with the treats, progressing until your dog gets to the very bottom.

Pretty soon you should be able to replace treats with praise. To get to that level could take just a few minutes or it could take a week. It depends on your dog's physical capabilities and temperament, your skill as a trainer, and how yummy the treats are to your dog.

Cats in general seem to have less difficulty in adapting to dog ramps or pet steps because they are naturally comfortable with heights and climbing, but these training techniques would apply if you need to train your cat.

PetFrenzy carries a wide variety of dog ramps and pet steps. You can get pet steps with 3 steps, 4 steps, and so on all the way up to 8 steps. Pet steps also come in a variety of widths to accommodate your dog and to fit the area where the steps will be used. Longer dogs may need a bigger step than shorter dogs of the same weight.

You are going to be much happier with your selection if you measure the area where dog ramps or pet steps will be placed. The most common reason people return dog ramps and pet steps is because they are not the correct size. It is recommended that you measure the placement area carefully.