Hi – my dog Kayla is the one pictured with the Otto-step from earlier today.  We originally got it around the time that our lab/newfy, Jazz, had knee surgery.  Jazz absolutely wanted to jump around it instead of using it to aid her into the car… so my husband and I stood on either side of the Otto step, blocking any other way in.  We first used a treat to get her onto the step and taught her to actually sit on the step, and wait for a command until we used treat to get her to the tailgate.  Jazz was easily motivated with food, so she was pretty easy to train. About a year earlier, Jazz, although very athletic, missed her jump into the truck and whacked her head very hard.. she was in an emergency hospital in an oxygen cage for 2 days with a serious concussion… so yet another reason to use a controlled step up situation to get the dogs in the car.  Tana was the most difficult to train.  She came to an emergency vet clinic that I worked at — she was floating down the Tanana River here in Fairbanks, hanging onto a log.  When they fished her out, they discovered a gunshot wound that went all the way through her neck.  She is remarkably lucky, but as a result couldn't place her pads on her front feet.. she tried to walk on her knuckles.  With time and persistence, she learned to walk normally again.  But, she was therefore very timid about climbing things, anytime she'd have unsure footing.  She was only about 6 months old… and we enrolled her in a training course with an agility course.  It was fun for her to interact with the other dogs, and it taught her to trust us (and herself) as we coached her through tunnels and see-saws, etc.  The same encouraging technique worked with the step… it just took her longer to use it without encouragment than our other two.  Nowadays she runs on all 4 and you only notice a mis-step at the end of a very long hike, when she tires.  Kayla took to the step readily.  Currently, she goes to work with us every day, as the drugs she is on as pallitive treatment for lymphoma cause her to urinate every couple hours.  She uses the step probably 6-7 times a day.  Some days are better than others for her.. mostly she can handle the step without help, but sometimes she'll just stand near the step and look up at you for help.  We lift her front legs onto the step, then her rears, then the fronts onto the tailgate, then the rears.  Since she weighs 80+ pounds, this technique saves wear and tear on me too!