If you’re a dog owner and you have several dogs, most likely you have looked into doggie doors for your home. But even long-time dog owners face problems involving their dog doors. It never hurts to learn something new about what you may already know – here’s a list of those problems, so you can plan ahead in case you’re buying a new dog door.
Forgetting to lock the doggy door. The point behind buying a dog door is convenience – so you don’t have to let the dog in and out constantly, but this laxness that develops over time can bite you back. If you had a hard day and forgot to lock the doggie door, your dog could be in danger when it goes out at night. In the same vein, should you come home tired, you may out of instinct lock the door anyway, forgetting to check if your dog made it home at all. You could just lock your pet outside.
Automatic dog door problems. Automatic dog doors open and close when it senses a device nearby, one that is installed in a dog collar your dog is to wear. It’s a good security setting – only your dog can get in or out. But the batteries on the dog’s collar may run out while the dog is outside the house. Unless you have someone else at home who can let your dog in, it might get stuck outside. If your bedroom or work room is far from the door outside of which you’re locked-out dog is probably barking at, you may not be able to let your dog back in. That’s a discomfort you want to spare your dog from. Also, in some instances, your dog can bring home its fellow dog. This can happen when the friend-dog follows too closely when your dog enters the dog door.
The height of the dog door. Should you have a small, toy dog or a few medium-sized dogs, that means bigger dogs won’t be able to get inside – if you get the right size. The thing is, dogs are a resourceful bunch – they can squeeze their way in through openings. That problem extends when the dog grows in size. But if the dog door’s height remained the same despite the growth spurt, you can imagine the consequences. The results could be an ill-fitting door or eventual injuries to the dog that has not choice but to use the same door over and over.
Energy losses because of the dog door’s opening and closing. For dogs owners with many dogs, a stream of dogs constantly getting in and out means insulation problems – and energy expenses going up. For dog owners whose residence is in cold climate areas, the heat loss can find its way into their monthly energy bills. If you live in a house that’s air-conditioned, the same energy loss can happen. The dog door, on one hand allows the convenience of not have to get up for your dog, but also allows some energy loss.
