Quick Guide to Pet Door Shopping

Are you getting annoyed at letting your pet in and out of the house over and over? There’s a remedy for that – a pet door. If you’re shopping for one, here’s a list of some features you may want in your pet door.

The pet door should open allow more than inwards and outwards configuration. Any pet flap or door that your pet can walk through should be all right. But there are times when you want the dog out, or are waiting for it come home. One useful feature is to be able to adjust the flap so that it either opens only inwards, or outwards; that way your pet can’t get out or in once it goes through the flap. When you want your pet to stay indoors, you can lock the pet door.

Installing the pet door shouldn’t be rocket science. You don’t want a pet door that takes some figuring out to put in, and a handyman who will may install the door for you probably wants no complications, too. Note that there are various types of pet doors you can choose from, such as those that are a good fit for patio doors and concrete walls. If you need extra tunnel extensions, as when the wall the pet door is to be installed in is thick, you can buy these as extra; some units come with extra pieces of tunnel extensions, mind you. Simply choose the unit you deem fit for your home.

The right height for your pet. Pet doors also come in various sizes depending on your dog’s breed. Obviously, pet doors meant for toy dogs can be used by German Shepherds, and this is important in case there are other dogs in the neighborhood who might get in your house.

It opens and closes only to your pet. Pet doors are often written off in articles and portrayed in media as a magnet for burglars and small kids who can fit through. You can prevent this with a type of pet door that opens, closes and can be afterwards lock only when your pet approaches. This system includes a unique collar your pet will need to wear most of the time. This is how it works – the device on the collar is sensed by the pet door which opens when the collar is near; that way only your pet can get in and out.

Minimise heat loss, keep the cold out. When you live in a cold region, you want your pet door to minimize heat loss as much as possible. Two flaps on a special insulated pet door can do this – one flap indoor and one flap outdoors, in one continuous small tunnel. That way, your pet walks through one flap, gets in the extended tunnel space, and walks through the other flap, keeping a pocket of air in the space enclosed. This is how heat loss is kept at a minimum.

Keep in mind that the pet door installation doesn’t cover whatever training your pet may need – some pets need some nudging to even use the flap, so be ready to train it.