Help me help my dog get into bed.
August 26, 2011 11:05 AM   Subscribe

What's the best sort of step object(s) to put at the foot of the bed for a smallish dog to use to get into a tall bed?

Wilson the cutest is getting a bit older and is having increasing difficulty jumping up onto our bed (it's a California King and particularly tall). We'll pick him up if we see him but recently he tries and sometimes falls backwards and I don't want him to hurt himself. Should I get a squat little plastic step stool thing? He has no trouble with the regular stairs so I don't think he'll have trouble getting the hang of it.

Must be very sturdy so it isn't the cause of accidents in itself. Bonus if the object will not stub one's toe too badly when one (inevitably) walks into it in the dark. Do you have a similar thing and how is it working out?
posted by Glinn to Pets & Animals (12 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: They make dog stairs just for this purpose.
posted by quodlibet at 11:09 AM on August 26, 2011


Best answer: You know they sell designated pet steps, right? I see them in the SkyMall all the time, and always giggle at the forlorn little doggies in the pictures who just can't ehhhh quite ehhhh reach the bed.

I bet if you went to a big box pet store you could try out a few styles and see which one would work best for you and Wilson McCuteface.
posted by phunniemee at 11:09 AM on August 26, 2011


Best answer: Pet stairs are pretty widely available.
posted by mkultra at 11:09 AM on August 26, 2011


Best answer: We have this. We had to train him to use it, since he was reluctant. Now he's a pro. Very light weight--no toe stubbing problems.
posted by found missing at 11:12 AM on August 26, 2011


Response by poster: Oh. Haha did not occur to me they make those. Thank you. ;)
posted by Glinn at 11:14 AM on August 26, 2011


We have a minidog. We used a upended laundry basket when we couldn't afford the pet stairs.
posted by hotelechozulu at 11:19 AM on August 26, 2011


Best answer: Also, Wilson is ridiculous. :D
posted by hotelechozulu at 11:19 AM on August 26, 2011 [2 favorites]


Best answer: We have these stairs! It might take a few tries to get the dog to use it- we had to bribe Twinkie the first few times. Here's video of her successfully and unsuccessfully using her stairs (notice the shaking of the treat box the time she went up).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:32 AM on August 26, 2011


Response by poster: Also, Wilson is ridiculous.
True! (Lhasa/King Charles)

Thank you for the Pinkie video (super cute). I shall show it to Wilson if he has trouble.
posted by Glinn at 12:19 PM on August 26, 2011


Response by poster: Omg, mixed your name in there! I totally meant Twinkie!
posted by Glinn at 12:32 PM on August 26, 2011


We used an ottoman. At some point, Soda decided to start sleeping on it instead (it did have a fuzzy sheepskin on it).
posted by oneirodynia at 8:44 PM on August 26, 2011


I made this for my dog: http://www.instructables.com/id/Dog-stairs-for-bed
posted by galadriel at 8:58 PM on August 26, 2011


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