Good Steps® - FAQs

Good Steps are designed to be used indoors and are not built to withstand things like sun, wind, rain and cold.

They are portable. But remember that Good Steps are designed and built like a piece of furniture so, much like an ottoman or chair, you can easily move them when needed but they aren’t a toss-them-in-the-closet type of dog step.

Large dogs are usually fine with the standard size models. However, heavy dogs, over 100lbs., as well as very large frame dogs, should probably wait and get our Large Dog version due out soon. In fact, if interested in that you can get on a Wait List by clicking here.

Good Steps come with rubber bottoms which work very well with tile and hardwood floors, as well as carpeted floors.

Absolutely! The wide tread area, non-slip surface, and low riser height between steps make them ideal for puppies. You can also add a set of Short-Steps™ to your unit and make the rise only 2” between steps! Good Steps are a great way to introduce puppies to steps and get them comfortable with the process before tackling larger human steps.

The standard Zephyr unit weighs in at just around 30 lbs.

You certainly can. All we ask is that you select standard stain colors from either Minwax or Varathane. Keep in mind that depending on the extent of the customizing it may take longer to produce your unit. Please contact us to discuss your needs in detail and so we can get you a custom quote.

Sure thing! We don’t offer carpet strips, but you can pick up carpet pieces everywhere and then just trim to fit. You will want to use either a double-sided tape so you can remove and wash them periodically or you may find that the carpet works fine placed over our non-slip tread strips. We have also had good luck with bath mats from Wal Mart. They have a great non-slip rubber backing and are easy to cut to size. Whatever you chose just make sure that they don’t slip or your pooch could easily have an accident.

First, it helps to understand why your dog may be afraid of stairs. Did they take a tumble on them? Do stairs hurt their joints? Did someone force them up or down stairs at some point? Whatever the trigger is you want to try to avoid that at all costs. With time, patience, love and a good supply of treats many dogs who start out scared of stairs learn to trust Good Steps. As a dog gains a foundation of success using Good Steps they will naturally become more and more at ease with using them on a regular basis. However, take any of those positive elements out of the equation, or set the steps up improperly, and you may make things worse.

One way I help dogs that are nervous is to introduce them to the stairs in a casual almost off-hand way, just placing them where they will be used and then ignoring the. Then, while sitting close by the stairs I will pull out some high value treats and let the dog earn a few by doing things it is already comfortable with; sitting, rolling over, handshake, etc. Then I graduate to placing the treat on the first step rather than tossing it to them. Praise them when they take it off the step. Then I might try the second step if they are ok with the first step. At the first sign of hesitancy, I stop and simply leave a few treats on the next step or two all while making sure they know it is there. Then I just relax and wait for them to figure it out. No pressure should ever be exerted towards the dog, this is where they have to do it themselves. If they do, then praise a lot and leave it there until the next training which could be in a few hours or the next day.

Time, patience, love and encouragement and a good supply of their favorite treats. Some dogs walk right up the steps first time like it was nothing. Other dogs may take a week or two to get used to them and get over their natural hesitancies. Remember, never, ever force a dog to do something they are unsure of or nervous about. That is a sure way to turn them off forever.

Depends on the bed. Our standard unit is built with a top landing at 16”. That is high enough for most any dog to comfortably transition to a couch. Beds typically stand between 22” and 36” in height depending on style. You need to take into account what height your dog can comfortably transition between both going up AND coming down. We have seen chihuahuas that had no problem jumping from the 16" landing to a 36” bed height and have also seen an old Goldie who couldn’t handle more than 6” of height change.

Don't forget...coming down is often a lot scarier than going up and what is a safe and easy jump up to a mattress top can be scary and even unsafe when coming down if it is too far. So, if your dog goes up the steps ok but prefers to jump down some extra training is in order, that or a larger size Good Steps. You probably want to discourage jumping down from heights as it can eventually damage the dog's joints and cause pain and arthritis later on.

If you think you might like a taller unit we do have those being tested for release soon. You can put yourself on the Wait List and we’ll let you know as soon as they become available.

Both strips are helpful for any dog but those with vision issues will really get a benefit.

The Glow-in-the-Dark strips are especially helpful with dogs who need to navigate the steps after the lights are off, and especially if they have deteriorating eyesight. The light difference between the glo strip and the surrounding strip provide enough contrast to help them safely navigate the steps. Remember, they have to have light to charge up by before being placed in the dark. And, while they will glow much of the night they may not be as bright in the early morning hours. Luckily a dog's night vision is usually better than ours so they may be ok even at low glow.

The Reflective strips are not as useful in very dark conditions. They are more for low light use and for use with dogs having poor vision even during full light. The reflective strip is yellow, a color which dogs can see, and the contrast with the black surrounding it really helps show the edge and helps the dog a lot.