Dog Flaps and Dog Doors Blog about Pet Animals
If you have a larger dog breed you may have considered getting a dog door to make life simpler for yourself. If you live in an apartment or have a small dog it's probably not in your best interests to have a dog door. However, they are ideal for larger dogs if you live in a home with a fenced garden. By using a dog door you eliminate having to crawl out of bed in the middle of the night to let the dog out, or having any unexpected "surprises" left for you when you wake up if you have slept through your dog's requests.
Dog doors also work well if you have a dog that stays outside most of the time. This allows a dog to come into a warm and dry room when it is cold or raining. Dog doors have come a long way over the years: while it used to be commonplace for people to fit a catflap - a dog door was either too expensive or not as widespread. Our dog door at my childhood home consisted of nothing more than a big hole cut out of the (wooden) back door and covered with a carpet tile which our dogs were able to nuzzle asdide whenever they wanted in or out! Oh how we have progressed!
The first think to consider when deciding what kind of dog door to get is the size of your dog. If you have a puppy or young dog you will want to take into account the size that they will be when they reach maturity. The last thing you need is to have to replace the dog flap because your pooch cannot fit through it any more! Then you will want to think about the location of the dog door. The door should lead to a fenced area so your dog won't be able to roam free in the middle of the night. If you have a back door that leads into a small room this is ideal for a dog. They can go outside when they need to and also have access to a dry and warmer place inside.
There is one thing to consider before you decide whether or not a dog door would be good for you. Just keep in mind that if your dog can get in, so can other animals. Some dog doors can let foxes, cats and other small animals into your home. Worse still, if your dog is not a great guard dog, it is possible for a burglar to crawl through some of the larger dog doors with ease.
To minimize these risks look for a dog flap that has a latching system on it. You can use latching doors to restrict your dog's movements. There are some doors that can be latched so they will open in only one direction. No matter what kind of dog door you get it's a good idea to have the option to latch it closed if you want.
Dog doors are not for everyone. It does depend greatly on where you live and what breed of dog you have. Also bear in mind that as a dog ages he will generally become less supple - so don't position the flap too high up so your dog cannot get through easily. Likewise, smaller dogs could have trouble if the door is too high. You definately don't need an accident or injury happening as a result of your canine companion simply trying to get out. Having a dog flap can be very useful in many situations, it just depends on if you think it would fit your needs. And of course, those of your pet dog.
