 pros / cons of dog doors?
#335952 - 06/09/2011 11:58 AM |
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Loc: San Antonio, TX
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Every once in a while I entertain the thought of installing a dog door to the backyard... My biggest concern is security (for the house) though. Also loss of a/c and consequent higher bills.
Can anyone here offer any thoughts on dog doors in general? Two 5-ish year old, 75lb dogs would be using it; one gsd and one gsd mix.
Thx 
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 Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Carolyn Pike Roman ]
#335955 - 06/09/2011 12:03 PM |
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Reg: 07-13-2005
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Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Well, my sister had ones decades ago and she came home from work one day to find that her dog was hosting a dog party. (She had a fence -- obviously insufficient.)
She has no more doggy door.
I never got over my instant horror at the thought that it could just as easily have been a dog or dogs chasing hers in attack mode.
Even with a fence, cats and wild critters could come in.
I don't know ... my gut has always said "no."
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#335960 - 06/09/2011 12:10 PM |
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Reg: 02-28-2008
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Loc: Dallas, Texas
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Well, my sister had ones decades ago and she came home from work one day to find that her dog was hosting a dog party. (She had a fence -- obviously insufficient.)
She has no more doggy door.
I never got over my instant horror at the thought that it could just as easily have been a dog or dogs chasing hers in attack mode.
Even with a fence, cats and wild critters could come in.
I don't know ... my gut has always said "no."
I tend to agree with Connie, my gut says no as well.
Not sure what critters you have in San Antonio, but I have seen snakes, in my yard. Along with the tiny gecko's, not to mention where we live there is a decent rodent population.
I would also think you have to be as hot as we are here, and the loss of energy from leakage of AC would be significant. JMO.
Joyce Salazar
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Joyce Salazar ]
#335962 - 06/09/2011 12:13 PM |
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Loc: Akron, Ohio
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I am pretty sure that they make dog doors that are accompanied by a collar that only lets in dogs wearing the collar. Not sure how exactly it works or how expensive they are. That might fix the other animals getting in issue but obviously not the AC issue.
I also have a friend who has a dog door in her breeze way so it is not directly into her house. Not sure if that is an option for you.
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Juliana McCabe ]
#335971 - 06/09/2011 01:07 PM |
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Loc: Munroe Falls, OH
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My parents have one in the back screen for when they're home but don't want to regulate the dog's inside-outside activities. It seems to work well that way. Their dog ISIS can go in and out as she pleases in the summer while my mother sleeps upstairs or outside with no worry about letting in bug swarms.
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Juliana McCabe ]
#335972 - 06/09/2011 01:09 PM |
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Reg: 02-09-2011
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Loc: Blacksburg, VA
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I am pretty sure that they make dog doors that are accompanied by a collar that only lets in dogs wearing the collar. Not sure how exactly it works or how expensive they are. That might fix the other animals getting in issue but obviously not the AC issue.
I also have a friend who has a dog door in her breeze way so it is not directly into her house. Not sure if that is an option for you.
From what I have seen the electric ones cost about $200, then $75 each for additional collars.
I have thought about it but I don't like the idea of not knowing where my dogs are. I might assume they are in the living room while I work in the office when in reality they could be outside and have gotten through the fence. When my dogs are out I am either directly supervising or at the very least checking on them consistently.
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Michael Bennett ]
#335979 - 06/09/2011 01:50 PM |
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Reg: 07-28-2010
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Loc: Tacoma, WA
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My parents have one- but they live in an area where random dogs are not a problem. A 6' fence surrounds the 'dog yard', and we never had a critter come in while I was growing up. (Live in the woods- raccoons, bears, coyotes, occ cougar, etc)
It was nice not having to worry about leaving the dog for an extended amount of time, but it'd never work for my current dogs, who are crated while I'm gone. It would also be much more effort to keep an eye on BM's, if your dog has free rein of when and where to go.
We also had indoor/outdoor cats. Even the little lb kitty learned to use the dog door sized for Newfoundlands. No litter box was NICE, and not having to respond to the requests/demands of a cat making sure you'd let them out if the really really needed out.... but were just checking the weather. (Ha! I hate cats!)
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Kelly Byrd ]
#335982 - 06/09/2011 01:55 PM |
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Loc: S. Florida
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The down side for me would be having the dog outside, unsupervised. I would envision at some point lots of deep holes to fill in, and a dirt-covered dog to wash off every day...
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Lynne Barrows ]
#335986 - 06/09/2011 02:02 PM |
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Loc: Arkansas
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I have a feeling Turbo would be in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and.........
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Re: pros / cons of dog doors?
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#335987 - 06/09/2011 02:08 PM |
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Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Now see, you could turn that into a nice song on the Google graphic .....
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