Design for a dog ramp or dog stairs ?

[Clarence Martin]

My old dog is getting, well, OLD! Need designs for a dog ramp or dog stairs of some type so that it would make it easier for him to get in the car. Can't lift him because of a bad back and he is too heavy. Checked out the premade ones and they are expensive. Figure I could make one cheaper.

[Dave Richards]

A ramp would probably be easiest and could easily be made to fold. What kind of car do you have? How much does the dog weigh?

[Ron Graner]

If you do make a stairs be sure to put carpet on it so the dog does not slip and fall.

[Lucy Jenkins]

Yeh that is true, a slab of wood as a ramp and maybe some no-slip material stuck on to make it easier to walk up oh how wonderful

[Patrick Grady]

You might consider a lightweight ramp made Styrofoam/fiberglass laminate (actually an easy project even for a beginner). Experiment to determine the incline your dog can comfortably climb so you can minimize the length to store in your vehicle. The nonslip surface should be quick drying. I built ramps to my house entrances and found I needed side rails and a dim night lamp to aid my dog in bad weather (older dogs often have impaired vision too). My dog healed (broken hip from traffic accident) and it was a happy day when I got to disassemble all my ramps. Good luck.