Choosing a set of dog stairs does require a certain amount of effort in making sure that the stairs will meet both yours and your dog’s needs. Some of your concerns might be that the stairs won’t be sturdy enough or that they will stick out like a sore thumb in your home. Hopefully by the end of this article your concerns will be soothed and you’ll be ready to shop around!

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.

Metal stairs are generally used for loading and unloading your dog into the car, but they can be used for other purposes as well. They aren’t nearly as light as plastic steps, but they are very easy to store or take with you in your car as many (but not all) are built with the ability to collapse into itself. The adjustable incline (again, not all metal steps have this feature, but most do) allows you to adjust the steps to various heights, which means more versatility! Metal stairs are great for all sizes of pets and usually have a fairly high weight capacity. They probably wouldn’t be the most attractive type of stairs to have in your home, however.

Last, and probably the most popular choice in pet stair material, is wood. Wood dog steps are extremely durable. They can hold an excessive amount of weight and they won’t easily be knocked over. Many come with padded steps to prevent your pet from slipping and to add just a touch of comfort to his movements. They also come in a variety of colored wood and carpeted finish. The color range of carpeting is vast, so no matter what your décor requires, there’s a color to suit it!

Just ask yourself what your needs are and be sure to pick steps that meet those needs as best as possible. Happy shopping!

Tags: carpeted pet steps, dog stairs, dog steps, pet steps, wood dog steps