i have 2 dogs and the youngest is 11 months, they are i would say fair weather dogs but i do take them out in the rain and once there they enjoy the walk. my problem is that the 11 month when its a rainy day and i still have the kitchen door open inbetween our walks still decides to wee on the carpet. i have a stair gate for the dogs to stop them going upstairs which is the sort of roller blind effect, pulls across the stairs then when not in use looks like a roller blind on the wall i cant think of the name of it. with this being mesh she nudges her way under it. what is the best solution and any suggestions for another gate or option. when my kids were babies i had a lindam gate and because we live in a new house when i tightened it it went through the walls ! we are having work done in the house and once finished will soon be having new carpets throughout from stairs upwards, needless to say my hubby will go mad if she carries on doing it on the new carpet he has forked out for. any thoughts ? a friend of mine has a proper gate painted white inbetween her hall and kitchen and to be honest because i am used to it i dont think it looks that bad. The roller blind one is hard for my children to do and they dont pull it across so she always seems to be dashing up the stairs and weeing on the carpet

LIndam dog gates are good , taller than the baby gates if you have problems with the plaster on the walls , fix a wooden baton to the wall before putting the dog gate on (they are also cheaper in argos than the baby gates )

thanks for that, i'll have a look on the argos site now. are they easy to open ? as this is part of the problem now, kids are 5, 7, 9 and dont need a gate across the bottom of the stairs and if they cant open and close it easily they just wont do it and thats when she goes up and wees on the carpet. my friends gate as i said is basically a garden gate so just opens and closes with a latch thing

I would think your kids would be ok to open them , its a case of press button and lift , same action as the baby gates but taller and as kids are probably better at opening things than adults they should be fine !!

thanks, just had a look on the argos site and seen an extendable puppy gate in white, i have the same one for outside in black and the kids can do that one , so might go for that and see how we get on with the new carpet ! will have to take your advice i think and get a baton of wood put on the wall though, the walls here are rubbish and too much tension for the gate to work and straight through the wall. THANKS

look in argos, i got one the other day, i think it was £12-18, it works a treat, when smallchildren comeround i can shut them in the kitchen with out them being completely shut from the family.

mum likes it because it allows her to have a hug and kiss with the dogs getting involved.

I've got this one

there is a lindham extendable inside one in the argos for 17.99 in the same white so easier on the eye than my outside black puppy gate and measuring it, it would fit across my bottom stair. It's the opening and closing that has to be the easiest and top priority because i have to drill it into the kids to close it behind them when going upstairs because thats when she see the opportunity especially if it is raining and she wont nip out the back for a quick wee. new carpet and 11 month dog wee wont be a happy hubby !!

thanks for the link moonmaiden - is it easy to open/close ??

yep can be done one handed & opened both ways

stamboon was that the small kids you shut in the kitchen !! LOL Have visions of a line of children peering over the gate

>I would think your kids would be ok to open them , its a case of press button and lift , same action as the baby gates but taller and as kids are probably better at opening things than adults they should be fine !!

The one I have in my kitchen has this mechanism and although it looks good and is great that it is taller I have found that the gate has buckled a bit (have had it since xmas).  I think this is due to sometimes only one of the catches catching and if the dog jumps at it or leans on it and both top and bottom aren't connected, the weight of him is starting to buckle the metal.  I have also found that only securing it with the turning knobs has meant it isn't secure as again the dog standing against the gate is causing the attachments to move.

I prefer thsi one http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/p/394035/bettacare-child-pet-safety-gate---104cm-high-75-83cm-wide.html to the Lindam gates, primarily beaause my lot ahve broken two Lindam gate handles when jumping up.

They also do one with a cat flap

Looking at this one Brainless, it has a child proof safety closing device. Might be too hard for the kids to open and close. I use Lindum gates which are good but not the easiest to open and baffle some of our adult guests, never mind the kids. All safety gates are purposly designed so as not to be too easy to open, so that a clever child can't master them because this would defeat the object of having one.

Lindam do replacement handles...and as long as you are within the 12 months of purchase will replace them for free.
If you are outside of this period I think they charge or did a year or so back £7 each handle (which is cheaper than buying a whole new gate)

thanks just been looking at the link but as someone said the priority has to be if someone thinks it would be ok for the kids to open and close because thats the problem i have with the one now. cos the kids cant do it in a flash they tend not to shut it and then thats when she nips upstairs and wees on the carpet. She wouldnt do it on the hard flooring all downstairs would she !!!! Ha a bit of comfort and carpet she chooses. I know that the purpose of safety gates is mainly for babies and children and then that defeats the object if they can just open them, i'm just looking for one that people think might be the easiest out of all the variations out there. will have to research it because come a month or so might be to the stage were i am thinking along the line of new carpet, and hubby wouldnt be a happy bunny !!

it works a treat, when smallchildren comeround i can shut them in the kitchen

Ha ha!! Is it the dogs or the children that you shut in the kitchen?! I know what my preference would be!! :)

The Tesco one that I have is easy to open for humans. I've got very little grip in my hands & I have no problem with the two buttons to press to be able to open the gate. I have problems with other peoples safety gates not being able to grip the fastener well enough to open it !

thanks moonmaiden thats good to know, great to have peoples actual experience of the opening and closing point as that is the real reason i am needing to change the one i have now sooner rather than later

We have a Lindam baby gate at the bottom of our stairs to prevent the dogs from going upstairs. Initially it was to prevent the youngest from galloping up and down like a defender on the castle walls!!  Nowadays it's to stop him from sleeping on the beds and stealing dirty laundry.

My kids are 13 and 14 and whilst they are quite capable of shutting the gate properly rarely bother.  However, we've fitted the gate at the bottom of the staircase, on the first stair and against the 2nd one (if you see what I mean) so that the gate can only be opened by pulling it toward you.  As long as there isn't a perceivable gap and that we've pushed it shut, we don't actually have to latch it.  Our gundog is probably quite capable of opening it but doesn't as he associates the shut gate with a locked gate.  We did have to be keep it latched for a week or two whilst he learnt he couldn't open it...  Hope that makes sense.

Presumably you could re position your roller blind one so that the fabric is up against the 2nd step.  This means your girl can't push her way under because the stair is in the way? 

The other thing is to be very vigilant and prevent the issue from occurring.  Don't leave the back door open and trust to luck.  Go back to basics and treat her like a younger puppy - put her lead on and take her out for a pee every hour.  Make sure you have a brolly and coat by the back door and just go with her.  If I'm honest my dogs rarely volunteer to go out into the rain unless encouraged, they tell me they need to go out then screech to a halt if it's wet.  Happy to do a proper walk but not a quick pee in the rain - daft dogs :)

Hi dogs a babe, yes i could reposition my roller blind gate to the second stair but the issue is that the kids cant open and close it so it never gets done. 2nd stair up  as you describe so could only be opened towards you i suppose with an  actual gate would be the better option, as i hope she wouldnt be able to nudge it open. because we have work being done on the house at the moment the dogs cant go in the back garden so they have been better off in one sense because they have been going for 3 maybe 4 long walks per day. we do have a puppy gate down the side passage way next to our kitchen and i do still use that because when i got her as a pup i had an issue with my other dog that she would only ever do anything on the grass and i wanted to train the pup on the flags. once the work is done and she can go out down the side or the garden i think it will be back to basics because i cant have it happening on the new carpet. new gate and new carpet and back to the basic training i think ! in the meantime we are all getting more excerise which especially the last couple of days has been glorious and a nice break away for me too on the field with the 2 dogs away from all the banging and knocking and whizzing, but will all be worth it. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated

I find it far less fiddly than the lindam gate and can do it with one hand,there is a knack so would stop babies, but not kids you'd want to know how to do it.

Basically you have to press underneath when you grip and push forward a slide with a finger/s on top and lift.

When shutting you have to realease the catch and drop back into place.