[Dailydrool] Chiming in on Ramps

[A. Woodrum]

We have had mixed success with ramps here.  When Gracie tore her ACL (two
years in January) we immediately built a ramp from the pet door to the back
yard, it's one step down and I had been taking her out using the towel under
the belly method, which was not working well at all.  She picked up that
ramp immediately.  About a week later we added a ramp on the front porch so
she could get down the two steps to the yard.  

 

There's a difference between the ramps, the back ramp ends right under the
pet door so it's natural to walk down, but the front ramp is to one side of
the porch and it covers about one third of the width of the front steps.
Gracie used the back ramp immediately and learned to do the front ramp
within a few days, it's amazing what you will do when you are in pain.  

 

Holly and Anna both would come out the pet door and jump off to the side,
and would refuse to come in except through the door.  I would leave them in
the yard, thinking they would be forced to come up the ramp.  Nope, they
would go to the side and jump on the top while hurling themselves through
the pet door.  But they stopped doing that after a month or two.  In the
front, Gracie uses the ramp to get down always, up most of the time, and
every now and then the steps.  Holly does the same, except she flies up and
down with thundering feet (Holly is my firecracker girl).  Anna uses the
ramp in the backyard to go in and out with no problem, but does not use the
front ramp at all, just the stairs, at a very slow and stately speed.  All
in all, pretty good.  So I decided to buy a ramp to get them in and out of
the car.  Bad move.

 

The car ramp is a very nice, sturdy one and came with instructions on how to
help get them to use it.  Lay it flat on the floor in an area where they
have to walk on it to get through, and put treats every few feet.  So I did.
All we managed to do was go through treats very rapidly, the big wooses
would not walk on the ramp, they are all big enough to get on the side of
the ramp and reach over and snag a treat, so that didn't work.  I put it in
a spot that gets a huge amount of doggie and kitty (and people) traffic, but
out house is laid out so that you can always get somewhere via a different
route.  They refused to step on it and took alternate routes.  Did this for
a week at least, big waste of time and treats.  And I kept stumbling over
the ramp on the floor.

 

Well I decided to take it out and see if I could coax anyone up into the BUV
via the ramp.  Hah, you can forget that.  Had the BUV in the drive, opened
the back door and put up the ramp.  No takers but I did manage to get little
Holly up it finally using treats, persuasion and a few well placed shoves.
But she was not coming down, oh heck no said Holly.  So I lifted her down
and put the ramp away.

 

Next day.  BUV is in the driveway, dogs are outside with me, I go get the
ramp and start to open it.  Three dogs look at that ramp, and three dogs go
flying, each a different direction.  Put the ramp back in the garage and
rounded up the troops, they don't ever go far.  Gave up, it's easier to lift
the two 65 pound horses and the dainty 40 pound dolly into the BUV than to
have to chase everyone each time.

 

In case you are wondering, the ramp for the BUV is still in the garage,
where it now has a permanent home.  If anyone would like to buy a very nice,
sturdy, folding ramp for their BUV (VERY lightly used) at a greatly reduced
price, please let me know.  I'll even pay the shipping.  

 

Anita Woodrum

awoodrum at clear.net

 

 

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