Hi all...
im wanting a dog door/flap for my back door. its not cos im lazy but i have 2 doors at the back of the house. one goes to the back garden and the other to the side of the house. if i leave the garden door open for kai and then open the other one, the rush of air is causing the doors to slam shut. i tried wedging them but kai pinches the wedges etc :-)
kai is a malamute so could grow to 25 -28 inches (or bigger lol)
petmate/dogmate dont make one big enough and staywell's are soo expensive. i cant find any other maker for them
do any of you know of any other makes, preferably cheaper than £90  ??

thanks
jane

The one we have fitted is the large Staywell one and it cost about £60. I bought it from an Argos Extra store. It says it's suitable for dogs up to 45kg (not sure how big a Malamute gets but I know they are big!)but our boy is bigger than that and still fits through easily (and 6'2", 13 stone OH fits through too, if that's any indication!!!). Not sure if our baby Newf will fit through when fully grown but I guess we'll have to see what happens.

hi ShaynLola
yes ive seen the large but i dont think its big enough. i would need the extra large ( according to staywells sizing )as mals go to 25 -28 inches at withers,(38 - 56kg breed standard ) and cant find them any cheaper than £90 :-(
i would hate to put in the wrong size and have kai get stuck lol

cant understand when they say suitable upto ???? weight ... as that could be any shape and size and wont necessarily fit throu..... :D

Oh I so wish I could have a dog door put in, but I'm double glazed and have patio doors so not poss.  My two creatures would love to just go in and out when they please...... :( :(

I think the only problem with a dog door, especially for a large breed, is that most things can fit through it... including burglers

You would probably find that you invalidate your insurance if the door is left open when you are not in or at night. It would need to be fitted with the same locks that doors/windows have.

Daisy

My dog door is fitted in a uPVC door into the utility room which has no access to the rest of the house. My dogs are generally out in the garden or in their kennels while we are out but I wanted them to be able to have access to at least one room in the house if they want to. As stated, my OH can fit through (at a squeeze, admittedly) so it would be a definite security risk on a door leading directly into the house.

I'm a bit concerned too about what we'll do when baby Newf reaches full height and weight as I don't think it'll accomodate her. I did suggest to the OH that it might be cheaper and easier to move the door hinges to the top and just let the whole door swing in and out!!

If you're prepared to wait about 9 months, I'll be able to let you know if a Newfie will fit through. Otherwise, I'll be posting on here for advice on best methods of removing a wedged Newf from a dog door!!! LOL

Dont know if this is possible but could you fit some kind of hook ouside so you could hook or tie the door open so it doesnt blow shut? Less difficult to steal than a wedge but not a security risk when you are out - or even just something heavier than a wedge to keep it open? small stone door stop type thing?

How about fitting a stable door and a hook outside to keep bottom half open? We have a dog door, we've had it so long I can't remember where we got it, but it doesn't open like a flap (hinged at the top) but like a house door, and is perspex so they can see through. Must have had it well over 15 years now, so it's done well!

we have a dog flap in our back door - it is the second one we have had (Staywell ) and our large male BSD's fit through fine - the only problem is that the 'flap' part only lasted a couple of weeks it just couldn't take the impact of large dogs banging through it so now we have a dog hole ! fine in the summer but not so good in the winter.

Yvonne

Jane, can't you attach a sort of hook to the wall outside, and hoop the door open? I would be scared to fit a doggy door that a burglar could get through....

We have the hook on our back door, I would be scared to leave it open without hooking it open as one slam could do a lot of damage to a small pup :(

tuti... it looks like i might have to do that, even thou the door opens onto a wall of glass with a bit of wood below it ( like a conservatory :-) ) i think i can find some way of hookin it open.
i'm not bothered from a security point of view having such a large dog flap, as the door from this room to the kitchen is the original back door complete with locks still. and as the room is only for dirty shoes and dogs, theres nothing of value in it :D
its just the cost of the dog flap in the size i need thats the problem..... i could buy a brand new door for less lol :D