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Dog StairsDog Stairs have to be the right size for your dog. You need to consider the total height, number of stairs and depth, and how much total space the stairs will need. The size and weight of your dog matters too. Our first dog stairs adventure started when we had an older dog who just couldn't jump on or off our bed anymore. He was old and suffered from stiff joints but he was also about 50 lbs and lifting him up to the bed was a chore for both the dog and me. So one Saturday morning it was off to the pet store to check out what we could find that would help. It seemed to be a simple thing, find some kind of dog stairs that we could place next to the bed and then our dog could easily walk up the stairs to the bed. So I started looking at the different dog stairs models and the first thing that got me was sticker shock. These dog stairs are not inexpensive. Most ran above a $100 and many were around a $150. OK, if it saved my back and my poor dogs joints it was worth it. These things come in all sizes and are made out of everything from plastic to actual wood. The next thing I noticed is that these types of stairs take up a lot of room. I had semi measured the bed height (marked where the bed came to on me) and tried to find some that allowed the dog to reach that height easily. The two step models were not high enough and also didn't really have the depth of stair to fit my dog. So I had to go to a three step model which was much larger and would stick out almost 2 feet from the edge of the bed. I could see that would be a problem walking around these steps since they stuck out so much. OK, I'll put it sideways along the foot of the bed, that would be much less of a problem and still work for the dog. So I grab the three step model that looked to fit the best and off to home I go. I quickly assembled the dog stairs and went to get the dog for a test run. Now my dog has never been the brightest light in the room so he took quite a lot of prodding to get him to try the new dog stairs. The first step height is important, as is the height of the last step to your bed or whatever. So after a few coaching sessions the dog finally figured it out and used the steps without any help for me. I did learn a few things though and here's a quick list of factors to consider when choosing the right dog stairs for your pet.
You could possibly make your own set of dog stairs if you have the skills and tools. I don't so buying them was the path of least resistance. Figure out the best number of stairs for your dog, smaller dogs might need more stairs. If you have a big or well fed dog make sure the dog stairs can handle the weight. And put some rubber feet on the bottom if they don't have them so the stairs don't move when being used. I ended up getting mine for about $175 since they were real wood and had carpeting on each step. I knew if I brought home plastic ones my wife would have not been a happy camper. So you might want to consider how well the stairs fit into the room decor or take some heat from your significant other. In my case I needed to find something that looked like furniture so it would fit in the room. And since the dog and stairs were probably going to be around for a few years, get something that will last and look good enough for your room. Be aware that most dog stairs I saw did require basic assembly, not real difficult but it did take about 15 minutes to put mine together. Also try and figure out how to anchor down the stairs so they don't move when being used, I put rubber pieces on the bottom of the stairs. Dog Stairs can be a great solution if your dog is getting old and just can't jump up on things like they used to when younger. If you have a small dog, it can help too since many can't easily jump as high as necessary for many areas in your home. |
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