Dog Door – How to Get the Right Size for Your Pet

You need to pick the right size and locking features, at the very least, when planning to install a dog door in your home.

Size and size-cut matters – measure your dog for a comfortable “fit”

Dog doors come in many sizes, some can be enough to fit a range of dog heights and shoulder widths. Is your dog as big as a small horse – then consider getting large dog doors for your pet. Better yet, consider a custom-made door. You won’t have a problem with the size and shoulder width this way, since most dog doors of this size are of limited range only.

But if your getting the usual dog door that fits most small and medium sized dogs, that means you get to choose a size cut that fits your dog. So you get a good fit for your dog, you need to measure the height and shoulder width of your pet. A majority of dog doors are sold with or comes with size cut guides that list weight range, height, and shoulder width. Carefully measure your pet’s dimensions and then simply follow the size cut guide.

There’s probably no one who knows your pet better than you do, but just to be on the safe size, if you make a mistake and choose a smaller cut size of the dog door for your pet, you could end up inconveniencing your dog. You don’t want your pet to kneel and crawl like a thief sneaking into a hole that’s too tight.

Some pets are known to muscle their way when they see a way in or out, one in which they think they can fit through. That happens when they’re playing. That’s when the smaller sized dog door comes into play – your dog could get injured or at least hurt when it forces itself through that ill-fitting dog door. What if your dog was being chased by an enemy dog, or is running scared of an intruder? Kneeling to get through that door is a hassle.

Soft or hard flaps – your choice

With many dogs and a large place, you may have dogs that view your home as one big large playground. You’ll need a dog door with a soft flap for that, so your dogs can enjoy the run and the exercise, which is good for them. For small home with over-energetic dogs that may abuse a soft flap, it’s recommended you use a hard flap.

Security concerns – why lock settings are vital for dog doors

Flaps swing both ways, but dog doors with added lock setting can be configured. You can set it up to lock after your dog comes home at night, so the dog can’t leave again. If you want to vacuum the house, for example, you can do the reverse – so your dog will be locked out when it leaves through dog door. For added security, consider an automatic dog door. This type of door can be set to unlock and let your pet in or out.

Pet Door – a Healthier Pet, a Less Bothered Dog Owner

Some people who have not had a pet for a long time may underestimate the needs of a dog or a cat. Just give it a home, feed them, take them to the vet now and again – as though that were all that’s needed. Your home, however should become their home as well – welcoming, a safe refuge, and a happy one.
The freedom to come in and out as they want is good for your pet and for you as well.
Ideally, you should get an easy to install pet door that’s secure enough to prevent other animals from gaining access to your house.

If you think you need a pet door, read on – this guide is for you.

You’ll notice you’ll be spending more time for yourself.
Whether you have a small toy dog or a large one, or several, in your house, you may feel annoyed when you need to get up from bed, or generally drop what you’re doing, so you can let your pet in or out. The last thing you want to start resenting your pet for the time it steals from you.
A convenient solution to this is a pet door.

Your pet becomes healthier.
A curious and active pet can always go out into your yard and return later, so it can play when it wants without you having to worry about it.
You also get to avoid bad habits and accidents – like scratching your furniture and toppling over house items.
When you have small dogs, that’s already problem – more so if you have bigger dogs.
Also, several dogs means a lot of topped over house items, maybe some of them broken, and a lot of scratched furniture.
Dogs trapped for long periods at home may end up fighting each other.

Say goodbye to scratch walls and doors.
Your indoors will also stop smelling like dog pee and poop – that’s a blessing for some pet owners.
This way you actually get to enjoy your pet’s company instead of constantly trying to keep your home clean.

Just to be objective on the matter, a pet door is not without problems.
If you live in an area where there are other pets walking about freely, they might use your pet’s door to access your home. Because some animals tend to mark their territory, you may come home to smelly living room and kitchen.

Not only that, but you’ll even be spending extra on pet food since your pet and the uninvited guests will be eating on the same plate.
You could also be losing energy.
A pet flap that keeps opening and closing lets the heat out – bad if you live in cold regions. One solution to these is to get an automatic pet door, one that responds only to your pet and your pet alone.

Pet Door – Let Your Pet Come and Go as It Pleases

Tired of having to drop what you’re doing just to let your pet in and out of the house? There’s a remedy for that – a pet door. Here’s a short guide to help you decide which pet door, and which features, you may want for your home.

Four-way pet door settings gives your more options. Ideally, a pet flap or door your pet can walk through is just fine. But you will also want to be able to lock the pet door once your pet comes home, so it can be safe at home with you. That means it’s good to have a feature that allows the flap to open one way – in or out – and then locks after your pet goes through it. Should you want further security, you can also lock the pet door yourself.

Installation shouldn’t give your headaches. If you’re not going to be installing the pet door yourself, then it should at least be easy and fast to install. Note that there are various types of pet doors you can choose from, such as those that are a good fit for patio doors and concrete walls. Naturally, for thicker walls, there are extra tunnel extensions that either come with the unit or are available as a separate purchase. Get the type that suits your home.

Why the height of the pet door is important. Unknown to some, pet doors aren’t “standardized,” since there are breeds that are large and some that are smaller than a cat. It’s not hard to see why some pet doors made for small dog breeds would be big-breed-dog-safe; that means if you have a small or medium sized dog, then the right door size means a bigger dog can’t get in.

It opens and closes only to your pet. Pet doors are often written off in articles and portrayed in media as a magnet for burglars and small kids who can fit through. What you can do to address this is to choose a particular type of pet door, that can be set to open and then lock after it swings either way. This system is not dependent on the flap or door alone, as it works with a unique collar your pet must wear. When that collar gets near enough to the sensor on pet door, it opens to let your pet in or out.

Keep energy loss at a minimum – keep heat in. Some pet owners reside in cold area, so their pet door should be set up to that heat loss is not much of an issue. To achieve this, some pet doors extend the space the pet goes through; for a thick door or wall, that means tunnel space – one flap on the outside, another for the inside. This is how it works: when your pet wants to get inside, it walks through the outer flap, through the short tunnel space, and through the flap indoors. That’s how you maintain a low level of heat loss.

You of course would have to be ready to train your pet, in case it needs time to get used to the pet door; some pets won’t even come close to the door.

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.

Dog Door – a Concise Buying Guide

Cathy owns a Labrador, Mark, whom she loves. But she has to keep standing up, or interrupting her work, when she has to let Mark out of the house, and later, back inside. To get his way, Mark has this annoying habit of following wherever Cathy goes inside the house. Other dogs are peskier. Just the same, Cathy wanted something done. A door small enough for her dog, but too big for humans, and one that the dog could ‘operate’ on its own. She started looking more and more into dog door.

There were, as she found out, many kinds of dog doors available on the market: automatic, wall-mounted, door-mounted, etc. She went with the flap type, the one installed on doors. When buying this kind of dog door, you have to keep in mind how tall your dog is, how thick the door you’ll install it in, and perhaps the weather where you live.

When installing the dog door, make sure your pet has easy, unobstructed access from outside of the door as well as inside. You will have to prepare a set of tools prior to installing the dog door; these tools are not difficult to find or acquire. The short list includes a level, a screwdriver, a cutting device, a measuring tape, a drywall saw and a pencil. The company from whom you bought the dog door most likely has online videos on how to carry out the installation. Read the installation manual.

You always have the option to hire a handyman to handle the installation for you.

Just so you know, there are at least three disadvantages to having flaps in your dog door. One is that other animals can get in and out, just like your dog. Unless your home is inside a gated or fenced property, there’s always the possibility of there being another animal who may enter your dog flap. Second is that they could be a source of indoor heat loss. Third is that kids can sometimes play pranks – like sealing your dog door with duct tape, effectively sealing in or barring your dog from getting inside your home.

A possible solution to this is to replace your flap style dog door with an electronic one. In this set up, your dog wears a collar with a transmitter. The moment the dog is near the dog door, the door opens automatically.