Do Pet Doors Lock?  The Importance of a Secure Pet Door

Introduction: Do Pet Doors Lock?  The Importance of a Secure Pet Door

Pet doors are a great solution for households that want to give their pets the freedom to come and go as they please.  Dog doors and cat doors come in a variety of sizes as well as types – pet doors can be installed into doors, glass and even walls.

In this article we will look at the need for safety and security with your pet door as well as other aspects including the benefits of having a good pet door that is lockable, and the risks associated with unlocked pet doors.

The Need for Safety and Security with Pet Doors

Having a dog door or cat door can be of great convenience, but sometimes they can pose a security risk. In certain circumstances pet doors may allow other animals to enter your home. And if you have a large dog door, it may allow strangers to enter your home. Additionally, a pet door that is unlocked may allow weather to come into your house.

3 Main Risks Associated with Unlocked Pet Doors

There may be some risks with leaving your pet door unlocked, and the risks will depend on the size and type of pet door you have.  There are three main types of risks.  The first is most minimal risk is that weather such as rain or winds can get in.  The second risk is that stray animals may be able to get into your house.  And the third and biggest risk is that strangers may be able to get into your house.  We will come back and look at these scenarios shortly and how they can be fixed with the solution of locking your pet door as well as other solutions.

Types of Locks for Pet Doors

In general, all pet doors are manufactured with some type of locking feature. There are four main types of locking systems for pet doors. 

The most common type of locking system is a lock out slide.  The pet door is built with a slot that the lock out slide can go down into. This is generally the most secure type of lockout system and is able to keep to keep animals and people out.  This type of lock out slide is the locking system that over 90% of people have in their homes, and the great advantage of the lock out slide is that your pets can see when the slide is in place and know that they can’t get outside.

A different type of locking system is on small cat doors have a locking knob mechanism. When the knob is turned a small snib comes up which stops the hard plastic flap from moving.  This is effective because the flap is very small – around 19 centimetres.  The downside of this locking mechanism is that cats can’t tell that it is locked until they try to go through the flap.

The two other types of locks are found on electronic pet doors.  Electronic pet doors are pet doors that require the pet to have a microchip or special collar that then signals the door to open.  On small electronic doors designed for cats and small dogs, the locking system is one where two small snibs stay up, keeping the door locked.  Once a pet with the microchip or special collar comes near the door, it reads the signal and the small snibs drop – allowing the pet to go through.  The snibs then go back into place.

The other type of electronic door with a different locking system is suitable for animals up to 45kg. An example of this is the PetSafe Electronic Smart Door.  This pet door locks via the door hinges. Upon receiving the signal from the pet’s microchip or special collar, the door hinges move up and down to lock and unlock the door.

Solutions to the 3 Main Risks Associated with Unlocked Pet Doors

Following are the solutions to the three main risks associated with unlocked pet doors. 

As looked at before, the first and most minimal risk is that weather such as rain or winds can get in.  There are three solutions for this. If you only get the occasional heavy rain storm or winds, the most general solution is to ensure that the pet door you purchase ensures good protection from the weather. A pet door with a magnetic seal in both the flap and the pet door, so that it provides a strong sturdy seal during bad weather is a good option.  The second solution is for people in areas that have really heavy weather that may include snow, some pet doors such as the Ideal Ruff Weather pet door have two flaps which is even more effective at keeping the weather out.  The third solution is for people with pet doors with a lock out slide – putting this back into it’s slot is the most obvious solution to keeping bad weather out.

The second risk is that stray animals may be able to get into your house.  For people living in Australia, this is not much of a problem, as there doesn’t seem to be a prevalence of other animals using the pet door as opposed to countries like the U.S.A. , where they have raccoons and other wildlife getting in through their pet doors.  As a pet door installer, I would say that in Australia the only other animals that usually come in are stray cats or dogs. And on the whole, this happens very rarely.  If this is a problem though, there are two solutions.  As mentioned, most people will have a lock out slide, and this can be put into place to keep stray animals out.  However if it’s an ongoing problem and you aren’t always around to utilise the lock out slide, another solution could be to install an electronic pet door.

The third and biggest risk is that strangers may be able to get into your house.  This would not generally occur if you have dogs up to about 55 centimetres, as the flap would only need to be about 40 centimetres high, which is generally not big enough for people to get through. However, if you dog is of an extra large size, such as a German Shepherd or Alaskan Malamute you would need an extra large sized pet door.  These pet doors have a longer flap of around 50 or 55 centimetres. As such it is usually easy for somebody to crawl through this space.  It therefore may be a security risk – if they are unlocked and you are not home. The way to assess if this is a security risk is to look at the breed of dog you have. If you have a German Shepherd or an extra large breed of dog that is good at protecting your house, this may not be such a problem. But if you have a more timid breed such as a Dalmation, this may present a security risk if you are not home. The solution to this would be to ensure that the pet door is only used while you are home, and when you are out, the lock in slide is put into place.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts on the Importance of Locking Pet Doors

In conclusion, most pet doors have some type of locking mechanism.  Unless you are getting an electromagnetic pet door, the type of locking system you get will probably be a lock out slide.  This is generally a good, sturdy option. If you have a cat and are considering a small cat flap, it may be good to analyse whether a larger pet door with a lock out slide is a better option.  By following these tips, pet owners can enjoy the convenience of a pet door without compromising the safety and security of their home and their pet.