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Unfortunately, a year is a long time in the life of a dog, and a 13-year-old large breed dog is nearing the end of life. So at this age, they really need a lot of patience and understanding. And we owners do have to be alert to possible problems that they can’t tell us about.</p>
<p>Wow… I feel like I’m living all of your lives! My almost 16-year old dog is becoming more reluctant, but at only 14.5 lbs., I can still lift her if she refuses (doesn’t happen very often yet).</p>
<p>Funny story, though. Our stairs inside are carpeted, but at the bottom, the laminate flooring starts. We started keeping some sort of area rug or carpet (or even a towel) at the bottom of the stairs because one too many times, she hit the laminate flooring coming down from the stairs and slid.</p>
<p>When our cleaning lady comes and as she’s leaving and finishes off mopping the lower level on her way out the door, she never puts the area rugs back since the floors are still damp. I can’t tell you how many times our dog will come down the stairs after the cleaning lady is gone, stop abruptly at the bottom carpeted step (rear legs on the step above the front legs) and just stand there like that. If no one comes, she will bark once. If no one comes again after a few moments, she will bark once again, and will keep doing this until we come lift her onto the floor or put the rug back. We just have to laugh sometimes because she’s obviously made it down all the stairs from the second level, but then won’t do that last step because of the change from carpet to laminate. </p>
<p>We, too, have resorted to keeping a towel by the back door. But we used it mostly during our heavy snow times when the back stoop would get icy. We’d lay the towel down and she’d be much more willing to do the two steps to the patio. </p>
<p>Sadly, the last couple of days that I’ve taken her out for a walk (we’re adjusting her diet and I’m wanting to make sure she does her business, otherwise we don’t really walk her anymore) I didn’t even use a leash. She just can’t move fast enough or see far enough to see anything worth chasing. We live on a cul-de-sac and there is very little traffic. She likes going somewhere different than the backyard and she will keep me in sight out of her one semi-good seeing left eye. Yesterday a neighbor approached me in the street to start talking to me and it took our dog a minute or two to even realize someone else was there talking to me (THEN she started barking).</p>
<p>Older dogs hate bare stairs. It’s too easy for them to lose their footing. Have been through this with a couple of dogs. My 11 year old dog will even slip walking across our hardwood floors.</p>
<p>It is really hard when they get to this stage of life. I had to carry my 50 pound dog up and down stairs for the last few years of her life. Some days she was okay doing it herself, other days it was too hard for her.</p>
<p>This is making me so sad! I often think about the deterioration of my current dog’s mom, so these stories sound all too familiar. The puppy is 10 now, so these are going to be issues for him before long.</p>
<p>MommaJ, I think that Costco ramp looks really tempting. I’m thinking of one for the car. Big question is whether it will stay in place on your steps well enough to hold the dog’s weight. But you could always hire a handyman to screw it into the concrete or stone for you if needed.</p>
<p>So while I was hemming and hawing and soliciting opinions here and at the local pet store (where the owner told me most dogs won’t use ramps), H arrived home tonight proudly toting a ramp (the same one as sold at Costco, or at least very similar)–I shouldn’t have been surprised, I’m always the deliberate one, he’s always impulsive one. Before I had a chance to tell him about how dogs have to be slowly and gently trained to use a ramp, he had placed it on the steps and was encouraging her to come down with a treat–and despite the fact that this dog can be motivated to do almost anything for food, she was having none of it. </p>
<p>We brought the ramp inside, and at supper time I hemmed in her bowl (wall on one side, row of chairs on the other–nice decorating touch), so that she would have to walk on the ramp (in fully horizontal position) to get to her food. She gave me a long-suffering look and gingerly walked on it. Much praise and patting ensued. I think I’ll try this for a few days, elevating the ramp a bit every few days until (hopefully) she feels comfortable walking on an incline. Will keep you informed of progress, if any. I do wish the ramp was wider so she didn’t have to carefully position herself on it–that just seems to complicate matters.</p>
<p>Oh, MommaJ, your H sounds like my H, except mine built a ramp, but the rest of the story was very similar to yours. That ramp really motivated our dog to re-learn how to walk up the deck stairs after the surgery! :)</p>
<p>Great reading as we are experiencing the same needs. </p>
<p>One of my concerns was that out deck and stairs are in direct sun and can get very hot. Putting indoor outdoor carpeting on the ramp should lessen heat and give good traction. </p>
<p>I saw the ramp from costco and thought that in the summer the black rubberized ramp could get very hot. Something to remember.</p>