It is the jump down that does the damage, not the climb up. A dog landing off a sofa takes the shock through the front legs and shoulders every single time, and for an older dog, a long-backed breed, or one recovering from surgery, that repeated impact is worth designing out of the day. A ramp removes the landing altogether and turns the whole thing into a walk.

It is built in solid fir and folds flat when it is not in use, with a cross-grained carpet surface whose grooves run across the climb so paws catch instead of skidding. It is also self-supporting on its own legs, and that matters more than the marketing suggests: a ramp that has to lean on the boot lip or the edge of the mattress is a ramp that slides at exactly the wrong moment. Two height settings, and independent testing to 55kg.

• Solid fir wood construction, natural finish
• 70cm long x 35cm wide
• Two height settings, 30cm and 40cm
• Tested to support pets up to 55kg (100lb)
• Cross-grained carpet traction surface with grooves
• Folds flat for a car boot or under a bed
• Includes two paw-shaped lint rollers

On the gradient: 40cm of rise over a 70cm run is a steep pitch, and a dog in real hip or spinal pain may baulk at it, in which case the lower 30cm setting or a longer ramp is the kinder buy. Whichever you use, leave it in one place and walk the dog up it a few times with a treat waiting at the top. Pets learn a ramp by repetition, and one that gets folded away after every use never gets learned at all.

Who it's for: dachshunds, corgis and other long-backed breeds, senior dogs who have started hesitating at the sofa, and anyone currently lifting a heavy dog into a car boot by hand.