Dog Steps for Vehicles: Types, Tips for Choosing, When to Use, and More
Several things can undermine the mobility of your dog. Old age, for example, often makes it challenging for a dog to jump onto a raised surface such as the back of a pickup, SUV, or truck.
Apart from that, being a small dog breed means that your four-legged companion will suffer when it comes to getting into vehicles, given their limited leaping ability. And last but not least, injuries, arthritis, among other health-related issues, are sure to make it hard for your pet to move normally.
Luckily, people since have caught wind of this problem and manufactured an array of dog car steps. With these tools, your pup can easily get into your car without straining too much. Using these tools is also straightforward, often requiring a quick attachment of the car step to your vehicle.
That said, there’re tons of car steps for dogs in commercial circulation today, making it hard to identify the ideal item. So, to help, this article provides you with a comprehensive shopper’s guide to help you navigate this tricky market segment.
What Kinds of Mutt Car Steps Are There?
There’re different types of dog vehicle steps to choose from, meaning that you can always pick an item that fulfills your needs and that of your dog. With that said, the classifications to pick from are:
- Ladder steps: As the name suggests, these steps for dogs resemble a ladder. They are more mobile and often firm. Due to the latter reason, this equipment boasts of the much-needed longevity.
- Pet stairs: These items pretty much borrow their design from the typical stairs/steps that people use. They pretty much look like everyday staircases, but they are smaller. Some of the materials used for making these items include high-density foam and wood.
What to Look for When Choosing Dog Steps for Vehicles
While no two dog steps for automobiles can be the same, they share some underlying features that are necessary for their optimal performance. So, before buying a dog step, be sure to consider these paramount characteristics.
Safety
Given that dog steps for vehicles exist to help your four-legged companion to reach elevated areas, it is sensible to prioritize their safety. This way, you can prevent them from falling off of the steps, hurting themselves in the process. Some of the safety issues to analyze include the depth, width, and material of the dog steps.
Mobility
It would be best if you gauged whether the dog steps you want to acquire can be moved. It is especially essential if you plan to use your steps in other places when you move with your dog. After all, dog steps can get your pup onto many different surfaces other than your vehicle. So, as far as mobility goes, you need to prioritize lightweight items that still deliver high performance.
Stability
Stability is essential. See, at times, your dog might just decide to leap off of the steps all together. So, when this happens, your steps should be capable of staying in place. This way, the possibility of the steps getting off and even injuring your mutt, is significantly reduced.
Ease of Tidying
You want an item that is easy to clean when the dog drags mud on them or when you accidentally spill a drink. So, it makes sense to acquire a piece of equipment with a removable rag that you can clean fast, either in the washer or by hand.
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Design
If you can get an item that is easy on the eye on top of being highly-functional, then you should definitely do it. See, while you might be tempted to think that steps for dogs to get into truck are just that, having one that complements your vehicle is sure to give you much more joy.
Assembly
Folding dog steps for car carry the day since they save you from the labor of assembling your steps. However, if you must get an item that requires assembling, then it helps to choose an item that is straightforward to put together and get working. This way, you will save a lot of joining time whenever you go places with your dog.
How to Determine if Your Mutt Needs Car Steps
Knowing if your four-legged companion requires a set of steps is essential. Understandably, it will spare you from spending your hard-earned dollars on something that your pet does not need. So, how can you know if your pet needs steps? The first and quicker way to do this is to pay close attention to your animal. Are they able to get on the sofa on their own? Do they stumble at the entrance of your car? If you notice that your animal suffers when performing these actions, then it is not a bad idea to acquire a step or dog ramp for SUV, truck, or car.
The second way to tell if your mutt needs car steps is to have the veterinary take a look at them. It especially essential if your mutt is old since they are more prone to joint and bone issues.
How to Train a Dog to Use a Car Step
Acquiring car steps is not the end of it. You now need to train your animal to use them. So, here are things to do to get them to use their steps well.
- Place the dog car step flat on the ground and use a treat to entice your four-legged companion to walk up. Repeat several times. This step will get your dog used to the feel of the steps under their feet.
- With your hand, signal the dog to walk up the steps.
- When your dog can climb, eliminate the treat and use a hand signal to get them up the stairs.
- Start elevating the steps slowly. Do this repeatedly, allowing your mutt to adjust to the new height and become comfortable going up and down the steps before adjusting the height again.
Final Words
Dog steps are an excellent item to acquire to help your animal to go up and down high areas. However, since there’re tons of options to choose from, be sure to leverage the information in this guide to select the perfect item.
*This is a sponsored guest post*
Ivana Kinsley says
Most of the time we avoid this issue. We thought that they can jump and reach safety. But we can use easily movement way for safely reach. Thank you for share great resources.
Tim Kessler says
I love Dog Mom Days. Being a dog lover, your tips and guides have helped my lots. I also found this http://tiny.cc/AwesomeDogTraining to help me care better for my dogs and train them. Just hoping this will help some else as it helped me.