My 4-year-old dog Lucy had to have back surgery recently.
It was due to a combination of things: the neighbor’s dog attacked her and she fell off the porch in the process of trying to get away. Then she jumped off another tall porch. Unfortunately, little legs and big jumps don’t mix. I knew the day would come with back issues — it just happens with Dachshunds — but I did not expect it this soon. Fortunately, she recovered quickly.
Ever since Lucy’s back surgery, steps are not as easy to maneuver like they once were. Plus, she shouldn’t be jumping off the bed like she did in the past anyway.
A dog ramp (in lieu of doggie steps) seemed to make the most sense. That way, she could go up and down with no trauma to her little body. Most of the dog ramps I found online where very expensive and the height didn’t match up with my bed height.
So, I took some 1×12 pieces of pine wood that I had leftover from another project and I built my own dog ramp!
Here’s how…
How To Build A Dog Ramp
The first piece I cut was for a 2-foot landing that would give her plenty of room to get on and off the bed without worrying about her slipping.
I measured the height of the bed and cut a piece to put under the edge of the landing down to the floor as support.
I also cut a piece of wood to act as a nailer on the wall for the landing. Lucy only weighs 6 pounds, but I still wanted to make sure it was sturdy.
Then I cut another piece of wood that would attach to the landing and go down at a gentle slope to the end of the bed but not stick out past the foot board and be visible into the bedroom.
After cutting that piece, I took a couple of “L” brackets and bent them slightly so I would have the downward slope I wanted on the ramp. I screwed those in place and tested it to make sure it all fit.
Then, I covered all the wood with some inexpensive door mats I got from Old Time Pottery. All I had to do was wrap the rugs around the edges of the wood and staple it underneath.
I left the carpet for the landing partially unstapled so I could screw the wood into the nailer I had attached to the wall. Once I securely attached the landing to the wall and had the support board underneath screwed in, I finished stapling the carpet around the wood so the screws were not exposed.
After putting my bed back in place, I got a few of Lucy’s favorite treats and we practiced going up and down her new dog ramp. It works perfectly and she rarely jumps off the side of the bed anymore!
She was also great at modeling the ramp for me when the bed was not there. (I might have to get her an agent!)
This was yet another inexpensive dog project to complete. I already had the pine wood scraps and the “L” brackets. The rugs were $2 apiece, so this fancy dog ramp cost less than $10 to build!
At this point, my little house is pretty dog friendly, but I’m sure that I will come up with another project soon…
