Has anyone any good recommendations of dog flaps. Having just started my new job which admittedly has better hours and no nights away it also means not the flexibility to work at home anymore (although the free booze as it's a pub company makes up for this ) My 3 are left from approx 8.50am till around 12ish when I come home from lunch. I leave home at 1ish and son coms in at 3.45pm. They have been fine for the last week however when I popped home today and let them all out the weather was so nice none of them wnated to come back in.

If I let them out through the utility door at the side of the house there is a run of approx 15ft wide by 60 ft long which will be seperated from the main garden by fencing. This however is the neighbours side of the house as apposed to the other side which sides on to open space (hope I am making sense) I have popped to see the neighbours we side onto and they are both out all day at work so see no probs if my 2 (as only the lab and afghan will be allowed free access) are out during the day. I don't want to keep them shut out but like the idea of them having the choice. Can anyone recommend a good dog flap or something similar for them. The area is part sunny part shaded as the afghan hates the sun so seems ideal but any pro's cons etc would be appreciated.

Lisa . I am trying to picture the utility room. is it joined to your kitchen ? mine is . recently I have had a secure door put in from kitchen so if your utility room is leading out to run a secure door will allow you to leave the one leading to run open , any help Mari

I was thinking about this Mari as my utility room is also joined onto my kitchen, unfortunately though my bathroom also leads off the utility room but I was thinking of putting one of those 'dead locks' on it- any burglars can only steal our toothbrushes:D That's once they've got past the big tom cat first [$ foremost:D I hope you can understand what I mean by all this. I wouldn't just leave the door open either- I'd want a dog flap too])

Stacey

Yeh the utility comes off the kitchen and during the day Affie and Lab have the run of the 2 rooms so that could be a consideration, after all anyone brave enough or mad enough to wander into my kitchen with the afghan there is more than welcome to anything they can nick Only problem is all the internal doors are fully glazed (georgian style) and god forbid should anything happen would the insurance see these doors as secure enough. Just seems such a shame as they don't mind being left but on really nice days it would be great for them to be able to pop out every once in a while.

I know someone who had their house broken into via a dog flap. If it's big enough for an Afghan to get out of . . .

On the plus side. If this were only to give access to one room, then chubb locks which screw into frames and can be seen from one side only are well worth considering. My mum has a 32 pane georgian type door from kitchen to conservatory and similar french doors from garden to dining room, all with chubb locks and it was this that saved her when burglars wrenched the conservatory door open, couldn't get the kitchen door open and then couldn't get the french doors open either.

Your local police force will have crime prevention officers who will come and look over your security for you. It might be worth giving them a call.

HTH

9th

Sorry. Not a very "doggy" response was it?

>>Your local police force will have crime prevention officers who will come and look over your security for you.

What an excellent idea! :D

See. It's worth wading through the dribble that I normally write, coz I do have the odd flash of brilliance :D

We've had a Staywell pet door for 9 years but its on its last legs now. There was a company selling spring-closing ones at Crufts, called Plexidor, they seemed very good. My advice would be get as small a one as your dog can fit through - measure the depth of the chest and give a couple of inches clearence - its amazing how they can still 'slot' themselves in! We once locked ourselves out and couldn't fit in the dog flap!!!

I have a staywell dog flap the medium size one. My Boxer gets through it no problems! Its supposed to be for dogs 15 inches high not 25!

Don't want to be the bringer of bad news but travellers use young children to break into houses
that way if their caught they are below the age of responcebility
so they can get through very small gaps

Yes theyd also be minus a few bits if they tried to get through my dog flap! Of course that is after they have negotiated the 18 inch overhang on my fence with my dogs making an awful racket that the whole neighbourhood would wonder what on earth was going on :D

I agree with 9thM re internal security locks;) If this was in practise- there is no where for them to go;) And as Bec said- they'd have to go up the 6ft fence- then the 3 ft of netting in place to stop my son kicking the football over (he's only 4), this can't even be seen in the dark- it's literally football netting with a small fence post attached either end (except the top and bottom) which secures onto each corner of our fence- this brings my fence to approx 9/ 9 1/2 ft (providing you don't get tangled up in it and fall to the floor) then once on the otherside there's the overhang- a vicious tom cat (best guard dog/cat I've ever had) and a GSD to contend with- then once inside the dog flap- you can't enter the main house via the door as it's a security door;)

What size dog flap would I need for the GSD- the same as the boxer perhaps? (I'm going ahead with it- they're burglars not contenders on the Kryton Factor:D)

Stacey

Its the width I think more than the height and GSD's tend to be a bit broader then my Boxer!

What about the dog flaps that need a special magnetic collar to open and close them?

Actually on that subject if anybody else has info on the electronic ones I would be interested. Of course burglary is usually a spontaneous crime. Burglars usually "case" the houses first. A dog and an alarm are probably the best deterrant. Bottom line is that if they wish to break in they will - drug the dog and the usual things. I always think the trick is to make it as obviously hard as possible - they are going to burgle somebody - it may as well be somebody else without the security & dog.

I've had my alarm company come out and remove my PIR sensors from the few rooms which my Dobe is confined to if I have to leave him. That way they get in through the dog flap - assuming that they have not been put off by a large Dobe who would no doubt greet with some pleasure - and then as soon as the kitchen door is opened or anybody goes into the hall then the alarm system is triggered via the PIR there or the sensors on each door in the house not left open for Max.

The only thing I would ever wish for if it were to happen is to be fly on the wall and look at the travellers little face! I would strongly agree to getting a crime prevention officer out for advice. Its free and they are really helpful. Just my two pennies worth.