Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Chris, this website offers good guidelines as to what makes a "good" dog ramp:

3 Best Dog Ramps — Folding, Telescoping & More

My previous dog needed a ramp to get in and out of vehicles after back surgery; the ramp was from a company called Solv It, and was a telescoping PVC ramp (with a carrying handle) that extended to the lengths and correct angles for easy access to the car and to the motorhome(s). The ramp "track" was wide enough to offer good access, and was covered with outdoor carpet-type material that was washable and afforded a good grip for the dog. I don't see the exact ramp on their site now, but there are similar choices. Check the weight and size of the ramp when "telescoped".

Solvit Products. Pet Steps made for every kind of car or truck

Some dogs are leery of using a ramp; the "feel" is different, and "bounce" or sideways movement can scare the animal into refusing to use the ramp. Going slowly, making sure that there are no distractions (e.g., noise, other dogs, too many people, etc.), and, if the dog is "food motivated", leading him/her up and down the ramp with a cookie in front of the nose usually works. My dog had no problem (I'm pretty sure that was because she had done agility), but I always guided her up and down the ramp (on a much shortened leash) and made sure that the ramp was firmly set before use.

I'm sure that others who have used dog ramps will respond with their experiences. 

Joan

One more fall off your bike, Jim, and you'll need a ramp. 

I've used several different ramps for older Dobermans. My all-time favorite is the Solv-it XL  telescoping ramp. On the LD, I used it at it's shortest length on the non-extended step. With my SUV, I used it full length to lessen the angle of climb. (The regular 72" ramps are too steep on taller vehicles.)

Hope that helps.

Lori Y

This is what we had for our old dog when he could no longer jump up into the car:  Dog Steps, Dog Stairs and Dog Ramps from Pet Loader

It's a folding set of stairs.  It folds up much smaller than any ramp we've seen.

What is it about these furry creatures that capture our hearts so soundly? 

There are remnants of each one in my heart, but the biggest hole was left in 1979 when we lost our first St. Bernard.  Thus tears of my own sadness well up when I feel the pain of someone else's loss. 

Sadly, I have no personal pet(s) now, but there is an array of critters that I can see trot by out my kitchen window - a coyote sauntered by, nose to the ground (checking for mice, I presume), while I was typing this - but it isn't the same.

 Judie    < -- sniffling

Dogs give up the devotion and unconditional love that's sometimes lacking in our personal lives.  I'm personally struggling right now with my 15 year-old terrier-mix that I rescued at six weeks old.  She was recently hospitalized for pancreatitis and it was discovered she has stage 2 kidney disease.  Osteoarthritis also complicates the mix.  However, for now she's stable and her condition is slowly improving.  However, eventually we all know how this story ends. 

I've written several posts on my blog Desert Divaabout her...

Chris, when our dog grew old we looked for ramps for our small SUVs.  Our dog was 55 lbs and on the lanky side, so longer than a typical 55 lb dog.  He didn't have arthritis (that glucosamine/condrotin daily for years really paid off), but he had old age neurological issues (where they start dragging their paws a little) - amazingly the glucosamine/condrotin made a big difference for that and he kept going strong for another couple years after he first started showing problems.

The last year or so we got a telescoping ramp, very similar to the Solv-it XLa (maybe that brand) but plastic - long and very well built.  We hoped to give him an easier climb up (plastic with thin carpet type material so not slippery at all).  We nicely found one on craigslist for a good price and it had a lip on each side to "help him not walk off it" - but honestly that seemed more dangerous - maybe he wasn't walking that straight by then or maybe just being a bigger dog... but I know it had me concerned that he would fall off.

I made homemade stairs for him as the gait needed to be correct (store bought ones had shorter steps and were awkward or just not usable at all by a larger longer dog).  This helped him get up on house furniture (couch, bed).

But the ramp never really helped a lot as it was still too steep (they are climbing up a hill and even thought it was not real steep it was too much). 
Instead of the ramp, we ended up pulling the front seats forward and letting him hop his front legs into the bottom of the 2nd row, then lifting the back end up while he walked forward.  Then he could climb from the floor onto the seats.  That pick him up 1/2 at a time worked real well, he would even go up 2 steps if we held his back end up (kind of awkward but might be easier to get into the LD).

All that worked well until his last days at a very ripe old age. 
So if you have a way to lift your pup up - front part first and then back end next and your dog has the patience to work with you, you might find it works better than any ramp.