Mobility & comfort

The floor, the stairs and the jump into the car

It starts small. A dog who takes the corner into the kitchen a little wider, who waits at the boot instead of jumping, who lies down further from the door than he used to. None of it is old age arriving overnight. It is grip, height and impact, and all three can be taken out of his day without a vet visit.

Before you pick, work out:

  • The height from the ground to your boot sill, before you pick a ramp length
  • The width of the paw, spread, for socks that actually stay on
  • Whether the problem is the floor, the height, or the joint underneath
  • A dog who suddenly refuses stairs is a vet question first

6 products

Five things that take the strain out of the day

Each one is written up in full on its own page, including what it does not fix.

  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Free shipping worldwide

Prices are in Canadian dollars with duties included, so there is nothing to pay when it arrives.

Why this works

Grip is two things, and a smooth floor removes both

A dog holds the floor with the pads, which press down for friction, and with the nails, which dig in when they push off or turn. On grass both work. On laminate the pads have nothing to hold and the nails have nothing to catch, so every stop becomes a slide and every corner becomes a scramble.

That is why the answers here are not all the same thing. Socks put grip back under the paw. A ramp removes the impact of the drop out of a boot, which lands in the front legs and the shoulders. A padded layer gives an older dog a reason to lie down instead of bracing for the whole drive. Which one you need depends on where your dog is actually struggling, and the product pages say so plainly.

  • 30-day money backIf it doesn't solve the problem, we refund you.
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  • Our own designWe draw it, spec it, and use it at home for months before it goes on sale.

Questions about this category

My dog has started slipping. Is it the floor or is it him?

Both, usually. Young dogs slip too and recover fast enough that nobody notices. If your dog has started bracing before crossing a floor, or refusing a jump he used to make, that is worth a vet conversation as well as a change of surface.

What should I fix first?

The cheapest thing: nails and the fur between the pads. Long nails hold the pad off the floor, which removes the grip the pads were supposed to provide. Do that before you buy anything.

Do grip socks work on stairs?

They help, but stairs are usually about tread depth and lighting more than surface. A dog who has started refusing the stairs is telling you something that socks alone will not answer.

Which ramp length do I need?

Measure from the ground to the boot sill and take the longest ramp your car can carry. Length buys a shallower angle, and the angle decides whether your dog walks up it.

Does a Canadian winter make any of this worse?

It makes all of it worse. Salt and packed snow between the pads take away grip before your dog reaches the door, wet paws on laminate are the slipperiest they get, and a cold car seat is harder on an old dog's hips than the drive is.