Exercise Good Joint Care with Steps for Dogs
Have you noticed that your dog seems to be struggling to get on and off of furniture or other high-up places? As flexible as dogs are, we often overestimate their ability to cope with the impact of leaping to and fro areas. To help prevent long term damage, we’re going to talk about the benefits of using steps for dogs.
No matter what breed or size of dog you have, there are certain physical consequences that result from repetitive jumping. Every time your dog jumps down from something, his bones and joints absorb the shock of impact. Granted, he may only be leaping down from the sofa—which isn’t a fair height—but how many times a day does this happen? Multiply this by the number of days in his lifetime, and the result could be quite surprising! Physical hindrances such as arthritis and hip dysplasia can crop up earlier on in a dog’s life if his joints aren’t properly maintained.
You may be wondering if you should simply aid your dog onto the furniture by lifting him. This is not advisable, as lifting a dog repetitively can also result in spinal issues. Carrying a dog while he is a puppy isn’t really an issue, but as your dog grows and his bones have matured into the position they will be for the rest of his life, his body can’t cope as well with repetitive “unnatural” positioning.
The best alternative is to purchase some sturdy steps for dogs. Pet stairs allow your dog to disperse his weight over a series of steps rather than one jolting movement. The impact of walking down stairs is only slightly more than that of normal walking, and a great deal less than jumping from the full height of the furniture or vehicle. You will find that a lot of dog steps have a carpeted finish. This is a huge advantage for a dog as it minimizes his risk of slipping, especially if the floor (which he would normally jump onto) has a hard or slick finish.
You may wonder why you should opt for “made-for-dogs” stairs, rather than a normal step-stool. Dog steps are specifically designed to accommodate the size of your dog both in terms of weight as well as his stride. Small dogs take smaller steps, therefore the width of their stair steps shouldn’t be any greater than 12 inches. Medium dogs should have a stair step width of 14 inches, and large dogs—with consider strides—should have at least 16 inch-wide steps. Providing your dog with steps that are either too large or too small could result in your dog tripping or falling off the stairs.
Large dogs and certain breeds are particularly at risk for developing joint problems as they grow older, so preventative care is a necessity in ensuring that these higher-risk dogs have a fair chance of staving off the bone/joint issues. Even if your dog is not at particular risk for such issues, he can still develop them from damage due to repetitive shock to his bones. The best thing you can do to prevent your dog from developing bone and joint disorders is to prevent the damage in the first place through the use of dog steps.
