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 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.

The size of the door. Don’t just get any doggie door, there’s a height to consider. The thing about having large dogs is that the dog door you that fits them will also allow a small person to get in your home. Whoever can fit in that dog door could be anyone - your child, someone else’s, or a short 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. So it pays to determine the right height for your doggie door.

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. At the very least, on some other door apart from your very visible front door. Do not give potential burglars any ideas.

The type of pet door your need. Traditional flap-type doors come also in versions where the door is made of harder plastic. Also, there are often lock actions you can select 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. In this set up, your dog wears a collar with a device that the door can detect when near; the door opens only when the dog 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.

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