Pet Dog Door – Find a Secure One for Your Home

When you’re shopping for a good pet dog door, be aware of how that one installation affects your home’s security. Dog doors of the traditional variety, often just a frame under a door or on a wall, are often just plastic flaps. Even if some variants are manufactured with stronger materials, there remain security problems. Any responsible dog owner should take the following seriously when choosing a pet dog door.

How big the door is. One constant worry about doggie doors is the size. One problem with having big dogs is the corresponding dog door size – if it fits them, it will also fit a smaller person. That person could be a thief, or a child trying to sneak out or in. You don’t want your children or someone else’s to get stuck, and possibly injured that way. You will also have to worry about other animals coming in and out of your home – via that dog door. If you can at least restrict the height to that of your dog, you can probably limit intruders.

Where to place it. Installing your dog door on your front door might sound convenient, especially when it opens into a fenced front yard – but that also risks announcing to passersby that there’s a smaller door that might be explored by thieves. It might be best, safer, to install the pet door on your back door, which often leads to a backyard anyway. Or at least on another door not in direct view of people passing by your house. You don’t want to give thieves ideas.

What type you need. Traditional flap-type doors come also in versions where the door is made of harder plastic. There are also several lock settings to choose from. The door can be set up to swing towards the inside of your house, or outside; or towards on direction only, and then locks itself. One side settings means your pet can only get in or out and then that’s it. This lock setting can either lock your pet indoors, or keep him outside; do you really want to risk an accident and leave your dog outside overnight? An automatic pet dog door is a solution – but costs hundreds of dollar. Your dog wears a special collar that the door can detect – so it opens only when your dog, and no other animal, is near.
It’s wonderful to have a doggie door at home – it allows your dog to go out and come back as it wants to, leaving you free from the need to keep letting in and out.