How to Make Dog Stairs

Our dog, Maple, can be pretty tentative around new people so she gets to come to Makers Workshop only on very special occasions. However, with the Makerspace being closed for the duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic she can come whenever she wants. The only hiccup has been that Michael's truck is pretty high off the ground and her hips give her trouble. We decided that she needed a nice dog step to help her out, and quickly got to putting that together for her.
This was a short and sweet build and we hope you enjoy. Stay happy and stay safe :)
-Michael and Brooke
Tools Used:
Saw Stop Table Saw
Laguna Band Saw
Dewalt Random Orbital Sander
Power Drill
Artemis 300 3D Printer
Materials Used:
3/4" Plywood
Titebond III Wood Glue
Total Boat Halcyon Marine Varnish: amzn.to/3cbEXUK
Hatchbox 3D Filament

[@413DaveRN]

Woodworking and dogs. Two of the greatest things in the world!

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Exactly. It is important to fill life with the important things.

[@davebauerart]

Looks great! The world is definitely ready for more Maple!

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

She always steals the show. Just how she likes it.

[@IMEEMADE]

Aww Maple is so precious! The stairs came out great, I'm sure she'll grow to love them soon. Great project you guys!

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Once she figured out what the heck they were she was cruising. It just took her a minute. Thanks so much guys!

[@patrickmeehan3728]

About time Maple makes an appearance! Awesome video, stay safe up there!

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Maple is always a crowd favorite. She really steals the show ugh. And stay safe where you are too Patrick. Things are getting crazy out there

[@thomascostello5780]

Very nice, TY. Gracie aging and can't jump up on the bed so this is just what I need. Very cool...

[@alexberry3804]

This video is very underrated.

[@Rondersdotcom]

I think Maple is just wondering where the red carpet is 😂 Awesome to see you both in the video, nice work! 👊🏻👊🏻

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Sounds pretty accurate tbh. How did we not think of that?

[@eibaby5678]

Carpet treads would make this a perfect DIY, IMO.

[@MakerCuisine]

Maple is so cute, glad she has a stepping stool she can use now, whenever she decides to haha

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

She has a few months practice with it now and finally has the hang of it. What a champ

[@coastalcoyote]

Building this this weekend I hope. My 14 y/o just had a tumor removed so she isn't allowed to jump. This isn't stopping her from doing so, usually onto and off of my bed while I'm asleep -_- fingers crossed all goes well, and I can get the wood to fit into my little car!

[@garyholloway3327]

I love that you did this for your dog Maple. Well done guys, love it!

[@dcwatashi]

Definitely gave me some ideas I don’t have all those special tools I need to build something for my cat. I would be putting carpet on the steps but mine is only going to be inside. Maybe you could put some all weather turf on the step to get a little traction

[@zh85]

You can also cover those steps in Carpet, and it will help them maintain grip better.

[@moonblink]

yes

[@dcwatashi]

I suggested the all weather turf carpet because he does take that outside and his dog might have muddy paws and it’s much harder to clean carpet versus hosing off the outdoor turf

[@kcetdepartures]

Maple reminds me of my aging dog with hip issues. Steps look great! I'd recommend some traction! May be why she's hesitant. Carpet or traction tape? I used that for the slick foot areas of the car and it's been helping. Cheers!

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

That’s a great thought! Maple has luckily figured it out but I think the traction tape is a great idea. Really easy to add too. What kind of dog do you have?

[@theduftmeister]

Great videos on your channel so subscribed :) my ageing dog has hip problems so will possibly need to something similar in future. Like Chris, my dog is perplexed / apprehensive with open spaces between stair risers too. must be a sight/perception thing with them.

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Welcome to the family; we’re happy to have you! Maple definitely didn’t like the looks of it at first probably Bc of the open space between stairs like you said. Once she was coaxed into doing it a time or two she seemed to figured out and remember that it was safe and ok. These steps have worked great for a few months now. We keep them in the trunk of the big car.

[@letseattr4422]

Really helpful... Thank you for sharing the video

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Fantastic to hear, and thank you for watching

[@TM-jw1hd]

Hi, this is a great idea. How would you make a ramp? My dog front legs are 2.5ft apart, he has a very long dog. Stairs would need a deeper step tread. Sort of like how stadium steps are deeper. I'm looking up ways to make a ramp for my dog to step up onto the passenger floor of a 2005 4Runner. The ground to the floor level is about 21in high. I want a 5in step to lift the ramp up a little bit. 18-20in wide. Leftover plywood pieces from 18-25in wide and 42-59in long. (It's not quality plywood, on a budget). Waterproofed for outdoor use. Slip proof. Challenge- hinge to fold it up for transport. Everyone tells me this isnt possible.

[@jeremyspecce]

Nice project. I find sometimes that when stairs don't have solid risers animals can be intimidated because of the "see-through-nes" of the stairs, if that makes any kind of sense to you. They can also help prevent racking in the future but will of course make it heavier. My dog is still a puppy so she CAN get up into the truck but she often doesn't WANT to unless she know's she's going somewhere fun, a lot of times she tricks me by walking in to the open door and looking like she's in going to hop up but then she makes a quick turn and goes UNDER the door to go away from the car! 🤣 luckily she's a hair under 40 pounds so I can scoop her up relatively easily if she's not the most willing passenger.

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Makes sense. Once maple figured it out she had no problem but it was interesting to see how perplexed she was by it.

[@vincentmancini6279]

Riser and tread dimensions?

[@jasonmorris8860]

Any suggestions on keeping it square as final pieces go together? Seems like I get a twist somewhere and drives me nuts! I dont have many tools so just trying to do it with basics... but getting it together without it getting unlevel and not square is my nemesis

[@MakersWorkshopLLC]

Clamps, corner clamps, etc. are really the best way to go. For a make shift corner clamp we’ve clamped a square into the corner of pieces to keep a right angle. If you check out the laser cut desk video, we made use of that technique there. We also love band clamps for square-ish things.

[@moonblink]

nice video. my advice: Sand the edge and put some some grip tape so she doesn't slide around on it. I'm just sayin.

[@user-wq5rg2so8u]

It would be nice to know the dimensions

[@spacechimp5141]

hopefully, you put a piece of carpet or mat on each step so your dog don't slip to the sides due to its claws. my chihuahua flew, luckily she is young and didn't hurt herself.