The Wonderful World of Dog Steps
02 Apr 2010
You might be fiddling around with the idea of getting your dog a set of pet steps. If so, you’re probably concerned about the sturdiness of the steps…and maybe a little worried that it’s going to look ghastly with your living room décor. Don’t fret—we’ve written this article to show you that pet stairs come not only in a variety of materials, but also in a variety of finishes.
There are three common materials that pet stairs are made from: plastic, metal, and wood. First, we’re going to talk about plastic pet stairs. Plastic stairs have the advantage of being light-weight, which means that you can easily move them from room to room as you need to. The down side is that most of these require that you assemble them yourself, which can be a bit of a pain if you aren’t feeling up to a project. Also, they usually have a limited range in colors, the most popular being beige. Plastic steps make a fair selection for a small dog, but if you have a heavier or larger dog, you might find less availability in steps of the plastic variety that are capable of handling a larger weight range. Lightweight plastic probably isn’t a good choice of construction for a large dog.
Our next material is metal. Metal steps are very sturdy and can hold a great deal of weight, making safe for pets of all sizes to use. Metal is still lightweight, but not so much as plastic steps—but at least you don’t sacrifice durability and sturdiness! Many metal dog stairs boast a collapsible feature, meaning it can fold in on itself to lay flat. This is great if you like to store it in your car or a small place when it’s not in use. If you have a need for flexibility in incline (adjustable height feature), you might want to consider a model that locks at several different inclines. This is especially handy if you want to use it for different cars. You’re probably wondering why I’ve mentioned cars twice. Well, metal steps are usually used for loading pets into cars—which is why they’re usually referred to as “pet loaders.” Sure, you can use them in your home, but they tend to add a “cold” feel to the room.
The last pet stair material we’re going to talk about is wood. Wood dog steps offer a great deal of convenience and safety. They are solid enough that your dog won’t be likely to slide or knock over the steps, and they have a higher weight capacity (some even a sturdiness capable of supporting up to 250lbs!). Of the wooden variety, you can choose between a stained wooden finish or a carpeted one. Both the stains and the carpeting come in a wide variety of colors, so you shouldn’t have a problem matching your decorating scheme.
Just ask yourself what your needs are and be sure to pick steps that meet those needs as best as possible. Happy shopping!
