Does anyone use dog ramps for vehicle?

[1sttimeforgsd]

Today Ace is 7 mo old so I thought I would take him to the vet to see how much he weighs. I just got a Jeep Grand Cherokee and he has not been anywhere in it yet. I could not get him in the cargo area, I got him to put his front feet on the bumper and when I tried to lift his rear end up to put in there he would get down.

Needless to say we did not go to the vet, my back hurts from trying to lift on him and I still don't know how much he weighs.

Does anyone use the ramps for their suv's or vans and are they worth the investment?

[Cassidy's Mom]

We always lifted puppies in and out of the SUV until they were old enough to jump up on their own. For a senior dog we used a ramp. But there's no reason why you couldn't get one for your puppy. This is the one we got: Dog Ramp.com - Pioneers of the First Telescoping Dog Ramp. Double Telescoping 70" Model Information. Buy Direct and Save!

It's very sturdy, and the carpeted surface is nice, much better than the plastic ones I've seen at pet stores. It comes with instructions on how to get your dog to use it.

[rvadog]

Take him by the collar and flanks if you have to and throw his butt in the car.

Better yet take the next two weeks and teach him "car" so he has a desire to go in it on his own.

Either way will work fine.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by rvadog

Take him by the collar and flanks if you have to and throw his butt in the car.

He's too heavy for her to pick up. And the back of a SUV is pretty high for a 7 month old puppy to jump into. Keefer was able to do it by then because he followed his big sister in, but Dena, who was an only dog for a year, took longer to do it on her own.

[rvadog]

Originally Posted by Cassidy's Mom

And the back of a SUV is pretty high for a 7 month old puppy to jump into.

Take his favorite, favorite treat, right before dinner and put it on the floor of the car where he can reach it. Walk him over to the treat and let him smell it, pull him backwards all the while talking to him and getting him super excited for the treat. Get 10 feet away, say "car" and release him. Do this 3-4 times. Move the treat so he can just barely reach it or has to put his front paws in the car to reach it. Repeat the steps above. Move the treat so he has to be completely in the car to reach it. Repeat 3-4 times. Feed him his morning and afternoon meal in the car for a week.

I bet after doing this you'd be hard pressed to keep him out of the car.

[CassandGunnar]

Originally Posted by Cassidy's Mom

He's too heavy for her to pick up. And the back of a SUV is pretty high for a 7 month old puppy to jump into. Keefer was able to do it by then because he followed his big sister in, but Dena, who was an only dog for a year, took longer to do it on her own.

With my younger dogs, I'd have them get into the back seat by jumping on the floor first. Much lower and they can do it at a younger age. We had a Ford Expedition which is pretty high.
Put the rear seat all the way back and the front seat all the way up. At 7 months your dog should be able to get up on the floor in the back seat.

[PaddyD]

Put a raw hot dog or a pupperoni in the bed of the Jeep, then you will find out if he can jump in.
At 7 months he should be able to jump in ... or darn near close to it.

[bocron]

Originally Posted by 1sttimeforgsd

Today Ace is 7 mo old so I thought I would take him to the vet to see how much he weighs. I just got a Jeep Grand Cherokee and he has not been anywhere in it yet. I could not get him in the cargo area, I got him to put his front feet on the bumper and when I tried to lift his rear end up to put in there he would get down.

Needless to say we did not go to the vet, my back hurts from trying to lift on him and I still don't know how much he weighs.

Well, first off, how much can a 7 month old puppy weigh that an adult can't get him in the car??? I am 5'4" and weigh 125 and can lift my daughters dog into the car without a problem. (He is 10yo male GSD and had a neck/back injury this past summer so has trouble with some vehicles). The rest of my dogs are taught to get into the vehicle as a command, it is no different than teaching them to get in a crate or sit on command. If need be, get him good and hungry and then make him hop into the car for food.

There is also this, which is good to have regardless.
http://www.twistep.com/

[smdaigle]

Feeding in the car helps. My 10 month old was scared of the car and that's what we did to get him used to it (we got him at 9 months). Now that he's not as scared and he's jumping in by himself we're trying to take him for rides as often as possible and he's already starting to show signs of liking the car.

For what it's worth, my puppy is only about 60 pounds but if he doesn't want to get in the car he makes it very difficult for me to pick him up. I can do it but it's not easy so that's why we wanted to teach him to jump in by himself. I'd definately get a ramp for an older dog or if Ridley had continued to refuse to jump in.

Our other dogs LOVE(d) the car so much that you have to keep them away from the garage whenever someone opens a car door because they'll jump in and don't want to get out until they've been for a ride (even just around the block).

[Cassidy's Mom]

I have a bad back. I've injured it sneezing, leaning over after a shower to put a towel on my head, picking up a ball off the ground, lifting a 33 pound bag of kibble, hopping off a curb.....

No way am I going to pick up a 7 month old dog and heave it into the back of an SUV - not worth the risk of tweaking my back and not being able to do anything much for a few days or a week.