I have a 9 year old chocolate lab who is struggling now to jump in the back of the car. I can help and pick her up but I thought a ramp would really help her. I bought the ramp but am really struggling to get her to step on it yet alone utilise I. Any help / ideas really appreciated

Our Basset wasn't terribly keen on his ramp into the car, but with a bit of encouragement - FOOD - and my husband holding his hand on his bum to encourage him forward, he now uses it.   We did have to fit carpet tiles as the rough surface seemed to bother him much as the surface should have given him grip. 

Perhaps laying it on the ground and having her get used to walk over it might help?

I would.start by leaving it on the ground somewhere so  she can get used to seeing it sniff it perhaps walk over it .using food to encourage her exploration of this new thing .once u can get her to stand on it comfortably then work on having it at a slight slope then attached to the car. Food being the key if she is a typical lab as reward for each small improvement.it may take time to get her really comfortable with it especially as most ramps arnt very wide and I guess feel funny for paws.

It also helps with our hound that we have a short ramp across the two steps outside the kitchen door into the garden.   Again we affixed carpet tiles which do make him appear to feel more comfortable using it.   Both ramps he needs because of his hips and other physical problems although with the car ramp, he is now able to go back to putting his front paws up on the back bumper (covered with a towel to protect it) so I just have to heave his body into the car.   Getting him out I can do from the back of the car, even if he does weigh 35 kg of bone and muscle, NOT fat!!   He's a big hound.

We trained our chocolate lab puppy to walk up a ramp by starting off with it on the floor indoors, and then propping it against the sofa. We used treats all the way along it and treats once she’d arrived at the top. I think the model of car makes a difference too- the ramp forms quite a shallow slope up to my husband’s car. On my little Citroen, it’s a bit like climbing a 1:4 hill!

I gave up with a ramp. I thought my dog would be fine with it due to having competed at agility all his life but he wouldn't even step on to it. I tried for ages and admitted defeat in the end and bought a wide, plastic caravan step for him to use instead. It took a couple of attempts to find the optimum distance from the tailgate so he could just step up onto it with his natural stride and then straight into his crate. Works really well and I store it in the footwell of the back seat area.

This is something I will definitely bear in mind if or when my dog needs help to get in the back of the car. I tried a ramp with the last dogs, one used it more then happily, but the other one found it all to scary for words and flatly refused. In the end I found that teaching them to put their front paws on to the edge of boot lip and then heaving the rest in seemed to suit them well enough.
The trouble with ramps in the weight of them and having to get such a large object into the car, whereas a caravan step is much smaller.
The dog I have now already uses a caravan step to get in and out of the motorhome, well out mostly as she prefers to jump in

Thanks for the replies / ideas I will give it ago treats are her forte

Harley. I had the same idea many years ago when my GSD had CDRM. Made the ramp as like a dog walk as I could with slats across. Long before the rubber coated dog walks.  She just jumped over it and landed in a heap in the back of the car. She did walk down it but I never persuaded her to walk up.

That is exactly what my old boy did - jumped over it, but he wouldn't even walk down it. Yet give him a dog walk in a course or at training and he nailed it every time. I even tried making him run up it to see if that worked but he still jumped it which totally defeated the object of trying to save his old legs and back from struggling.