Our old golden retriever,wont climb the steps on rv

moon.lake wrote:
Well we made a ramp and put carpet on it, she put her front paws on it,,, then did a big u-turn and dragged us back to the house! We even tried her fav treat, some stinky canned cat food and she turned her nose up! Our vet said give the cosequin a good try but its been a month and no change. We would like to try the rimadyl, we have less than 2 weeks before our reserved camping spot on the St. Lawrence river! Thanks for your replies,, I would never have predicted our old girl would react this way. :(

How steeply did you set the ramp? If you set it all the way to the top step, there is no way she will be able to do it. Unless the ramp is ten feet long. If she can handle one or two steps, a ramp can work for you. But if she can't, no ramp that you can carry is going to get her all the way to the top. IMO.

I agree on all the Rimadyl comments. It has helped our dog a lot. That would be step one in my book. Also, we use a special dog food that has glucosamine and condroitin. That helped too.

we have a 14 year old bk lab we purchased a runner carpet we attach to stairs with bungies so she can't slip thru the steps also the runner is removable Also found if guide her by holding collar helps. She is nearly blind and hearing is failing plus wobbly hind end. we know her camping days are limited but she's traveled everywhere with us.

We have an elderly Golden. Her difficulty with the steps seems to be her declining vision. She will go up the spes if there is a light on the steps, and high contrast so see can discern the situation.
If it is dark or in shadow, forget it. Same with the steps to the dog door at home. Uses them ok during day but barks at the door at night to be let in.

One thing you might consider would be to look around for a trainer in your area, possibly someone with a background in agility, even, and see if that person could do a session or two.

We have used a PetStep (Google it) with several German Shepherds, worked great.

If it's an arthritis issue, a couple of days of prescriptions painkillers should put her right and she would then go in readily. If it's a fear response, that's something you would have to work with her on.

Repetition is key. If there's a dog that your dog likes, that can sometimes be a help. Teach dog first to follow the treat then get it, but make it very tiny steps. Keep it fun. Change up treats and use tiny bits of really good stuff... cat food, steak, chicken (nice because it has a strong smell to a dog), but keep it very small. In training SAR dogs on agility, moving a foot can be an occasion for a treat.

Buy a bottle of DAP spray (dog appeasing pheremone), which is being called adaptyl or something like that now. But if you search amazon under DAP you'll find it, and if you go to the pet store you'll find it there in the dog area.

Once you've established this little game, try it near the ramp or steps. But before you do that, hose the ramp down with the spray.

The trick when trying stuff is to really watch the dog and see how far she's ready to go, but not push to the point where she panics and balks. Once you hit that place, nothing will work. Stay in the fun zone and let it expand, rather than trying to force her out. Dogs do learn, even very fearful dogs. But they don't learn well while stressed. You'll get farther faster taking baby steps several times, than trying to force the issue all at once.

Also spray some DAP around in the entryway of the RV.

One other thing you could do would be to set it up and spend some time in it, making dinner and hanging out. Let her stay on the ground nearby, but smell your presence in the rig and any cooking smells. Keep the door open, go in and out a lot. As she gets more familiar with the smell of the rig and you being in it, you may find she's less resistant.

moon.lake wrote:
Well we made a ramp and put carpet on it, she put her front paws on it,,, then did a big u-turn and dragged us back to the house! We even tried her fav treat, some stinky canned cat food and she turned her nose up! Our vet said give the cosequin a good try but its been a month and no change. We would like to try the rimadyl, we have less than 2 weeks before our reserved camping spot on the St. Lawrence river! Thanks for your replies,, I would never have predicted our old girl would react this way. :(

Our old Minkydog did this when he developed mod-severe arthritis in his hips and lower back. He as a big standard poodle, around 80-lbs, so picking him up wasnt' easy. We used a ramp for him as well as a towel-lift. DH & I rolled a beach towel up the long way and passed it under his stomach. Then we could stand on either side and lift him into the trailer, about 3 steps. It wasn't easy, but he was fine once we got him in there. He would walk down the steps to go potty, but we went through the whole "Idonwanna!" every time we went back to the TT. Glucosamine/Chondroitin plus daily Tramadol(Ultram) helped put some spring in his step pretty quickly. He hung in there until age 11, when it just got too bad for him. We stopped camping altogether for about a year because he was too anxious to leave home with anyone and it was too painful for him to go up and down those steps all day and night.

Our Golden is now 10.5 years old and the step on our trailer were becoming difficult. We bought this and it solved the problem. It's 20" wide and extends to 87".

Extendable ramp

Our previous 14 yr old rescue Golden (rest in peace) had arthritic hips and plates and screws in both hind legs. Bought a Petstep ramp and she went in and out of our 5er with no problem. Very well made ramp with non slip surface.
Tried a plastic telescoping carpeted ramp from Petsmart first but she did like it. Too slick.
Our new rescue Golden uses the Petstep now.

you need more than one try go out several times a say, put treats on the ramp. don,t force the dog . my daughter says practice ,practice ,practice. its fear that can be over come.