[Sharon Marples]

You can use bricks or blocks, they are good in the fact that they will not tip over. You only have to have the dog raise up about 4-5 inches for them to work well. Bricks are not quite that high but I have had friends use them with great success.

Canned goods work ok, but be sure that the dog cannot tip the cans over when they are up on them. Yu could have your husband buy magnets, glue or attach them to the bottoms of the cans in some way and them place them on a metal sheet so that they will not turn over. Or, look at the picture I have posted below. Your husband could make the same type of "stilts", put magnets on the bottom and rubber (or a piece of sandpaper, that's kind of what the actual happy legs have on them) on the top and get a piece of sheet metal to stand them on and you would have your own happy legs.

We have two sizes, one that is smaller in diameter for the puppies and one size that is larger to accommodate the older dog's foot size.

The main thing is that you get the dog elevated and that you teach them to stand and stay in that position. That is the whole theory on the happy legs. I happen to like them because since we normally have a litter at least once a year, we use them all of the time. I start our puppies on them at 4 weeks of age and normally work them on the happy legs up until they are 4-6 months of age. By that time they are accustomed to having me play with their legs, move the legs where I want them and to having to stand still.

Once the dogs are bigger, you just do the same thing, walk the dog so that he is standing over them and put one leg up on a stilt at a time.

Good luck!