Dog door
Encyclopedia
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a person to open the door. Flaps are hung from the top of the opening and do exactly that - flap. Dog doors generally must be bigger than cat flap
Cat flap
A cat flap or cat door is a hinged flap set into a door, wall or window to allow cats to enter and exit a house on their own without needing a human to open the door, while offering a degree of protection against wind and rain entering the dwelling...
s and therefore are often constructed differently. Except in rural areas, they tend to give access to fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
d-in yards or garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s rather than the neighborhood at large.
Dog doors are found to be convenient by many dog owners, because it lets their dogs come and go as they please, reducing the need for trips outside and unwanted behaviour such as the dog scratching on doors or walls or excreting
Excretion
Excretion is the process by which waste products of metabolism and other non-useful materials are eliminated from an organism. This is primarily carried out by the lungs, kidneys and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substance may have specific tasks after leaving the cell...
in the house.
Dog doors are generally designed to be safe for any pet. The panels are often designed with soft vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
that does not trap or injure the dog. Dog doors also sometimes consist of permanent magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
s to reduce drafts. Cheap, easily replaceable pet doors are made from plastic and as such are not robust enough for boisterous pets.
Patio door pet doors
Dog doors and cat flaps can be built into structures called patioPatio
A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....
door pet doors. These structures are intended to be installed in existing sliding patio doors so that there is no need to make holes in walls or wooden entrance doors. An advantage of the patio door pet door is that it need not be permanently installed; it can be transported with the owner when the owner moves to a new home. These doors can be made from thermo-plastics or aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and can be found in different colours to match the opening they are placed in.