Cathy owns a Labrador, Mark, whom she loves. 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. Still, Cathy wanted something done. After some online search, she found what she feels is the solution to her problem. 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. The closest to what she needed was a simple door-mounted flap variety. Your dog’s height and how thick the door you’l be installing the dog doors are some factors to consider.

Remember, when installing a dog door, to make there are no obstructions outside and inside - no cabinets or potted plants the dog can knock over. You may need some tools to properly install your dog door, unless the company you bought it from can take care of the installation for you. Among them are a drill or a screwdriver, a cutting device, a level, 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. Also, 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

Still, you should know that there are at least three possible set backs to having flaps in a dog door. First is that any animal can come in and out just as easily; so any neighbouring pet or wild animal in your backyard (a squirrel, for example) may get in. There’s always a possibility that another, a neighbouring or lost, animal may wander inside your house through the flap. Second, your house’s heat could be reduced since draft from outside may come in through the flap when the dog enters or leaves. Third, someone may seal the dog door and inconvenience you and your dog by locking the animal inside or preventing it from getting back inside.

A possible solution to this is to replace your flap style dog door with an electronic one. This makes use of a collar the device on the door can detect. The dog door opens or unlocks automatically when the dog gets near.

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