Getting the old man to use a ramp
Just in case it's necessary... the only time he needs it now is to get in and out of the above ground pool (there are two of them, one inside, one out). He won't even walk on either on flat land. It might be because he just hasn't reached that point? I don't know. We took him to a dog friendly mall recently and he must've taken about 5 flights of stairs before finally agreeing with me that the escalator was not going to eat him, and then he happily took it. He has been off his rimadyl for about a month due to its cost only. We had a rough month and I couldn't even afford to feed him, honestly. I have a bottle of tramadol leftover from the last time he injured himself (he got so excited that he jumped up and down in circles around me until he fell and couldn't get back up on his own, which is what got him put on rimadyl), and the vet said for outings like that, if he hadn't had any rimadyl, to just give him 100mg of tramadol, and another dose later if he needs it.
But back to the point - he will not touch the ramps. I think it's the texture. My best friend and I have been trying to ramp train him because it is likely he will need it someday (he'll be 14 this year), and it worse be nice if we didn't have to lift him to get him in the pool. The outside one is the typical kind with the gripping stuff (which I can tell he hates) and the inside one is a floating plastic one we have anchored down. I'm sure he doesn't trust them to carry his weight (100lbs), and I'm not sure I blame him there, but both claim to.
Any tips?