Safety Worries When Buying A Pet Dog Door

If you’re looking for a pet dog door, you should know how that installation can affect the security of your home. When you think about it, most of the dog doors are only plastic flaps in a frame under the door. Even when they’re made of some sterner material, there are still security worries. If you’re seriously thinking about buying a pet dog door, here are some considerations to keep in mind.

How big the door is. Since you want only your dog to come in and out, then the door should fit only your pet. One problem with having big dogs is the corresponding dog door size - if it fits them, it will also fit a smaller person. That smaller person could be your child, someone else’s, or a thief. You don’t want your children or someone else’s to get stuck, and possibly injured that way. There’s also the worry of other animals being able to do as they please - in and out of your home. If you can at least restrict the height to that of your dog, you can probably limit intruders.

Placement matters. Although it seems to be convenient to place your dog door on your front door, that practically announces to the world there’s a smaller, less secure entrance to your house. Unless you live in a security enabled home, it may be better to place the dog door on your back door (which often runs into a fenced-in backyard). At the very least, on some other door apart from your very visible front door. The last thing you want is to give thieves a clue on where to start testing entry.

What type you need. Flap doors also have versions where the flap is made of harder materials. 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 could lock your pet inside or outside your home - your pet will be safe inside, but oversights happen and it could be left outside, in the cold, overnight. An automatic pet dog door is actually a long-term investment in both pet and home safety. 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.