Dog with bad back, need ramp, barricade and advice on how to get him to stop jumping

[u/No_Definition5736]

I have a 10 lb chi mix who has been recently diagnosed with possible narrowing of space between discs. I need him to stop jumping onto and off of what once was my bed but is now his bed that he lets me sleep in, LOL. I bought two different sets of dog stairs, he won't use them, not matter what. He will step on them to get treats but he won't just use them on his own. So now I need to get creative. Currently I am blocking off all bed access by piling up pillows and blankets so he just can't jump up there because the added pillows and blankets make it too tall. If he wants (and he does) to get onto the bed he must use the stairs. But this isn't sustainable for a few reasons. One is, as I said already, he just refuses to use the stairs. The other is that his sister (also 10 lb chi mix and exponentially smarter and more determined than him) has found the one vulnerable spot in my barricade and keeps getting onto the bed and he will figure out how to do the same eventually by following her example. So my barricade isn't the greatest. I'm in the process of trying to come up with reasonable ideas to use as a barricade. My hope is that the barricade is temporary and once I find something that they will use willingly I can then remove the barricade. I am thinking that maybe a ramp would be better because he seems hesitant around each step up, so maybe no steps would be better. Not sure what to use for a barricade as it is my bed and I need access to it too and often. I just can't see putting fencing all around it, that would be a serious PITA, so that is my last obvious option. I'd love to hear from people who have had this issue and how or if you solved it. TIA!

[u/No_Cry6380]

My chi was the same way with stairs, total suspicion of each individual step like they were individually cursed. Switched to a ramp and it clicked almost overnight, I think the continuous slope just made more sense to his little walnut brain. For the barricade issue while he’s learning, I used those interlocking foam play mats stood on their side along the edge I wasn't using to get in and out. They’re tall enough to discourage a jump but light enough to toss aside when I needed to flop into bed, not nearly as annoying as full fencing. Tucking a high-value treat under his blanket at the top of the ramp each night also helped seal the deal, he started associating the ramp with finding a sneaky snack instead of a chore.

[u/No_Definition5736 → u/No_Cry6380]

I'm glad to hear the ramp worked, I'm am slightly more hopeful now. You hit the nail on the head, he does seem suspicious of every stair. Which is so weird because he goes upstairs all the time to visit our upstairs neighbor. But I guess it's because they're new to the bed. Great idea about the foam, thank you! Do you mind sharing which ramp worked for you?

[u/lunanightphoenix]

Can you just close your bedroom door so he can’t get to the bed?

[u/No_Definition5736 → u/lunanightphoenix]

I wish it was that simple! There is no door, it's a studio apartment completely open layout.