For xterra owners with dogs

http://www.discountramps.com/twistep.htm

Does anyone have one of these? My dog is getting older, and I forgot about the height of the xterra and it would be difficult for him to get up in the car with ease.
I looked at some different solutions, and this one looked pretty practical, as for the dog, plus it holds 500lbs and it is a supplemental support for a human to sit on, or stand on to get up to the roof rack.
I know it lowers the clearance a bit, but I will not be doing any serious off roading, so that should not make a big difference.
Any opinions on this gadget?

Much regards Flatfoot

If you're to stay on paved road, I think it is a very useful item.

I know of someone who has it, and she has 2 German shepherd just like in this picture.

http://www.discountramps.com/Twistep_1.jpg

I've seen her dogs use this step to go up and down... I'm sure it's a big help for dogs, too.

$200 seems kinda steep. Why not just use a milk crate?
[img]http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/cinemasupplies_1941_4835362[/img]

If you really want something hitch-mounted, go with a cargo carrier you could use for more than just a step. They start around $50, but I got mine on sale at Harbor Freight fo $30.

A piece of 2x6 works great

When Dagger gets too old to jump into a lifted truck, it will be time to shoot him.

Just Kidding.

LOL,
I need permission to do away with "Harley"
He was my military K9 and is retired. I had him with me in both Kosovo, Macedonia and in two tours of Iraq. Normally the K9 stays in country, but he was being retired with the rank of staff sergeant, and I have the privelege of him staying with me until the end.

Much regards

Honestly, that is a really great story. How many people have been through all that with their dog. For all that, you should buy him a lift for your truck.

I can see something like this if your dog is older and has problems getting around.

On the other hand, I have a smaller dog with short legs (part Corgi) and she has not problems hopping up into the truck from the ground, even though I have a PML and 32" tires.

BumperDumper is only $60. Just make sure the seat is down when he jumps up!

LOL

x2

x1000!

Here's something cheaper>>>Leave him home. :p

Here's something cheaper>>>Leave him home.

I hope your joking....

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my 1 year old GS pup. The german shepherd dog's hips aren't too good as it is, and jumping in and out of a high vehicle doesn't make things any better. A cheaper solution would be one of those ramps that they sell on all of the pet websites. But then, you have to figure out where to put it when not in use... Let us know what you come up with. Congrats on your partner's retirement!

Thanks. We are going to introduce him to the truck tomorrow. I put one of his blankets in the back seat, to get his smell in the car. He dont like to bed down, in unfamilar smells anymore.
By the way, BOHICA was our platoon motto in Iraq, especially during our second 14 months. LOL

Yeah, I lived BOHICA for many years... Now, I live SNAFU with my civilian job. What type of work did you do with the dog? I know a lot of retired police dogs that have had trouble acclimating to non-work status. The explosives dogs seem to have an easier time than the patrol/ protection ones...

go to a lumber yard. get a board. let your dog walk up it. the put the board in the back of you car. Done.

We worked as combat Military Police 95B. Specializing in urban combat and n.b.c.
But this dog has a sweet nature to him, and people would not recognize him as a trained soldier.
I would leave him in a room with my grandchildren and have no fear, but I wouldnt really do that.
Mostly he likes to sleep and eat, and be with us, and get scratched, but only when he wants it. LOL

Much regards

Thats great that you got to bring your dog back. My uncle had one of the very few dogs to return from Nam.

As for getting your dog in and out of the X, my 14 yr old golden can't get in anymore and he didn't take to the cargo carrier. 1st time he tried it it shifted on him and that was the end. I lift him in and out every time. He still loves to ride...

Good luck!

I have an older great dane that used to just jump in the truck w/o problems. But now the truck's too tall, and he's too old. He'll put his front paws up, then I'll lift his back legs up and in. Works fine, and is free...

I had the same issue with my older dogs (lived till they were 14), my new pups have a hard time as well. Since they usually travel in the back seat with leash belts, I got into the habit of removing the seat cushions. It lowers the height by 3-6" and they have an easier time jumping in and out.

What about a Telescoping pet ramp ? We have one for our 10 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. It took him some getting used to. He's fairly stubborn and continued to try to jump into the truck. After some doing, he figured it out and uses it fairly well now...

My german sheperd will throw his front paws on back bumper and then I'll grab his hind legs and help him in. Wrap my arms around his chest and hind legs to get him out. No need for a ramp.

When I adopted my Golden he was 130 lbs and knew I would need something to help him get in. I thought of a milk crate too, but even the wide ones are small for him to fit both front and back paws on, and if it tipped over on a dismount he'd never go near it again. sooo. I got an oval trough and turned it upside down. Super strong plastic and since its as wide as the X, he's always been happy using it. It's only used in my garage. He has since lost about 40 lbs and can hop in and out. I would still recomend getting a step to anyone just to cut down on the stress of jumping out of the truck. I thought the trough would be handy for bath time, but have never used it for that.

Just to update, I started this thread, and thanks for all responses.
When "harley" went down to garage, he was confused on what happened to his old familiar car.
I had put one of his old "blankies" in the rear seat, so he would have a familiar smell.
Well after the third prod to get him,he jumped in the direction of where your feet would be, if you were sitting in the second row.
His rear paws went to the side rails. After that he put his rear feet up, and climbed with no problem up to the rear seat, where after two minutes he promptly fell asleep.
What a good dog.
He know knows this is his truck, and will watch it for me, when I have occassion to leave him inside, if the weather is cool enough.
He still looks for the old car first, but waits for the new trucks door to open to hop in.
He also likes the stadium seating, so he can see me much better.

Much regards