Test Dog 1 ~ Chloe

Maltese:  10 yrs - 18 lbs - hip & rear leg issues, MPL + ACL+ shoulder joint degeneration.

Chloe, aka TD1, was the original inspiration for Good Steps®, and has been involved with the development of each and every iteration of the Good Steps models we have dreamed up. Chloe consults, examines, tests each prototype (even after epic failures!), keeps coming back with suggestions and, finally...approval. She continues to contribute every day, whether it is with paws-on testing or just a reproachful look that tells us when to quit and come play. Thanks, Chloe!

Test Dog 2 ~ Calli

Maltese:  10 weeks - 1.8 lbs - no problems,` just a puppy

At 10 weeks, 1.8 lbs and a little over 3.5" in height, Calli holds the record as both the youngest and the smallest dog to have used Good Steps.

Calli, aka TD2, came to us at 8 weeks of age. She was the only pup born to her mom and the breeder was also raising German Shepherds. So she spent her first two months without any other pups and surrounded by German Shepherds. Can you say "grew up tough, grew up fast"?

At 10 weeks, she was in no way ready for human stairs or regular dog steps. However, she really, really wanted to be up on the couch. So we set up the Good Steps, being sure to give her plenty of tread for safety, and she powered up them immediately. Having learned how to master steps the right way she will have no problem when she graduates to other steps. Welcome, TD2!

Watch Her Video

Test Dog 3 ~ Fiona

Corgi:  2 yrs - 27 lbs - hip issues just beginning

Fiona is a 2 year old Corgi with a ton of spirit and can-do attitude. She and I bonded immediately and working with her was a pleasure.

As a representative of Corgis and other long-back dogs she was well aware of the health issues facing dogs of her body build. Vertebrae compaction, hip issues, shoulder compression and more are in the future for many dogs designed this way. Fiona was eager to do her part to show it doesn't have to happen by demonstrating Good Steps for the camera (the pepperoni treats helped a bit).

Watch Her Video

Test Dog 4 ~ Bear

Labradoodle: 11 yrs - 50 lbs - hip issues

Bear is an 11 yr. old Labradoodle who has some long and increasingly unsteady legs dues to some hip issues. He was too large to have tried regular dog steps before and I was concerned that his leg length might pose the biggest challenge to the testing, and I was right.

As we started the testing it was clear that Bear had some concerns with slippage. These he overcame as he got used to the tread we use but he still missed the steps a couple of times when he approached them from an angle. Within a few minutes though, and with guidance from his human, Bear was handling the straight on approach just fine. As with many dogs the coming down was the bigger challenge. In the end we all decided that dogs with long legs would do well with the Big Dog model which, unfortunately, was still in development when this video was taken.

Still, Bear did extremely well, all things considered, and we welcome him as an official Test Dog. He invited us back to test the Big Dog steps when those were ready. Thanks, Bear!

Watch His Video

Test Dog 5 ~ Polar Bear "Po Po"

Westie: 13 yrs - 18.5 lbs - hip issues

Po Po, as his friends call him, is a 13 yrd old Westie who can give any mountain town dog a run for their money. Don't ever call him short.

A few years ago he tangled with a moose who scooped him up in it's antlers and tossed him into some shrubs. As a result he has endured nerve damage to one of his hind legs and is experiencing the increasing effects of hip dysplasia. As with Chloe, our TD1, Po Po has some favorite spots on couches from where he can survey the world. Lately those couches have been harder and harder to reach. His human, Shauna, tried out some standard dog steps from a local chain store but the size was all wrong.  Shauna saw our casting call for test dogs and soon we were fitting Po Po out with a set of Good Steps.

Did Good Steps help Po Po solve his couch dilema? Watch the video to find out.

Watch His Video

Test Dog 7 ~ Trevor

French Bulldog: 10.5 yr. - 30 lbs - Developing hip and joint issues

Trevor is an 11-year-old French Bulldog who is beginning to have some hip issues. This breed is known to develop hip and shoulder problems especially if they have a history of jumping up or down from couches and beds. We configured the Good Steps to give him plenty of room and let him show us what he could do. No problem!

It should be noted that the steps configuration shown in this video are the dog steps almost fully extended. Once Trevor has full confidence then the steps could be compacted a bit to allow more room.

After the camera was off we also tried removing the bottom step to have just a three-step configuration, which Trevor also managed quite easily and which took up a foot less space. If we had Trevor back again I would also have him try the steps set up alongside the couch rather than extending perpendicular.

All in all, Trevor took to the steps immediately and now has a safe and secure way to gain his spot on the couch without stressing his joints.

Watch His Video

Test Dog 8 ~ Laszlo

Chihuahua & Aussie mix: 3 yr. - 18.5 lbs - High Bed Challenge Laszlo is a 3 yr old Chihuahua and Australian Shepherd mix with an outgoing attitude and a can-do approach to life. One thing he cannot do though is to jump up to his human's bed 30" high bed. His human was also concerned about hip and shoulder damage from jumping and how it could affect him later in life. Regular dog steps either did not fit him or could not get him to where he could reach the bed top. So we went to work with Good Steps to try and give him some more freedom.

Turns out that every way we configured Good Steps it worked for Laszlo so after starting with an expanded configuration to give him some confidence we started to condense the steps and even ended up removing some so he only had two steps to work with.

This is a great video to see how Good Steps dog steps can be adjusted any number of ways to fit a dog's particular needs. Not only will these steps help to protect Laszlo's hips and shoulders, but the steps will adjust to Laszlo as he gets older and wants those extra steps or that extra tread space. All of which he would never get with regular dog steps.

We learned a few new design tips from working with Laszlo and want to thank him for his input. He is officially Good Steps Test Dog #8 now. Way to go, Laszlo!

Watch His Video

See Your Dog Featured Here!

If you would like your dog to be one of our test dogs and you live around the Northern Utah region, let us know! We are actively recruiting test dogs of all shapes and sizes to help us evaluate the Good Steps product and make it better. And, yes, there are benefits - ask us.

If you don't live in our area you can still participate in another program we have launching soon, all you need is a camera. Let us know you are interested and we'll keep you posted.