Picture this scenario: You’ve decided to buy your dog a set of pet stairs. You’re fairly confident that any type will do, so you hop onto Ebay and bid on the cheapest stairs available. Who cares if they’re shipping from Hong Kong? –The shipping is free on this auction! Four weeks later, your steps arrive in a small package. Okay…you weren’t expecting to have to assemble them yourself.  No matter—you get your tools together and chuck out the instructions which were written in a language you can’t even begin to decipher. Halfway through assembling the cheap plastic bits, you realize that it doesn’t look nearly as appealing—or safe—as it did in the auction picture. You carry it out to your SUV and nudge it up to the open door, only to be disheartened at the realization that the steps are way too short to accommodate your car. What are you going to use them for now? They’re too brittle to be used as an everyday stepping stool, and you’re not even sure they’re high enough to aid your dog in getting on the bed.

In order to avoid this situation from happening, you’ve got to educate yourself on what it takes to purchase the right set of stairs to meet your (and your dog’s) needs. We’re going to go over a few questions that you should ask yourself. Once you have the answers, you will know exactly what to look for when purchasing steps for your dog.

Question One: What does your dog weigh?

Your dog’s weight has a lot to do with choosing dog stairs because some steps have weight limitations. It’s best to simply narrow down your search starting by whether or not they can support your dog’s weight. Most stairs should have been tested to compensate for the amount of pressure a dog will exert onto the stairs when ascending and descending, so be sure to inquire if there isn’t a weight limitation posted on the box or the website, if you’re browsing online.

Question Two: What is your dog’s height/length?

Height and length has a lot to do with how safe the steps will be for your dog, as these generally determine the overall size of your dog. Could you imagine the result of putting a Great Dane on steps intended for a Chihuahua? Catastrophic! Your dog could stumble or fall from the stairs resulting in a serious injury. Check the width of the steps (from back to front) to make sure that there’s plenty of room for your dog to step. You can’t really get an accurate measure of your dog’s stride, but the general rule is as follows:

Large Breed: 16” Steps or Larger
Medium Breed: 14” Steps
Small Breed: 12” or Smaller

What will your dog primarily use the steps for?

This, again, is very important to ensure that you get the correct steps for your needs. Do you need the steps to aid your dog in getting to your extra-high bed? Perhaps you should look into purchasing high pet steps. Will the stairs be used for the car? Lightweight, mobile pet stairs will likely be the best option for you. The best way to figure this out is to simply dust off your tape measure and measure the distance from the floor to the top of the surface your dog needs to access. If you’re using the stairs for your bed which is 2.5 feet from the floor, try to get stairs that meet this height—or get as close as you possibly can without going higher than the bed.

At the end of the day, the purpose of pet stairs is to safely aid your pet in reaching a destination. If it takes an extra hour of your time to shop around for the perfect steps, it’s well worth the use your dog will receive from this item.