Pet Topics

Mark, a Labrador, is a source of joy for dog owner Cathy. But she finds it annoying to keep having to interrupt what she is doing to let her dog in or out. Mark has this habit of, first, barking softly, and when he is ignored, of following Cathy wherever she goes in the house, staring at her all the while. Granted, many other dogs have more annoying habits. Just the same, Cathy wanted something done. Her online search brought her into a product category – small doors just for pets, doors the dogs can open and close on their own. She wanted to see what kind of dog door would be suitable for her dog and her home.

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. Your dog’s height and how thick the door you’l be installing the dog doors are some factors to consider.

When installing the dog door, make sure your pet has easy, unobstructed access from outside of the door as well as inside. You’re going to need some tool to use in the installation process – unless of course you choose to have the door installed by someone else. These tools include a drill or a screwdriver, a level, a cutting device, a measuring tape, pencil, and drywall saw. Most likely, there’s a video about the installation produced by the company you bought the dog door from; you should watch it. Read the installation manual.

Not everyone may have the needed tools or carpentry skills, so it may be necessary to hire a handyman or a contractor to help you out with the installation

Just so you know, there are at least three disadvantages to having flaps in your dog door. One, any animal can get in and out. If your house is inside a gated property, then there’s little chance of other animals coming inside your property and getting through your dog door. Second, the flap might be a source of possible heat loss. Third, if someone plays a prank and seals the flap on the dog door, your dog may not be able to get in or out.

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 dog door opens or unlocks automatically when the dog gets near.