Outdoor Dog Ramp

David McIntosh
by David McIntosh
5 Materials
$30
2 Hours
Easy

Our new puppy is learning to use the indoor ramps I made...

Project and picture of my dog are over here at this project:

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/craft/pet-stuff/homemade-dog-ramp-44366370


I decided to put one outback, to allow her to run outside and come back and bark to be let back in.... since it is too cold to wait with her 4x a day.


Here is what I am dealing with...

We have a dog door already. I wanted something on the hinge side so eventually she could just use the dog door. For now I have the flap up, but I will prop the door open till she get s comfortable with it all.

I started with a pressure treated 2x4 8ft long... which was about $8. I split it in half so I could keep the ramp below the door swing and also to save money on not having to get 2x.

I cut it 5ft long, which is a good angle. I also spaced them 22 inches apart so it would go to the dog door, but still give use room to pass by.


The ramp really only covers 15 inches of the door, I had it go to the railing so I could secure it there and have it serve as a guide.

I save everything. These are old deck boards from my neighbor... I helped them replace their old boards with composite (Similar to what mine looks like) so I had these left over to turn into a future project.

Here is the basic frame.


2x2-ish pressure treated. 22 inches wide, 5 feet long. Glue and outdoor screws secure it together. You cannot see it here but the LEFT side of this picture, that connects to the house (The top of the ramp).... I cut at a 22 deg angle, so it would be flush against the door frame.

All set to begin assembly.


I secured the base to the door frame, and to the railing side. I also added a small board on the second step to secure the left side. Later picture4s show it in place.


I cut boards 22 inches wide... trimming off the bad parts form the old boards. I started with trimming the top board so it had the same angle, so it was flush to the house.


I PRE-Drilled for the screws on each board. I left a small space between each board for expansion and to allow water to drain off.


I used the small headed deck screws designed for decks.

At the end, the board ran past the edge, so I added some small blocks to support it all the way to the end. If I was smarter I would have put the bottom cross brace on the end and NOT between... so instead of 19inches between, I would have done 22Inches and put it on the bottom. Live and learn.

Here it is with the boards in place. You can see the support brace I have... just some left over pressure treated wood I cut at an angle to match the slope, and secured to the left end on the inside.

I had some external carpet I tore off the Bed ramp project (which I replaced with some foam padding instead of carpet)


I didn't want this to go to waste and it MATCHED the other frames so I hoped it would speed adoption of it since it looked similar to the others she already uses. I stapled it down to the boards.


I also blocked the stairs and propped the door open so she is "encouraged" to use the ramp... and not try to come up the stairs.


It took some treats and practice, but honestly... the best thing was to just leave her alone and go inside. We watched form the window her come up and down it on her own. She would then come bark at the porch door for us to let her in. Working GREAT!


I am so glad she is using it.

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  • Mary McDonald Mary McDonald on Jan 18, 2021

    Will she always be a small dog? Or will she eventually need to use the stairs anyway? It’s a good idea nonetheless

  • Carole White Carole White on Jan 23, 2022

    Great project! Is she an older dog? I had to laugh when you said it's too cold to wait for her to do her business. I don't have a fenced yard so have to physically walk my dogs 5x a day, no matter what the weather! Luckily when it's awful out, they tend to be quick

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  • Huntress Huntress on Jan 23, 2022

    I have a rescue dog who's shall we say hyper ? 😁 I want to build her a small agility course in the spring, to keep her busy. This is how ill build the ramp going up to the higher level. Tweak it a smidge and it'll work. Great idea, may do the outside steps too since I have an old small dog who I usually carry out. Thank you. Good stuff 😍

  • Sandy Sailer Sandy Sailer on Jan 23, 2022

    Aaaawwww. We did this for a Sheltie who was a senior, and starting to have difficulty with stairs. It worked very well. :)

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