How y'all get your dogs in and out of the bed on a 4x4?...

[Dixie Dawg]

About to get a new bird dog, a Gordon Setter. Now, I doubt he'll be able to jump in and out, so I was needing advice. Do y'all take a piece of plywood with ya to get him in and out? Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[DarrellB]

Dixie Dawg, I have a 92lb black lab and he has no problem jumping in the back of my 2500 4x4, he can even jump over tailgate when its up if provided the proper motivation.



Had an 8 point buck in the back of the truck one day last year and I went inside to get a bite to eat before taking the deer to the prossesor and when I came back out Chevy was in the bed of the truck.



And anouther time when I was stoped on the road talking to a buddy he jumped on the tool box and then on to the top of the cab. I looked out through the windsheild and he was looking down right at me.



He wont do that again because it doesn't feel good when your master picks you up by your collar and your tail and trows you into the back of the truck.



Cabelas sells some kind of plastic ramp with carpet or something on for traction on it if your dog can't make the leap of faith.



Big D

 

[illflem]

Just feed your dog in the back of the truck and he'll learn to jump in and out within a week. Even though many dogs, including my Australian Shepherd, can jump in and out with the gate up it's better to teach them not to. It will help keep them in the back when you want them to stay and also teach them look where they're going to land before jumping. Jumping into a bed full of barbed wire can be a bummer. I leave the gate down with the canopy on when at home, it's basically my dog house, he loves it.

 

[LBTRS]

teach it to jump

with the proper training you'll be able to teach it to jump in the back. My 80 pound Yellow Lab was jumping in the back of my Chevy pickup when she was 6 months old and she has no problem clearing the tailgate of my new Dodge 4X4 (with it up) now. Though, the first time she did it she got high centered and scratched the back of the tailgate with her back claws trying to finish getting over. I warned her then not to do it again but a few weeks later she decided she wasn't gonna wait, she cleared it and made it in the back but got a heck of a whoopin' for doing it that second time. Now she sits patiently waiting for me to drop the gate.

 

[Blu-meanie]

I carry a box I made for my 180lb Mastiff. I don't want to pick that up.

 

[HC]

1"X12"X6' board, from Lowe's or your scrap pile.

throw some scrap carpet on it for traction, or get fancy and nail or staple it to the board. Then just lead him up the ramp.

Dogs come in many shapes and sizes, and they age just like us; they can't all make the leap. And after what my dog rolls and plays in I don't always want to pick him up.

 

[ReggieRam]

DarrellB's dog's name?

Does anybody else think it's hysterical that DarrellB has a dog named Chevy? I've passed many dogs on the road that were Chevies, but none had four legs!!



I have two dogs and a 4x4. One is pretty athletic, and he can jump in the back if I'm doing 10 MPH. The other is a basset hound, so he's fat and lazy. I have to go to the gym just so I can pick his fat *** up and put him in the back. I think wifey might be buying me that dog ramp out of Cabella's for xmas, cuz you can never have too many toys for your truck.

 

[DEZLPWR]

I have a Great Dane....

See sig below... .

With lift and 35" BFG's the truck sits pretty high. She puts her front paws up on the open tailgate and waits for me to give her a 'boost' up. Giving a dog that weighs 100+lbs. a boost up can be quite a workout!

Great Danes are wonderful dogs by the way!



EDIT

My dog jumps into the bed of the truck and then goes into her SECURED vari-kennel.



D Latimer:

I am not a redneck... .

 

[bighammer]

I built a stairway for my larda$$ rottweillers. At 115# each, I got tired of lifting them in. They wouldn't do a ramp (jumping out of the question) to save their hides. (Cooker met my "alarm system" and saw the tailgate accessory that makes it possible. )

 

[Pit Bull]

I would never put my best friend in the bed of the truck. Way to dangerous. My dog rides up front with me. Now if he is a hunting dog ( dirty from running in the field ) I would put him in the bed if I had a secured kennel for him to ride in. How don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people I "would" let ride in the bed of the truck unsecured, but I have never met a dog that I would do that too.



What is that guys name from Georgia that does all of though jokes, "You must be a Redneck". One of them was "You must be a Redneck if you drive a pickup truck with a dog running around in the bed"

 

[DEZLPWR]

Rednecks....

D Latimer:

I edited my previous post..... My dog does not ride loose in the bed. I agree that it is dangerous for the dog. I have witnessed one flying out in an accident. Not a pretty sight. Luckily the dog was not killed...

 

[LBTRS]

buckle him in too?

Unless you're buckling the dog in seat belt when it rides "up front" I don't really see how it's any safer. The laws of physics are the same in the cab as they are in the bed. Also, a dog loose in the cab of a truck can be a big distraction/safety hazard, I saw a buddies dog come over the front seat and across his lap (he was driving) to get to the open window to see a dog in the vehicle next to them. Wasn't a pretty sight, he was all over the road and ditch until I was able to pull the dog from my buddies lap and throw it in the back seat. In my view, it's safer for all if the "DOG" (it is a dog you know) is in the back of the truck. I'll not argue that a kennel that is secured in the back is the safest.



Just my $. 02

 

[LBTRS]

additional info

My last post is assuming a covered bed (I have a canopy). Of course a open bed would add more danger for the dog and the people driving next to you if it ever jumped out. Ethier way, a properly trained and restrained dog is the best way to travel.



And I very well may be a redneck.

 

[Cooker]

bighammer,

Good to see you are still out there.



Yes I did have the pleasure to meet bighammer and one member of his security system. They were both very well behaved



Seriously, when I pulled up and seen his "doggy stairway" I thought it was a great idea. It fit the bill perfectly, IMO. As a side benefit, the dog seemed to like it too.



-Ryan

 

[Pit Bull]

Re: additional info

Originally posted by Ray Trautman

My last post is assuming a covered bed (I have a canopy). Of course a open bed would add more danger for the dog and the people driving next to you if it ever jumped out. Ethier way, a properly trained and restrained dog is the best way to travel.



And I very well may be a redneck.

Ray, you can't be a "Red Neck". I agree that the most important thing is the safety of the driver and the dog. It just makes me crazy when I see some a**hole driving 50 mph down the road with their dog in the back of their bed, bouncing from one side to the other. Like you said not safe for anyone. I am not trying to preach to anyone I just did not see anyone stating these concerns in this thread so I thought I would bring it up. I never really thought that there would be anyone that was smart enough to own a Dodge CTD and at the same time stupid enough to let their dog run around unrestrained in the bed of their truck. But you know as well as I do that sometimes Ford and Chevy owners get on this site and if they are dumb enough to own a Ford or Chevy they just might let their dogs run loose in the bed of their truck.

 

[DBR]

In one sense, I was very pleased to see that many of you stated that you secure your furry friends in the bed of your pickups, but as a veterinarian who has truck payments to make, letting one or two slip by unsecured would be fine for me. Just kidding!



It is nice to see so many responsible dog owners who really care about their pet's safety.



Kris

 

[dmurdock]

My dog rides in the front strapped in (sometimes wife rides in the bed... hehehe )

 

[Ted Constantine]

I have two dogs. A 50 pound husky-malamute-wolf mix who does not even exert himself jumping in over the closed tallgate and a 110 pound female Malamute. The female can jump in and out easily but often hesitates going in and I help her out of the truck to save some stress on her elbow (she would rather jump out). They often ride in the back, in their kennels if the top is off or just in the back if the topper in on. I do let the male ride in the back free some times on short rides but I perfer the kennel them. When the big one was a puppy of about 75lbs she once hit me in the head and caused me to back off the road. Cost me a tire with that one.



Ted

 

[Happy Camper]

I had two dogs and they never had (almost never until he got to fat to launch himself). any trouble getting into the bed. Always had a shell on and a good bed.

Story off base a little bit. I saw this ranchers son unload a horse out of the 4v4 and watched him load it. The horse jumped out and when the time came he jumped in. He was sharp shod so he did not skid.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Originally posted by Happy Camper

I saw this ranchers son unload a horse out of the 4v4 and watched him load it. The horse jumped out and when the time came he jumped in. He was sharp shod so he did not skid.

Some of the other horse people on this site may recognize this name; Ray Hunt. Older man, so I don't know if he still gives clinics around the county anymore. I was at his clinic and don't you know that he pulls up with a Freighliner or a Navistar, whatever, with two horses riding on the custom bed. Just like big dogs they were.