Dog Doors

well i don't know anything about dog doors, but a few weeks ago someone almost had their dogs stolen by some teenagers, when they were in the yard alone, and the people were at home!! so i also think it is quite dangerous to leave your dog outside unattended. also, some mean spirited people might try to poison your dog. it wouldn't be the first time either...
many people work full time and their dogs do just fine, while their owners aren't home. that of course, after proper training..

I would not get a dog door if you have neighbors close by. I live in the city and I know exactly who on my block has dog doors because their dogs come outside and bark at every passing car, pedestrian, delivery person and bicycle, at all hours. It makes me crazy. When a dog is given the option to go out and bark their heads off whenever they want, many will take that option much more ofte than the neighbors would really prefer.

Also, if you're in a populated area, it is not safe. People steal dogs, as sick as that is. You can get dog doors that have a magnetic "lock" that is triggered by a thingy your dog wears on it's collar, and that will protect your house inside, but it won't protect your dog from bad people outside.

Most adult dogs have no problem holding it for a typical work day.

I love dog doors. Of course, I do live in the country on a little lane. We have an acre. with about an acre between us and neighbors on each side. My dogs do great with them. The little peke/pom was a little harder to train when we got him, but the others dogs adapted really quickly. They can enter the basement from the outside, and come upstairs into the kitchen...or up the ramp onto the porch and in to the mudroom. We are all happy. You need to spend a little money and get a good one if you have winter weather, but there are good ones out there that insulate. Also you can lock them if you and the dog go on vacation.

I live in the 'burbs - not way out in the boonies and not in the city. I have a doggy door that fits into the sliding glass window in our bedroom (I  just purchased a new bigger one at Home Depot for $139) and I love it.  Max is pretty content to be a couch potato when we're not home.  He goes out to pee/poop and to schmooze with the pool guys or the Terminix guy when they come. The lock on our gate is self-latching (required by the city for yards with pools) so even if someone forgot to latch it, it would close and latch by itself. The door comes with a heavy plastic insert that slides down in front of the flap, so if  there was ever a  need to lock the door for whatever reason, we could do that.  Max is a big drinker, especially in the summer, so it's not unusual at all for him to go out to pee during the night. We know all of our  neighbors and everyone knows everybody elses dog - so if he ever did manage to get out someone would have him back inside the yard in  no time.  I guess it all depends on the type of neighborhood you live in.  We share a fence with people on both sides and the back so nobody just passing by could actually look into the yard and see him.
 
Joyce

I think there are some that "lock" and have a transmitter on the collar to "unlock" them.  I remember seeing them somewhere and thinking "Wow - those are cool!"
 
My parents had a cat door which had a clear plastic "flap" and there was a piece that slid in behind on the inside so that the door was "shut" and therefore presented no risk of anyone getting in while they were away.

I have one for my three rhodesian ridgebacks. I live in the boonies and have three neighbors.  I guess bad things can happen anywhere - but it's about risk assessment. I'm away from home 10hrs and I bought this land so my dogs would have a chance to be outside.

Paula

I would wait and see . . . Before I got my dog I was planning on putting in a doggie door, but I changed my mind after we'd lived together for a bit.  Turns out my dog really doesn't need it -- he is OK staying either inside (can hold his water) or outside (he's a husky mix who loves cold weather and never gets cold).  And I really like to control his entry to the house, so I can wipe off muddy paws when necessary, and also stop him from bringing outside things inside.  If I had a doggie door I am pretty sure my whole house would be coated in mud, and there would be muddy bones buried underneath all my throw rugs! 
 
Also if you are getting a puppy I don't think you want to start with a dog door -- you will need to teach the dog where it's OK to eliminate, and for that you need to go with him outside everytime and praise him when he gets it right.  I wouldn't put in a dog door until I was sure he was really housebroken. 
 
Of course it depends on your set-up and your dog, but I'd probably play it by ear until after I got the dog and we got into a routine. 

I love our doggy door home or not home. Even though I have a huge yard, I always like having the kennel area to contain their pee and poop. I also like it because I know they can't escape nor can anything get to them. We do let them in the yard almost everyday when it is nice out but only when we are out there with them. I have 4 dogs and as many of you know with multi dogs they have to go out at different times. Well they do on their own, I love it. Anyways to each is own, if you get a doggie door make sure your pup will be safe, that is the most important thing.
Wendy    

Hales Security Pet doors...
[linkhttp://www.halepetdoor.com/]http://www.halepetdoor.com/[/link]
good doors that work off of pet collar so only dog can open it...
 

I have a doggie door, I love it, my 2 youngest ones are either crated or in the lots when we are gone, but 3 older ones have access to outside.
We are out in the country, and I feel pretty safe when it comes to theft, 3 of mine are German Shepherds.
Make sure your dog can be trusted alone with access to everything.

Thanks for the replies. 
 
I live in the city.  I just moved in my house in August.  It's safe for the most part but I wouldn't want to take any chances.  I'll have to think about it.

Actually, it's not hard at all to housetrain a pup using a doggy door.  I used to just scoot Max through the door and immediately follow him outside through the regular slider and take him over to the grass.  Coming back, I'd do the same thing - slide him through his door and walk back in through mine. Within a week, he had the routine down and was using it by himself.
 
Joyce

We have a dog door off the screen porch, and when the weather is nice out sometimes I will leave the back door from the house to the screen porch open so the dogs can come and go if I'm going to be gone more than 3 hours or so, but I do worry about the barking issue, so I don't do it all the time.