Hi I have finally persueded my husband (with the help of dog trainer) to buy a safety gate. Its been 15 years since I last had one and I went onto Argos expecting it to be a simple job only to be faced with double and triple locking gates!!!! It needs to be as simple as possible to open and shut or OH will throw it or dog out window. Do these gates need to be triple locked or can you just leave the other locks off? or can anyone recommend a metal gate, not to expensive, from somewhere?

June

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8704346.htm

This is the one that we have had for four years, very good. Don't know what you mean by double locking ??? though :)

Daisy

I have one from argos too. You have to screw the brackets onto the wall but can lift the entire gate off when not in use. http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=4501&productId=217384

I just use a baby gate, half (well actually all the time) I just open it wider and lean it instead of sticking it up between the walls. I mostly just use it to keep them from going upstairs when we are gone or from going into the porch when people arrive so they are not hounding them at the door.

We have the tall Lindam gate on our kitchen doorway - it's very good. My only grumble is that the side panels could have been made narrower making the gate opening wider - I'm not wide but have knocked my arms on it a few times when passing through, especially when carrying anything.

I like the second one shown too, and it would have been perfect for the stairs except it has two opening panels ? With a right angle at the bottom of our stairs, it would make it a clumsy part to negotiate if the dog had been allowed upstairs - still, not an insurmountable problem if it just lifts on and off leaving no dangerous parts exposed. :)

having got dogs and 14 month old son - been going through the same process and the only thing I would urge you to check if you are planning on fitting it to your stairs is how high are the spindles etc as I ended up having to fit a strip of wood from top to bottom as there was no where to fit the gate to at the height it needed to be (if that makes sense!)

Hi Ive got the Lindam gates all over the place....lol Have to say though, they dont last very long in my house. Could be the donkey sized dogs as ive had to replace two off them now!!!

I have one of these aswell and our lad can flatten it with one hit of his paw..... We should screw it into the wood but didnt bother, he has stopped jumping at it now so it is safe again.   If i had just a baby gate he would just jump that too easy. 

Thanks for your advice. I want a pressure mounting one so that I can move it around. I have today bought the Lindam dog gate but having got it home I am wondering whether it is too high as the gate handle comes up to my chest! I only have a westie so perhaps an ordinary baby gate would suffice - are they as strong (dog chewing) as dog gates? I am quite a large lady so agree about the side panels reducing the width of the door opening.

Hi June - I think most of them have side panels unfortunately - it was a nightmare until a few weeks ago, as our daughter in law was pregnant! We're just about used to it now, and at least being higher than the average gate, we know she can't get a big enough run at it to jump over it. At least your Westie shouldn't be able to jump that high :)
Normal baby gates are fine, but I have seen some with fairly wide apart bars.

One thing we did think of before seeing the Lindam, was to have a fairly plain & lightweight wrought iron gate made - would be a solution for those whose dogs manage to knock the standard gates over.

All my adults can easily jump a standard baby gate with ease, and most terriers of my acquaintance could too.

My baby gate has seen better days as I got it when I had my daughter nearly 19 years ago.

I have to thread cardboard through the bars when I have pups.

Wanting to get the Lindam one, but am worried that as they can jump this one they would try to jump that as well and hurt themselves.

I use it for pups and youngsters until they learn to jump it at about 18 months to 2 years by which time I don't really need ti anymore.

The adults being able to jump it makes it easier for me not having to let them in and out of the kitchen.

If I want them all out of the living room then I shut the door.

The reason ours can't jump over our Lindam gate is that there's not enough room for her to get a run at it where it's positioned. There's only around four feet between the gate and the kitchen table, and so far, for all she's quite tall, she's never jumped onto anything - if she can't clamber onto a chair, she gives up. If the doorway was at the end of the kitchen, I'd be worried.
I'm not intending to use it once she's more sensible and can be trusted better (or as much as they ever can be!) - but I would like a good solution for the bottom of the stairs so that she couldn't get up there if we're out. The way she shambles down the stairs has my heart in my mouth sometimes!
I'd like an easily removed gate for the stairs without any clumsy fittings to cause harm. Again, she couldn't get a run at it as our stairs have a right angle at the bottom with two extra steps. The baby gate we have on the stairs for now came from Mothercare in the Seventies, and has also been used for two dogs since.

The reason I am getting a gate is my trainer advice following a home visit to sort out his barking. He can still see me through the gate but cannot have access to me or people calling at the door, until I choose, but with a shut door he cannot see me and is more likely to be scratching at the door to get out. I am going to take the tall gate back and try the smaller version - like Trish, I dont think there is enough of a run up to get over the gate and hopefully, like brainless says, by the time he is 2 years old we wont need to use it anymore. If he does jump the gate then I'll just have to enroll him in agility!!

With luck he won't jump the smaller gate.  My lot have only 6 foot of space between the gate and the washing machine.  they don't take a run at it at all just sail over from a standing start, but they are of course 20 inches at the shoulder and the gate is just 32 inches at it's highest point, probably 30 inches inches in the middle.

I have the tall Lindan gate too - my collie hasn't managed to jump it - yet - nothing to get her paws on and no run up.  As for the 'double' locking elements they were just a plastic bit on the bottom - my dog chewed that off in no time.  I find the opening catch easier to open then the child gates that I have tried recently.  I do also find it too narrow especially when carrying the baby through as well because I have to be careful not to bang her legs.  Only screw fix gates give a wider opening without the step over bit.   We have managed to kick the bottom of the gate out of place too on occasion.  It has been extremely useful when the baby has been about - one on each side of the gate!  I have done a lot of research looking for a child gate to put at the top of the stairs.  Gave up in the end and am encouraging my granddaughter to come down the stairs safely instead. 

The desire to jump over gates must depend on the dog, because neither of mine have ever made any attempt at jumping the gate and they both do/did agility and could easily clear the Lindan gate LOL. They just know that they aren't allowed out when it's shut :) Even though older dog opened the three doors to 'get round' the dog gate last week, he hasn't done it since :D

Daisy

Aww Daisy - he was just "testing" to see if he could get away with it!   Now he hasn't - and you all are at home again, he's not going to test any more boundaries - Bramble and Tara are obviously quite content with the status quo!

But I'd still put locks on the deep freeze for the next time they go into kennels...... just in case :D :D :D

Margot

oh Brainless! - didn't know they could clear something so easily in such a relatively small space! Sophie is already 20" at the shoulder and plenty of growing still to do being not quite 5 months yet  - the only difference being that the gate we have is 42" high, so hopefully will put her off trying. We moved the kitchen table along to reduce the immediate space around the gate.

With that much extra height you should be fine, this is why I am in a quandary as with them clearing the smaller one so easily I worry about them attempting the extra foot, which I don't think they should/could clear safely in that little space.

Hi Brainless,

I have the small Lindam one and the taller one, my girl does a lovely bunny hop over the smaller one from a stand still but she has never even attempted the higher one - I have been worried about the same thing - the extra foot or whatever it is seems to make it look twice as big as the smaller one which it isn't.  I've just moved and ordered 2 more so am gonna have the bloomin things all over the place :-) I do think they are worth it though.

Karen

I am glad to hear that, as my old baby gate has one of the metal bits broken off the twisty thing that holds the gate in place, so really needs replacing.

Phew! - relieved :)
Hopefully, when I get a better replacement for the old child safety gate at the stairs, we'll be able to leave the tall kitchen gate open into the hall and study if we go out for short periods.
Our other two used to sit and watch out of the window for us returning and we're hoping she'll be happy to do that.

Although she's never seemingly thought of trying to jump over, or even onto anything yet, I suppose things could change.
If yours jump that well, I see your hesitation. How about a full height lightweight wrought iron gate on the door ? It's what we were going to do until we saw the 42" one.

Ah - just saw Karens post - that bit of extra height must have a psychological effect :P

Whilst on the subject of stairgates how tall is the doggie lindam one? if any of you could measure it for me! It sounds quite a bit taller which is good. I think i want to get 2 of these for when new arrival gets here this weekend as we have no lounge door to shut (when answering the front door!) and Blade got out a few times when the kids were answering so if I can get them to shut the gate at all times not just when at the door this should prevent these things happening! plus one for the kitchen door too so they can have time out from one another but still be in contact with me!
I was also thinking along the lines of doing a gate situation/ barn style door but will see what the doggies gates throw up.

It's 42" Emz. Quite a lot more effective than a standard height one :)

Thankyou, I will get some, I have dobes and they are pretty big so normal gates don't really deter them from jumping!

Mine has learnt that if she doesn't hear the gate handle click shut then she can open it with her nose!  She knows this even when she is out in the garden and will come running in and let herself in uninvited.  Drives me mad when she has muddy paws from digging.  If I rush in from the washing line she turns round and goes to nick my clothes pegs to chomp into tiny bits.   Have to have all my wits about me with this one. 

Ceejay - if it's the Lindam gate, you can hold the 'squeezy' bits in and drop the handle without it making a sound - she may then think her magic knowledge has disappeared! Their cleverness never enables us to get one step ahead of them! :D

Mine jumped over the tall Lindam gate twice today!  I feel really guilty because I left the washing machine on when I went out.  It rattles and shakes sometimes and terrifies her.  Luckily my husband was still in the house however he didn't think of turning the machine off.  He put her back to jump the second time - then he kept her sitting beside him while he was working -  I am lucky she didn't hurt herself.  I will have to get a new machine I have had the man out several times to sort it out but he can't find out what is wrong - it never does it when he is there but as soon as he is out of the door it is all round the utility room floor - no wonder the dog is terrified of it.

Ooh!  suppose that's worrying! Now she knows she can jump it, is she likely to keep on doing that ?
If I ever get an inkling that ours has decided to learn how to jump, I may go back to our original idea of a lightweight wrought iron full height gate at the kitchen door !

I still want to find a gate or design of gate, that can prevent her going upstairs when we aren't around - she's learned how to come down, but sometimes more like a sack of potatoes :D
Perhaps we can get a gate made for there - some design that would open flat against the wall with no dangerous fittings that she could catch against - That way, we could let her have access to a limited part of downstairs if we're out and not worry about keeping her in the kitchen & possibly have her trying to jump over the Lindam gate.

She is a collie and they are well known to jump heights.  She is happy enough to stay put when we go out at the moment but I can only run the machine when she can escape to the garden!

Yes, I got a vision of a collie jumping over fences etc reading your previous post - I've also seen plenty of images of SP's leaping over things too, which makes me worry! :) She still tries to climb onto chairs etc, but one day I'm sure she'll realise that jumping gets her there! She's such a clumsy lump, she'd be sure to hurt herself! :rolleyes:

Tara (Aussie) has jumped the fence (+ next doors beech hedge) into next door if she has chased a cat/fox. However, she has never done it on any other occasion - certainly has never tried to escape that way, so it doesn't necessarily follow that your collie will think that jumping the gate is the way to go :) Neither of mine has ever tried to jump our Lindan gate, even tho' they both do agility :D

Daisy