Dog door use when you are not home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have the dog walker come and play with the dog for 30 min each day.

This

Before I got a dog I thought a dog walker just did that - walk the dog. But we hired one to just take dog out to potty midday- in our yard, as it was a young smallish dog and didn’t do walks at the time.

[Anonymous]

I've done it & while I had reservations initially it has worked out really well. One of mine is a rescue who really needed to feel she wasn't being confined. Being able to come & go as needed has saved everyone's sanity-human & canine. As another poster mentioned, I'd be wary of possible dognapping. Make sure any gate is locked & not climbable. Sure there is some barking, but I figure my neighbors are all contributing to the neighborhood noise load in their own way. The yappy little fluff dogs & the out of control doodle have work at home people. So I don't feel too awful. And don't get me started about the weekly lawn services & the hours of leaf blowers. As for critters coming in the house-I've never had that problem. I put extra magnets on the bottom of the flap & it's good & snug. I highly recommend the Enduraflap brand. It's expensive but getting close to 10 years now & not a single problem with it yet.

https://enduraflap.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dog walker will come and play with your dog in the backyard. Just talk to them about what you want. We did this successfully for years.

+1

Dogs are stolen from yards all the time. Also, they can get hurt outdoors.

[Anonymous]

I never leave my dogs out in my fenced yard when I’m not home. I’d also be worried about a digger getting out from under the fence.

[Anonymous]

My cousins dog was stolen out of the yard.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately this is a no, OP. The fact that you're admitting that the dog is a barker and doesn't usually go more than "a couple minutes" probably means the dog loves loves loves barking and will carry on all day while you're gone. Don't do this to neighbors please

[Anonymous]

I would never leave my dog unattended outside.

[Anonymous]

Try it when you’re nearby or right outside the fence for a while as someone said. I wonder the same thing with my dog. I wouldn’t let him have access to the doggie door I the summer in case he got too hot, but now I’m considering the same with some sort of doggie cam so I can see that he’s safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never leave my dogs out in my fenced yard when I’m not home. I’d also be worried about a digger getting out from under the fence.

The solution is to bury wire fence deeper than they "might" dig, around the entire perimeter. Same as if you were home & dog was in the yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately this is a no, OP. The fact that you're admitting that the dog is a barker and doesn't usually go more than "a couple minutes" probably means the dog loves loves loves barking and will carry on all day while you're gone. Don't do this to neighbors please

+1000

[Anonymous]

You mentioned doggy day care but if you pay a dog Walker, isn’t it just as expensive? I think you could try the doggie door option but put up cameras to monitor the situation and see if you can vary your out of the house hours some. Like one work 7-4, another 9-6 and then if you have kids that are home by 2:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately this is a no, OP. The fact that you're admitting that the dog is a barker and doesn't usually go more than "a couple minutes" probably means the dog loves loves loves barking and will carry on all day while you're gone. Don't do this to neighbors please

+1000

I would never do this because of the barking. I have a neighbor who would definitely call the police!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately this is a no, OP. The fact that you're admitting that the dog is a barker and doesn't usually go more than "a couple minutes" probably means the dog loves loves loves barking and will carry on all day while you're gone. Don't do this to neighbors please

Yes, as someone who works from home, this makes me crazy. I have two neighbors who let the dogs go in and out through dog doors as they please and they both bark A LOT! I’d pay a dog walker to come over and let her out for 20 minutes. They can absolutely do that. Or throw a ball with her to really get her running!