Does anyone know???

Seriously considering having a dog flap installed but...not sure who to contact in order to do it. We have double glazed patio doors which is where it would have to be fitted. Would a glazier do this??? Can anyone give me any advice?

My main concern with dog flaps is the fact that they are obviously bigger than the cat flap and I would be worried about some one breaking in through it.

I know you are not going to be able to get a fully grown man or woman through one, but if it is big enough for a Westie to get through a small child would squeeze through too.....and there are some sick people out there who will use their children for anything!

Plus would your dog be using it whilst you are out the house? If so your dog may be at risk or getting stolen...or escaping depending on what your garden is like.

If it is for whilst you are out of the house....I would look at a dog walker instead. Because that way your dog would get some company too

You can get expensive ones but they are good, you have a tag on the dogs collar which means only that dog can get in and out of the house.

You can also get ones that have a setting on to lock at a certain time - made for cats essentially but I suppose a westie could get in and out easy enough.

If you order it from a flap specialist or somewhere they should be able to install it, but if you are considering it you have to think about:

1. How big it will be?
2. How you train your pup to go in and out?
3. Strange cats/dogs coming in
4. What type of flap to get
5. The cost.
And the final one - if I remember rightly you have a son - it could be funny - at the time - but he may get stuck in the flap if he goes crawling one day lol.

I want a dog flap but we may as well not have a door with the size of our dogs. But if and when our conservatory is built the door on that is having a flap as the back door is reinforced and the conservatory is essentially for the dogs when we go out (when it's built)

I think one of the ones SLB mentions that have a tag on are the best bet...but I still dont think they would be burglar proof (does the room the flap would lead into have acees to the whole house, or could you lock the next door...eg like a utility room thats locked to the rest of the house)....but at least cat and stray dog proof.

I would still be worried about the dog getting stolen though

Hi Ellen I have a dog flap, my previous dogs loved it , the current one doesn't really bother with it .

I installed the original one myself then when I had double glazing fitted and a new back door I got the fitters to put a dog flap in but they wouldn't put it in a glass door for safety reasons so I had to have a half glazed door.

The dog flap has a little second door you can slide in for security if you are away, my back garden is secure anyway.

You may need to have a panel fitted to take the dog flap, Are your patio doors wooden framed or UPVC. A builder may be able to advise you at no charge , if they are the latter you could contact a reputable double glazing firm they should be able to advise you.

Just as a warning. Fitting a dog flap could effect your Home insurance cover. So before you fit one it;s worth checking with them.

I had a friend who was burgled and even though the burglar didn't use the dog flap to gain entry the claim was refused due to this as it was deemed to have affected the security of the property.

Hmmm, lots to think about. Thanks for the replies.

The doors where it would be fitted do lead straight into the house, however out garden is secure and overlooked by lots of other houses so I'm not overly concerned about burglars or Roxy being pinched...the cost however could be a problem. Will look into the one mentioned about the tag in the dogs collar because next door has A LOT of cats who will probably use it to their advantage. My OH thinks I'm just being lazy, and to be honest there probably is an element of that as she is still being house trained and I'm up and down every 5 mins so I will put the thought on hold until she is fully house trained and see how I feel then )