Training Your Dog to Use Pet Stairs
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already got yourself a nice set of pet steps; but if you haven’t yet purchased dog stairs, you might want to take a minute to seriously consider the benefits. Every time your dog jumps on and off of objects such as furniture, his joints absorb the impact. Over time, this can lead to the early development of arthritis, not to mention that any time your dog jumps from something, he risks the possibility of a broken bone. Besides, pet stairs are wonderful to use by the bed to keep your dog from pouncing on and off the bed, simultaneously jolting you awake.
If you already have a set of pet stairs—good for you!! This is an important tool to make your dog’s everyday activity easier and safer. The next step is teaching your pet how to use them. Some owners struggle with convincing their stubborn pet to use the steps, especially if the dog is a little older and is “set in his way” of doing things. The best way to convince your pet to use pet stairs is to show him how it can be worth his while.
We’ve always had the best results when using our dog’s favourite treat as encouragement to use the stairs. For our bedside pet steps, I would sit on the bed in front of the steps dangling our pup’s favourite biscuit. At first he would try to go around the stairs to jump on the bed. When this happened, I hid the treat behind my back and gave my dog a firm “No!” After a few attempts (and many acts of re-positioning my dog in front of the steps), my dog finally understood that he would receive praise and a treat when he used the stairs. It didn’t take him long to learn to use the stairs on a regular basis.
You may be interested in a more “extreme” method of training your dog to use his pet stairs. This method involves denying your dog total access to the furniture unless he uses the pet stairs to climb up. For instance, if your dog primarily likes to lie on your bed, but refuses to use the steps, tell him to get off—or bodily remove him if you have to. Place him in front of the steps and motion for him to climb up. Do not let him onto the bed until he uses the steps. As with any type of training, it’s good to encourage your dog with words of praise. Dogs respond more to their owner’s tone of voice more than the actual words, therefore a cheery “Good boy!” goes a long way in convincing your dog that he’s pleasing you when he uses the stairs.
For information about getting your dog a set of pet stairs, visit Help Your Pets.
Tips to Help You Bond With Your Dog
Have you recently added a new puppy to your family? If so, you might be stuck for ideas when it comes to building a solid relationship with him. Even if your dog isn’t a new addition, you may sense that your owner/pet relationship could use a bit of tweaking. We’re going to talk about a few tips you can exercise with your fuzzy pal that will help you to generate a trusting and loyal bond.
The first thing you need to learn, if you don’t know already, is that your dog will view your family as his pack. Even in the wild, packs of dogs have a leader, known as the alpha. In your pack, you should be the leader; this will make your dog not only obedient to you, but loyal and respectful. It’s crucial that you include your dog in family activities, but never give him reason to believe he should be the alpha (ie: eating from your plate, taking the lead on walks or entering doorways before you, playing tug-of-war or another game where he can physically overpower you, etc.). You must assume the air of a leader and let your dog understand that while he is a valued and loved member of your family, his place is last in the pecking order (human family members always come first). Acting as the leader will give your dog a stability he will appreciate and respect, and respect is everything when it comes to having a good relationship with your pet.
It’s also important that you show your dog that he can trust you. Trust is the fundamental element that creates a long-lasting bond and it must be maintained. One way that you can encourage your dog to trust you is by developing a steady routine that he can depend upon. You are his source of not only food and water, but it’s up to you to let him outside for play time and to do his “business.” Try to make sure he’s fed and watered around the same time everyday and let out to potty frequently. Your dog will have inherent trust in you if you prove that you are a good leader who can be depended upon to provide his basic needs.
Try to take up an activity that you and your dog can do together every day or a few times a week. Brushing your dog’s fur every night or taking him for one-on-one walks will help him feel appreciated and valued. Bath time and exercising can also be good bond-building routines. Keep your dog involved with your life every day through chores and other activities. Training is an excellent way to get your dog involved. If your dog is already housebroken, buy a set of dog stairs and train your dog to use them. Let him know that he is a cherished member of the family and you will see what a blessing the companionship of a dog can be!
For more great tips about raising pets, or to purchase a set of pet stairs, visit Help Your Pets here.
Are Pet Steps Right For Your Dog?
While your pet may seem to be in overall good health, there could be underlying issues developing that you are not aware of. These issues may actually stem from the abuse your pet’s muscles and joints suffer on a daily basis.
Many pet owners allow their dog to jump onto and off of furniture such as beds, couches, chairs, etc. These heights may seem insignificant to us, however for a dog, they can incur grave damage over time or immediately through a fall from one of these surfaces.
While small and large dogs are at a particular risk of sustaining bone or joint injury, any size or breed of dog is susceptible to harm through a fall or as a result of prolonged impact over time. Large dogs, like Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors, are inclined to developing arthritis later in life, and condoning a large dog to jump onto and off of furniture everyday could cause arthritis to crop up earlier in the dog’s life. As for small dogs, they are more likely to break a bone in a fall or by attempting to leap down from too great a height.
This being said, you don’t have to necessarily deny your furry friend access to his favourite places—which are likely the places that you frequent. Through the use of pet stairs you can give your pet the freedom to go about his normal routine with the addition of safety and peace of mind.
Dog stairs come in a variety of colors and materials, though carpeted pet stairs are the most popular as they provide extra grip for pet paws. They also come in a variety of sizes to accommodate the size of your dog and the surface that you want him to access. For instance, if you want your dog to have access to your bed, you will need to know the height of your bed from the floor to the top of the mattress. You should know that it can be dangerous to provide your dog with stairs that are either too small or large for him, which can cause him to stumble or fall from the stairs. The general rule of thumb to go by when choosing your steps is this:
Small dogs = steps no wider than 12 inches
Medium dogs = 14 inch-wide steps
Large dogs = steps at least 16 inches wide
For more information about choosing and purchasing a set of pet steps, please visit Help Your Pets – Here.
Get the Most Out of Your Dog Stairs
If you are considering purchasing a set of dog stairs, or if you already own some, you probably know about the basic benefits it can offer for your dog. Some of these include reduced chances of hip dysplasia and arthritis. We’re going to talk about some other top uses for pet stairs and how you can get the most out of your steps!
Have you ever heard of portable dog steps? Today’s modern designs of portable pet steps give new meaning to the term convenience! One type of portable pet step is made from a highly resilient type of foam. Some brands can actually support up to 300 pounds of weight! That’s enough to hold any dog! These steps are a perfect way to help your dog on and off high porches or in and out of tall cars. Other popular portable dog steps are made with either metal or plastic and usually can adjust in height to accommodate vehicles and other surfaces.
Aside from portable pet steps, there are many uses for your standard indoor steps, too! If you have a shorter breed of dog, try pushing the steps up against one of your windows. This is a great way for your dog to satisfy his nosiness at what’s going on outside. Find out the maximum weight limit on your steps. If they will hold you, you can use them for all sorts of chores around the house! I’m fairly short, so I’ve received tons of use out of my dog’s steps, including getting stuff on and off the top of the refrigerator, changing light bulbs, and giving my daughter a boost to the sink. If your pet stairs have a storage area, make good use of it! You can store pet toys and treats or any number of odds and ends! Don’t be afraid to get the most out of your steps!
For durable cat and dog steps, visit the Help Your Pets website.
Adjusting to a New Dog
While the thought of becoming a dog owner is a very exciting notion, it is also one that requires commitment and responsibility. Choosing a dog is an important decision, and there are questions you should ask yourself before you commit to caring for a dog. Read on to learn a few tips that will help you choose the best dog to compliment your family, as well as ways you can help your furry addition make a smooth settlement in your home.
You must bear in mind that when you take in a dog, you are taking upon yourself the responsibility of caring for a real creature—one that thinks, feels, and loves. Make sure that you or other family members are willing to take the time to train your dog (if he isn’t already trained) and offer attention/companionship and discipline. If you’ve sorted out the particulars on that front, then the next question you should ask yourself is this: what traits do I want my dog to have? Dogs vary depending on the way they were raised and the quality of life they have had, but there are particular traits that show up in certain breeds of dog. Do you want an intelligent dog (ie: easy to train)? Do you want a dog that is good with children? Are you looking for a low-energy lap dog or a beefy high-energy dog that can keep up with your active lifestyle? These are all questions you should ask yourself to help you search for the best breed of dog.
Your goal at this point should be to choose a breed of dog whose lifestyle will mesh nicely with your own. If you don’t lead a very active life, you might do better with a dog who can maintain good health with a short walk every day. On the opposite end of the table, you don’t want a dog who can’t keep up with you, either. Both you and your dog will be much happier if you can live similar lifestyles in contentment. The best way to find your ideal breed of dog is to do lots and lots of research. There are plenty of online resources you can access by doing a simple Google search. Try searching things like: best dog breed for children or small dog breeds. You will feel much more at ease bringing a dog into your home if you know roughly what kind of temperament you can expect from the breed.
Once you’ve decided on a dog, try letting every member of the family meet him before you bring him home. This is a great way for your new dog to get comfortable with you while he is still in the comfort of familiar surroundings. When it’s time to bring the dog home, ask his breeder or the shelter if they have a blanket, toy, or other familiar item that your dog can bring with him. If it’s a puppy, try to obtain an item that smells like his mother or the rest of his litter. This can be a HUGE help when you’re trying to settle the little guy in his new home. Let your dog roam around the house on his own for a bit (but keep an eye on him if he isn’t potty trained!). It’s perfectly natural for a dog to want to explore new territory and scents, and it will be less stressful for him if you aren’t hovering over his back all the time.
The more time you spend with your dog, the quicker you will begin to form a bond, which is very important! Try spending special play time with your dog or go for walks together. Training is an excellent way to let your dog know that you’re the boss, which gains his respect and obedience. You can get pet steps and teach our dog to walk up and down them. It’s a great source of indoor exercise and proves a health benefit when used to get onto furniture, as opposed to jumping. As long as you put thought and effort into choosing a dog you feel will fit your lifestyle the best, you can look forward to having many wonderful experiences with your pet!
If you’d like to read more about caring for dogs or purchasing dog stairs, visit HelpYourPets.com.
Where to Find Pet Stairs
The effort you put into choosing the right set of pet stairs doesn’t have to feel like a burden; it could really be seen as an investment of sorts. To continuously reap the health benefits and sheer convenience that dog stairs offer, it’s wise to make sure that your purchase is well thought out and thoroughly researched. Luckily, technology has ensured that we are no longer limited to the wares offered in local retail shops—though that’s not to say that they should be excluded from your consideration altogether. There are pros and cons to both shopping experiences, which we’re going to discuss in this article.
Your Budget
The amount that you have to spend will ultimately determine where you make your dog stair purchase. Unless you have a pet furniture store in your hometown, you might be surprised that any pet stairs you run across in a local shop will probably cost a bit more than you were expecting to spend. This is because traditional retail stores--especially those that aren’t of the “chain” variety--can only afford to keep stock of the things that their local consumers purchase regularly. Unfortunately, pet stairs haven’t become quite that popular yet. Thank goodness for the Internet, which allows businesses to offer a niche product and still make money because their “local customer base” include every continent with Internet access. You can browse online and compare prices of several stores in minutes. Not bad!
Decisions, Decisions…
The beauty of shopping online for your pet stairs is that you have a large selection right at your fingertips. This is especially helpful if you are looking for something out of the ordinary--a particular finish, color, weight capacity, etc. You can use a search query on most sites to instantly weed out the steps that don’t meet your needs. If you’re looking for large dog stairs, your search for such will pull up only the products that match that criteria. You might not be in the market for cherry wood steps with a weight capacity of 300 pounds, but the option is likely out there on the Internet somewhere. The variety offered in your local pet shops is likely to be very limited, unless you’re lucky enough to find a shop that takes custom orders--which is not unheard of.
Assembly?
Assembling something--with or without instructions--is not a very fun process. Unfortunately, both online and traditional stores are more likely to sell their steps in an “assembly required” state. For local shops, it saves on warehouse and sales floor space if they don’t have a massive amount of pre-built steps lying around. For Internet-based businesses, it costs a great deal more in packaging and shipping to send a full-sized pet stair through the mail, so many online retailers also ship their pet steps flat-packed. Don’t feel as though you have to resign to the idea of spending hours on assembly for the sake of your pet. There are still online pet stair websites that ship their items pre-assembled, such as HelpYourPets.com, you just have to look around and even send an enquiry to see if it’s possible to have them built before shipment. One perk of ordering online and having the steps delivered, though is that home delivery means you can bypass having to load and unload the stairs from your car!
Now that you’re aware of your options, it’s time to start doing some research to weed through the possibilities. Remember, it’s much easier to find a supplier if you base your search on the three key points we mentioned above. Good luck with your purchase!
Get Your Cat to Use the Litter Box
While training a dog can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, cat training is considerably more difficult. We’re not talking about training your cat to roll over or sit—we’re talking simple things like teaching your cat to use the litter box or a scratching post. It’s important that your goals are realistic so you don’t spend a great deal of time and frustration trying to teach your cat something he simply can’t learn to do.
The first thing you need to understand before you attempt to train your cat is that the mindset of a cat is much different than that of a dog. Where a dog takes a great deal of joy in pleasing his owner, a cat is not so selfless; he won’t do anything that doesn’t please himself. This is a very simple state of psychology, one that you will have to use to your advantage if you are to successfully teach your cat something.
If you want to train your cat to use the litter box, the first thing you’re going to want to do is make it accessible (but not so much that it becomes a nuisance to family members or guests in your home). You also want to keep it clean, but leave just a little soiled litter in the tray—not so much that it reeks, but just enough that your cat can learn to associate the litter box with going to the bathroom. If you catch your kitty going anywhere he isn’t supposed to, pick him up and move him to the litter box. Eventually he will catch on that this is where he should go. When he uses the litter box successfully, give him a nice scratch behind the ears or a pat. Cats are affectionate through touch rather than verbal praise, so you’ll get the best response through this method.
Some pet stairs have hollow areas meant to store your litter box. This helps to keep your little box smell contained as well as to give your cat a quiet place to do his business. If your cat is comfortable in the space his litter box is placed, he will be more likely to use it.
You may be struggling with a cat that is too liberal with scratching your sofa or carpet. Scratching is normal behaviour for a cat, as it helps keep their claws in shape and gives them a bit of exercise. It can also be a form of marking their territory. To encourage your cat to stop this, you’ll need to invest in a scratching post. There are many different types to choose from, and your cat will likely have his personal preference. If he doesn’t take well to the first scratching post you buy, try rubbing it with catnip. This is an herb that entices cats into a playful state where he is more likely to use the scratching post. You might even attach a toy to the post to help him get rid of excess energy. Placing the post in the room that your cat frequents most is another way to encourage him to use it.
For more great tips on raising your cat or to purchase pet stairs with litter box storage, visit Help Your Pets.
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.
