Small dogs might look cute when they’re jumping and trying to reach higher ground with those little legs and wagging tails. Your furry friends sometimes need assistance in reaching higher grounds.
The best thing you can do for your small dog is to gift them a ramp. You can find a variety of dog ramps on the market, ranging from foldable, to ramps with steps. Every ramp has its benefits and drawbacks, although selecting the best dog ramp for small dogs might be confusing.
To make this easier, we have narrowed down some of our top options for you:
Comparison Chart
Dog Ramp With the Longest Length
PawHut Non-Slip Carpet Dog Ramp
The PawHut Non-Slip Carpet Dog Ramp is perfect for dogs who have a favorite spot of the house, whether it’s the couch or chair, but also have a little bit of trouble getting to their place of solace.
You might even be exploring options right at this very moment for your furry fellow, that way you can provide a solution to make it easier for your dog to reach its favorite spot.
PawHut’s non-slip carpet dog ramp is a great choice for helping your dog reach its favorite high-ground area.
The most significant benefit of this ramp is that its length is a whopping 73 inches and almost 16 inches wide, making it less inclined and easier for your dog to reach the top without making much effort or straining its feet.
It has a carpeted surface with a flat top where your dog can rest. Its design is best suited for senior and tiny dogs with limited mobility because it provides a gentle angle for climbing up and down.
Apart from its easy mobility, this ramp is made of high-quality pine wood for better durability and long-lasting use. The combination of grey carpet and cherry finish can give a decent look to your interior.
What We Like
- Anti-slip carpet
- Long length for less strain on dog’s feet
- Suitable for older dogs
- A decent combination of cherry wood and grey carpet
What We Don’t Like
- Not very portable
- Assembly is required
- Not foldable
- Height can’t be adjusted
If you’re looking for something that you don’t need to move much frequently, and that has a moderate incline angle for your older dog, PawHut’s non-slip carpet dog ramp is the right choice.
Best Lightweight Dog Ramp
Pet Gear Stramp Stair and Ramp Combination
Your little-legged furry fellow might have multiple favorite spots around the house. They might also bark to ask for help to reach the top, leaving you to pick up your beloved creature and assist.
To make this situation easier, a portable ramp with easy mobility and lighter weight is recommended. Pet Gear’s Stramp Stair and Ramp Combination brings you a lightweight ramp for your little pooch, which you can easily drag around the house.
Its sturdy plastic finish has a firm feel that can tolerate heavier weights and does not break easily. You’ll find the rubber grips at the bottom of this dog ramp, which makes it stick firmly to the ground, even if your pooch comes running and jumping with all that excitement.
A significant benefit of this dog ramp is that its soft “supertraX” mat can be easily removed and is machine washable. Once washed, the mat can be attached easily without additional tools.
The length of this ramp is 28 inches (reaches 16 inches), making it a steep incline that will keep your little dog active.
However, an important thing to note before buying this ramp is that it does not directly touch the ground. The dog will have to step up a little to climb the ramp. If you have a very small dog, such as a dachshund, you might have a difficult time using this product.
If you own a dachshund, you might be interested in reading about the best foods for your short-legged pooch. Or, you can also look at homemade options.
What We Like
- Lightweight
- Soft supertraX mat
- Rubber grips to avoid slipping
- Easy cleaning (machine washable)
- Snaps together easily without any tools
What We Don’t Like
- The first point of the ramp doesn’t touch the floor
- Steep incline is not effective for older dogs
This ramp could be the right fit if you’re looking for a portable ramp with a washable mat that can come off and snap back on easily.
Best Adjustable Dog Ramp
Pawnotch Adjustable Dog Ramp
Sometimes one dog just isn’t enough, and you’ll end up wanting more and more of these jolly fellows.
If you have more than one breed of dog at your house and are looking for a ramp that suits all sizes, Pawnotch’s Adjustable Dog Ramp is the right choice. It can be adjusted to six different heights and hold a load of up to 200 lbs.
This flexibility makes it a suitable choice for dogs of all sizes and weights. This ramp has a paw traction mat that makes it easier for your pooch to climb up and down without slipping.
If you travel frequently with your furry friend and look forward to having adequate luggage space, this ramp has a collapsible design that can easily be adjusted in your vehicle’s trunk.
What We Like
- Height adjustment
- Holds up to 200 LBS
- Suitable for almost all sizes of dogs
- Foldable
What We Don’t Like
- Average quality of wood used
- Only one color option
Pawnotch’s adjustable dog ramp is the best choice if you are looking forward to a collapsible ramp that can easily adjust to different heights and hold up heavier loads.
Best Budget Friendly Dog Ramp
Mewang Wooden Foldable Portable Dog Ramp
Mewang’s Wooden Foldable Portable Dog Ramp is the best “bang for your buck” dog ramp, hands down. If you are unsure whether your dog will like using a ramp and don’t want to spend much on one, this is the right choice.
This device can be adjusted to different heights, and the length of the ramp itself is almost 32 inches. This ramp is suitable for your dog’s needs to reach shorter heights, like a sofa or a bed.
It is made of solid wood covered in white, and a black carpet is added on top. This color combination can add a decent look to your interior.
This is the best portable choice as a ramp because it can be folded to 3.5” height and carried around easily.
What We Like
- Attractive color combination
- Adjustable design
- Compact size
What We Don’t Like
- Shorter length
If you are looking for a lightweight dog ramp without spending many bucks, this is the right choice for your small dog.
Best Dog Ramp with Steps
Mejyjem Non-Slip Three Steps Dog Ramp
If you want to make climbing an interesting experience for your dog, you can add some sort of hurdles or stair-like design to make it more fun.
Mejyjem’s Non-Slip Three Steps Dog Ramp has a stair-like, high-density foam design. This ramp can add excitement and comfort to your short-legged fellow’s climbing experience.
The cover of this stair ramp is made of high-quality, non-slip corduroy that can be removed easily and is machine washable.
The ramp is 15.7 inches tall, with a 3.5-inch incline in each step. The decent gray color can easily blend with the interior of your house.
Once you buy this ramp, which is vacuum compressed into cylindrical packaging, you have to disassemble the compressed film. This will cause it to rebound back into shape in around 22 to 44 hours, depending on the temperature.
What We Like
- Stairs like design
- Density foam
What We Don’t Like
- Dogs can chew and tear the foam
- Takes time to assemble
Mejyjem’s non-slip three steps dog ramp can be a great addition for your dog. The stair-like design and high-density foam make it a great choice for comfortable use.
Importance of Dog Ramp
There are certain situations where getting a ramp for your dog is important. If you have a small dog that struggles to reach higher ground, it might hurt itself while trying to jump and reach the top.
Dog ramps play a huge role in preventing the development of IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) in your Dachshund. IVDD is a back illness that impacts 25% of all Dachshunds. Their elongated spines make them especially prone to IVDD, which will eventually put pressure on their spine and cause extreme pain when they move around.
Repetitive movements and seemingly harmless actions may increase your dog’s risk for this debilitating disease. Thankfully, a dog ramp will stop your Dachshund from the constant jumping up and down of furniture (if you have stairs, it may be worth buying a baby gate to prevent them from running up and down as well).
Exercise is crucial for your dog’s health, and sometimes a situation like extreme weather conditions arises, and you cannot take your dog out for a walk. In such a situation, you should provide adequate exercise for your dog inside the house.
Running up and down the ramp is a great exercise for building muscle. You can develop a play area for your pooch where he has to run up and down the ramp to fulfill a daily exercise requirement.
Some senior dogs might have osteoarthritis, a common joint disease in dogs that causes joint discomfort. If your dog is a victim of such a disease, it’s vital that you get a ramp for your furry friend to make it to higher ground without any discomfort.
How to Select the Best Dog Ramp for Small Dogs?
Your short-legged furry friend wants to join you on the couch, but those little legs don’t support them well enough to make it to the top. No doubt they look cute while trying, and you can have a good laugh, but it might be annoying for the pooch.
You need to get a dog ramp to make it easier for your dog to reach the high ground. If you plan on buying one, a question will pop into your mind, which is the best dog ramp for small dogs?
Dr. Travis Atkins, an emergency veterinarian and co-founder of SquarePet Nutrition, states that dog ramps should have a non-slip surface, and at least some horizontal steps where the dog can stabilize itself.
The choice of ramp depends on the situation. If you own only one dog and want a ramp for only one location of the house, a fixed ramp is the right choice.
On the contrary, if you have more than one dog of different sizes or want to use the ramp in multiple locations around the house, you might need the flexibility to adjust the height of your ramp. An adjustable ramp is the right fit for such a situation.
If your dog is getting older, you should think about getting an adjustable ramp so you can adjust the height as they grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my dog is happy with the selected dog ramp?
When you first buy a ramp, it’s highly likely that your dog won’t understand what it’s for. You first need to demonstrate to your pooch’s this ability and assist it in walking to the top of the ramp a few times,
Once you have guided your dog around the ramp, you now need to observe how frequently your dog uses it. If the dog walks up and down the ramp all day, it’s clear that your dog is fond of it and finds it useful.
If, in any case, your dog does not use the ramp and tries to jump directly to higher ground, it means that it does not like the ramp.
Is the ramp usable with the car?
If you go with a portable and lightweight choice, you can easily use it with the car. Ramps can be adjusted inside the trunk, and you can take them out whenever your dog climbs in or out of the vehicle on road trips.
Ending Note
This detailed guide will greatly help you understand the best dog ramp for small dogs. Next time you shop for one, you will have a better understanding of what you need and can decide on one easily.
If you need a fixed ramp with a high-quality finish and a comfortable incline, the PawHut Non-Slip Carpet Dog Ramp is the best choice. If you look forward to portability at a reasonable price, you should go with the Mewang Wooden Foldable Portable Dog Ramp.
Always remember to allow your dog some time to become acquainted with the ramp.