Dog door flaps might be a little too much freedom for your dog, and if the chaos in your house needs to be a tad bit taken down a notch, look into installing an electromagnetic dog door. Electromagnetic dog doors will also ensure that your pets are in the house when you want them, and that they don’t go loitering around the neighborhood at unwanted hours. Most of these doors are also recommended if you’re having problems with the neighbor’s dogs or cats stealing your pet’s food, or when there are unwanted raccoons lingering around your house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ads

Sizes of these electromagnetic doors vary according to your dog’s size. It would be wise to measure the height of your dog before purchasing one. Small doors, which are about 14 inches in height, are suitable for smaller breeds of dogs like Pekingese, Dachshunds, Shih Tzus or Yorkshire Terriers. Medium sized doors are about 18 inches in height, which are perfect for Spaniels, Poodles or Terriers. Large sized doors measure about 25 inches, which are more appropriate for Labradors, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. Check the product details for the availability of these sizes.

Electromagnetic doors for dogs are also a little more permanent than other types of dog doors, and may need to be fitted into your wall, wooden door or plastic panels. Fitting requires cutting a hole into your door, so make sure you’re in on this for the long haul. If you’re planning to do this by yourself, you may need an electric jig-saw to cut the void. Instruction manuals will provide you with a template, which should be drawn on a flat area on your door. The electromagnetic door will come with frames for the inside and outside of your door. These frames are usually screwed at four positions.

Electromagnetic doors come with a dog collar magnets that should be attached to your dog’s collar. These magnets automatically trigger the door to open once your pet is within range. Check the quality of these magnets, and make sure they are durable and will not interfere with your dog’s activities. Companies usually provide two dog collar magnets, and you might want to purchase extra ones if you have a larger family of dogs in the house. It would be a good idea to test them out at the store before buying them.

Largely, the benefit from electromagnetic doors is that it allows you to control the movement of your dogs. These products offer a four-way locking system, enabling you to program an “in-only”, “out-only”, locked or unlocked setting. Door flaps definitely are on the losing end in this category. Since these are electronic products, they require batteries (usually 9 volts) that should last for at least a year. As a bonus, some companies also offer extra flaps for when the old ones wear out. This would be a great deal for rowdy dogs. Don’t forget to check the product warranty. Most companies will offer 3 years warranty for their product. If you can find one that is longer, it would definitely be to your advantage. We all know dogs live longer than that!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -