Dog Doors!

Choc Chip

Picking the brains of boardsies!

I work from home and I'm not away too often so generally our dog can go in and out as she pleases (she'd normally rather lie beside me in her crate as I'm working - lazy sod ).

She goes to daycare if I'm out for long, but my other half would like to get a doggy door so that if we are both out, our dog can have access to the (5 - 6ft fenced) garden as she wishes. I've two potential issues with this:

(i) could it result in a burglar accessing our house - she's a 30kg GSD so the dog door would be a decent size.
(ii) could she be stolen from the garden? We live in a rural area and there are TONS of dogs out in gardens. She's gorgeous though and always getting compliments. I'd never forgive myself if she was stolen. I'm confident she wouldn't jump/climb out - she's zero inclination to investigate beyond the fence.

I know some other boardsies have dogs who can go outside during the day. How do you reassure yourself that your house / dogs are safe? Would some cameras up on the house corners do the job? Padlocked gates? Any other security options that you rely on? Or is it too much of a risk for you personally?

I'm all ears!

cocker5

Choc Chip wrote: »

Picking the brains of boardsies!

I work from home and I'm not away too often so generally our dog can go in and out as she pleases (she'd normally rather lie beside me in her crate as I'm working - lazy sod ).

She goes to daycare if I'm out for long, but my other half would like to get a doggy door so that if we are both out, our dog can have access to the (5 - 6ft fenced) garden as she wishes. I've two potential issues with this:

(i) could it result in a burglar accessing our house - she's a 30kg GSD so the dog door would be a decent size.
(ii) could she be stolen from the garden? We live in a rural area and there are TONS of dogs out in gardens. She's gorgeous though and always getting compliments. I'd never forgive myself if she was stolen. I'm confident she wouldn't jump/climb out - she's zero inclination to investigate beyond the fence.

I know some other boardsies have dogs who can go outside during the day. How do you reassure yourself that your house / dogs are safe? Would some cameras up on the house corners do the job? Padlocked gates? Any other security options that you rely on? Or is it too much of a risk for you personally?

I'm all ears!

She's a big dog so big dog door possibly yes a small adult / child can slip in those doors... and most def on the notion of being stolen.

for the last 4 years while I'm in work my cocker is in the house - he has the run of downstairs etc but wouldn't leave him out if no one home for fear of him being stolen... too many dogs being taken in the last few years. Cameras / pad locks don't work at all if they want your dog they are going to take it. Plus these scummers don't care for the law so cameras wouldn't put them off...

why not just leave her indoors - all the dogs for most of the time is sleep OP so im sure she will be zzzzz while your out?

Choc Chip

cocker5 wrote: »

why not just leave her indoors - all the dogs for most of the time is sleep OP so im sure she will be zzzzz while your out?

Ah she's grand indoors. I'm just curious I suppose! I wondered whether I was being overly cautious (I am, in general, a worrier ).

tk123

IIRC DBB posted before that her GSD was able to squeeze through a door for a much smaller dog? :pac:

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

IIRC DBB posted before that her GSD was able to squeeze through a door for a much smaller dog? :pac:

Yep... My 40kg GSD used to squeeze in and out a door I installed for a Cocker sized dog
When we got her, she knew no better, and simply followed my 2 smaller dogs through it! Not sure how easy it'd be to teach her from scratch though.
Even though it's a small door, a child up to 7-8 years old could squeeze through it. But look... If a lad wants to get into your house, he'll put his foot through the door panel with or without a dog door.
There's also a school of thought that a fella would be put off breaking into a house with a big dog door, if there's a dog that big within

muddypaws

I had a large dog door on my back door in my London flat. A teenage girl I was fostering and her boyfriend got through it one day no problem at all. They then locked my front door from the inside, forgot to unlock it when they left through the dog flap again, so I then had to send another teenage girl through the dog flap to let me back in. If someone wants to get through it, they will. But, as DBB says, if someone wants to get into your house, they can, breaking a window is very easy to gain access.

I don't think it presents a big security risk, but if you aren't away much, I probably wouldn't bother, they can let a big draught in during the winter, even when closed.

DBB

Valid point Muddypaws.. I never really noticed a draught because it was an outer door of a small utility room. Since we've moved house, we've decided not to install the dog flap here because the draught would be shockin... If you have a very sheltered door it might not be a big deal, it's just not a runner with us.
Pity though, I miss it... I liked that my dogs could get out to pee if I was out for longer than planned. And this might sound ridiculously paranoid, but I also liked the idea of my dogs being able to get out if there was a fire or other disaster whilst I was out

muddypaws

DBB wrote: »

Valid point Muddypaws.. I never really noticed a draught because it was an outer door of a small utility room. Since we've moved house, we've decided not to install the dog flap here because the draught would be shockin... If you have a very sheltered door it might not be a big deal, it's just not a runner with us.
Pity though, I miss it... I liked that my dogs could get out to pee if I was out for longer than planned. And this might sound ridiculously paranoid, but I also liked the idea of my dogs being able to get out if there was a fire or other disaster whilst I was out

Yes, you're not paranoid, or maybe you are, and I am too, as that is always on my mind as well.

Choc Chip

Can I ask DBB and muddypaws, were you ever worried about your dogs being stolen if they were able to pop into the garden on their own while you were out? Or did you have completely enclosed gardens? OR am I excessively paranoid?

muddypaws

Choc Chip wrote: »

Can I ask DBB and muddypaws, were you ever worried about your dogs being stolen if they were able to pop into the garden on their own while you were out? Or did you have completely enclosed gardens? OR am I excessively paranoid?

Weirdly, it wasn't something I worried about in London, it was a good while ago though, maybe dog theft wasn't well known at the time, there was also no side access to the gardens on our road, so thiefs would have had to come through the house, or across a railway line and over a fence. I now live in the middle of nowhere, and yes, it does worry me a bit, but again, if someone wants to steal the dogs and they are in the house, they could break in and take them. I have high fences, padlocks on gates and rather a lot of dogs, so hopefully they would look too scarey and too much hard work for any would be thieves.

I didn't have a dog door on my house in London that I moved to from the flat, and was out one day, with a neighbour calling in to check on the dogs (I only had 2 dogs at the time), I left the patio door open slightly for the dogs to go in and out, garden completely enclosed, patio doors not overlooked at all thanks to the shape of the garden. Someone got into the house and stole a few DVDs, and then unfortunately came back twice more, forcing the then locked patio doors and breaking a window. So maybe if they could have got in through a dog door, it wouldn't have caused so much damage!

DBB

I lived in a housing estate at the time, the garden would've been secure enough. We're very rural now though, and even though the garden is almost secure (and the dogs make no attempt to leave), when we have it fully secured I dunno will I let the dogs have full run of the place when we're not about. We may cordon off an area around the house for them.
We did have an *incident* at the old house. I was away for the weekend but on my way home. I got a call from my very stressed OH, just home himself, to tell me my GSD was gone. I was inconsolable... He'd gone out driving looking for her. But there were no signs that anyone had accessed the garden or house. I convinced myself that they'd carried all 40kg of her over the fence.
Then I had an idea... My Westie had once got himself locked into the en suite loo, the door tended to swing shut behind you. So OH charged up the stairs, opened the door, and there she was, looking very sorry for herself
The relief! I still get stressed just thinking about it!

aonb

OP I work with a rescue in Co. Kildare, it is horrific the number of dogs being stolen. Regularly we hear horror stories of dogs being stolen from gardens where there was no outside access, or high walls, or locked gates. As everyone on here has said, if these people want your dog, they will get in... Dogs are being stolen for selling on, for breeding, for baiting/fighting - your GSD might be more of target for the latter reason, but might be less of a target if she looks aggressive for an intruder at the other side of the door/window. I would prefer my GSD inside the house, to protect the dog (if it will look/sound aggressive to an intruder) and the house at the same time.

Our house was burgled last year. They used a crow-bar to smash triple-glazed glass in the patio doors. The dogs and cat were in the house - thankfully none were injured/stolen.

Jude13

We live in a low crime country but the security thing still came up. We have a GSD who is 22kg (only 7 months) but got a big door for when she grows. I (95kg) can easily get through it.
The wind thin is an issue, petsafe do an extreme weather dog door which I would recommend. We only found out about this after I had paid a glazer to install our one in the sliding door.

Choc Chip

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm probably reassured (strangely) by the argument that if someone is going to break into my house they'll do it anyway. I need to have a bit more of a think about how safe my garden is if someone wanted to steal the actual dog, but it's given me a bit more to consider (rather than my initial automatic response of "absolutely no way!").

Thanks!!