The Best Dog Ramp: Our Top 7 Picks

At first, we didn’t believe that lightweight and durability could come together in one package. But the PetSafe Telescoping Pet Ramp proved us otherwise. 

And yes…

…it’s very light for carrying but also sturdy and stable enough to trust our big boys with, making it this review’s Editor’s Choice. 

It’s made from aluminum, which is the best material if your priority is portability, as it’s really light. But surprisingly, this ramp was very solid to the touch and didn’t feel shallow one bit. 

As mentioned above, it has a telescopic design. That means you just have to pull one part of it to extend it and then retract it when you’re done and ready for storage. 

It has a nice handle on the side for easy carrying and, maybe, easy extension. But the thing is, this handle is located on the part that’s fixed and cannot be pulled. It would’ve been genius if it were on the part that you pull to extend the ramp.

In addition to that…

…it has raised side rails, which aren’t too high but still good enough. Its surface has a texture like sandpaper. In case you’re wondering, we used it with our two boys. The first is George, who is an 88-pound Golden Retriever. He’s quite mature at 10 years old, but he didn’t trust the ramp’s surface. 

The other one is another Goldie named Maya. She’s six years old and much lighter at 50-pounds. She was comfortable going up and down the ramp the very first time. 

Weirdly, George tends to have less traction on the surface. So we added a yoga mat over it and that’s when both were able to enjoy it.

Storage was another thing. It’s very light for carrying, but it’s not very small as to fit easily inside a car. I had to take the back seat flat down to accommodate this dog ramp, and even then, it was still a bit uncomfortable. 

On the other hand…

…it has a nice latch to secure it to the vehicle once it’s up. 

And it’s also sturdy enough for home use, though I wouldn’t recommend leaving it outside. It gets hot pretty quick and may scorch your dog’s paws on very hot days.

If you’re not looking for something heavyweight and fussy, the Trixie Pet Short Safety Ramp is for you. 

It has a textured surface and a very stable design, all at a very reasonable price, making it this review’s Best Value. 

In case you’re wondering…

…it can support up to 110 pounds of weight. But personally, I wouldn’t dare take it to the very edge of its maximum weight capacity. So we gave it to Trish, who is a 35-pound Corgi, and her brother, Rich, who is heavier at 57 pounds. 

At 39 inches, it’s not as long as other dog car ramps, which is understandable because this one isn’t foldable. Needless to say, it will be a bit steep if you’ll rest it against a bed or a sofa. As for the SUV, it was alright and did its job fairly well. 

It was a bit steep on the back door but literally perfect when used on the passenger seat door. Trish and Rich loved playing, running up and down the car by that door!

As for the traction…

…it’s just like the PetSafe one with the sandpaper-like texturing. It’s nice, but as mentioned earlier, it doesn’t hold all kinds of dogs. So again, we cut up some carpet pieces and glued it to the surface to make them not only more textured but more comfortable to the dogs’ paws. 

Another thing you’d want to take note of is the fact that it doesn’t have a latch or anything that locks it together with the car, so it doesn’t slip off. 

However…

…it does have rubber feet to keep it in its place. For some users, that may be enough. For some, it’s not. We’re the latter, so I also cut up some velcro and glued it on the bottom of the unit. 

With all the small additions we had to make, it’s still a satisfying purchase portability-wise as it’s a real breeze to haul in and out of the car. It also didn’t take up much space, and we had more room for other pet gear and, of course, the pets themselves.

Now, this was epic. 

The PetSTEP Original Folding Pet Ramp is one of the most unique best dog ramps we’ve ever used, starting with its 500-pound capacity. 

I mean, need I say more? 

We were able to use it with any of our dogs, so some of my buddies borrowed this in turns until they decided that they needed to get their own!

But that’s not the best thing yet. 

My favorite part is its tread surface. Unlike the usual sandpaper-like surface, this one is a rubberized ridge surface. 

That means that it’s much more comfortable to the dogs’ paws, and not to mention, they were able to grip it better as it’s softer than other materials. We didn’t have to cover it with some other fabric or mat anymore!

Moreover, it’s also wide and long enough to lessen the steepness if your vehicle is high. 

And that’s not all. 

Thanks to its genius nonslip surface design, you can also use it even when it’s wet, as it never gets slippery! Can you believe that?

So if you’re looking for a dog ramp that you can also use in pools or with boats, this might also be a good option. 

And did I mention that it’s durable and long-lasting as heck? Case in point, one of our buddies has had one of these for three years now!

Looking for a wider and overall more efficient best dog ramp for your senior dog? Our hefty goldies loved this boss of a ramp by Pet Gear. 

First off, this is wider than most at about 19 inches. It’s also quite long at 71 inches in length, so we were able to adjust it so it won’t be very steep for our seniors. 

Like our first Pet gear ramp, this one also has a capacity of 200 pounds, so all of our heavy retrievers were able to use and enjoy it. 

In case you’re wondering…

…it did bend just the littlest bit when Coco, our heaviest goldie, walked on it. But in fairness, it didn’t move or wobble, so he was still able to walk with confidence. 

It has rubberized feet, too, which makes up a bit for not having a latch or any attachment to the vehicle while it’s up and in use. But you may still have to hold it for added safety if you have a heavy dog. 

This ramp also folds into three and has great reflective strips across its whole length and on the sides to aid an old dog or any dog trying to walk on it in the dark, which we really appreciate.

The Pet Gear Travel Lite Ramp felt to us almost the same as the telescopic PetSafe ramp, with the difference that this one is much more compact. 

Folding into three, this ramp is about 8 inches long when folded, which is incredibly helpful when you’re trying to fit children, golden retrievers, and several other toys and gear in the back of your car!

Moreover…

…although we can’t say that it’s exceptionally wide, it’s still wider than other dog ramps we’ve used for our goldies, with weights ranging from 100 to 150 pounds. 

It also has textured traction that, while much gentler to the paws than others, could tend to be slippery when wet. It also grips a small dog’s paws better than a heavy one. 

Also, be aware that not all dogs would love the texture, but you can always slap on a new covering for it if you need to. 

The ramp could also prove to be a challenge to fold and unfold for some people. I didn’t have any problem doing it on my own, though. But you really need to use both of your hands, so you may have to tie your dog first while you unfold or fold it. 

And the best thing about it?

Although it did flex a little when walked on by our heaviest goldie, it didn’t shake or wobble at all, thanks to its little rubber feet.

Do you find it challenging to search for the best dog ramp for your senior dogs or the big ones? PetSafe has something for you. 

The PetSafe Happy Ride Extra Long Telescoping Dog Ramp for your dog is made to make everything as easy as possible for your pet and for you, as well. First off, we really loved that it has a great weight capacity, so it was able to take our heaviest dog, Jojo, who is a 190-pound Mastiff. 

One of us also tried walking over it once (he’s 151pounds), and it didn’t even move an inch, so we were pretty confident enough that it wouldn’t break with Jojo. 

And in fairness, it was very solid to the touch, thick enough that it felt unbreakable. 

What’s better?

What’s cooler is you can customize the ramp’s length from around 47 to 87 inches, so it can still be easier to walk on, even when used on vehicles with steeper inclines! So if you have senior dogs, this is also one great choice. 

Like most PetSafe dog car ramps, it also has sandpaper-like traction, which is great for the paws of little dog breeds. But if your companion is on the heavy side, you might want to cover it with a greater surface, such as a carpet or a yoga mat. 

Of course, its durability and size have their drawbacks, one of them being hard to travel with. It has a telescopic design, which is great, but its size also made it a challenge for us to fit it inside our SUV. 

It also doesn’t attach to the vehicle once down, but it has a latch lock, so it doesn’t unfold while in transit.