So you need a dog gate, but what types of dog gates should you choose? You want to get a dog gate best suited to keep your pet in the areas you want to use as you begin the house training process.
If you have a new young puppy you will find it needs to be able to explore its new surroundings, but you may want to control where your dog can roam. You can use dog gates or baby safety gates at areas such as at the top or bottom of stairs, to rooms such as the kitchen or baby room, and even the outside door or on the deck.
There are different types of dog gates to choose from including the style, materials used, design, pattern, color and finish. What you choose will be determined based on the size and breed of your dog as well as your personal taste in style and function. Ideally your choice will coordinate with your home decor to blend in with the flooring or walls.
What Types of Dog Gates Are The Best?
There are three main types of dog gates including hardware mounted, pressure mounted, or free standing, pus there are several variations within these types.
Hardware Mounted Dog Gates
The hardware mounted dog gate uses screws or bolts to attach it to the walls or doorways where it is installed and is best suited for higher risk areas like the top of the stairs, or for larger dogs that will dislodge pressure fitted or free standing dog gates.
This hardware mounted type of dog gate can only be used where there are suitable mounting points such as in doorways or hallways where there are two vertical surfaces available for mounting the hardware.
These hardware mounted dog gates are are available in a wide selection of widths to fit a number of mounting areas in your home. Measure the distance between two walls door jambs, or posts and then choose an appropriately sized hardware mounted dog gate.
The downside to using hardware mounts is that you need to screw into the wall or post so may have unsightly holes if you remove the hardware later.
Pressure Mounted Dog Gates
These gates have the advantage that they require no drilling or fasteners and they can be removed without any permanent damage to doorways. These dog gates are best for medium risk areas such as the bottom of the stairs, outside doors and internal doorways. This pressure mounted gate is well suited for small and medium sized dogs.
Most pressure mounted gates use rubber stoppers that are moved outwards until the gate fits tight against the wall, doorway or stair post.
The biggest advantage of pressure mounted dog gates is that they don’t require any drilling or screw fasteners and they can be removed without any permanent damage to doorways.
In come cases using high tension against wallboard can cause some abrasion damage to the wall surface so please be aware of this possibility.
Free Standing Dog Gate and Extra Wide Dog Gates
As the name implies, the free standing dog gate does not use any mounting points, and are usually intended for use with wider openings, and where a fixed gate might be impractical. A free standing dog gate or extra wide dog gates are best used in less sensitive areas where it is not as critical if the dog gets past the gate, and where you might want to frequently or easily move the dog gate to another location.
When choosing a free standing gate you can choose from three panel gates that are stable when opened out, or gates that have feet on the bottom to hold them up.
These free standing gates are great for puppies and for small dogs, but a medium sized adult dog might move or push the gate out of its location. Considering using a bungee cord to help hold the gate against a stair rail, post or door jamb if there is a tendancey for your dog to move the gate.
Dog Gate Features To Look For
The gate you choose should be easy for you to use, but be secure enough to prevent your dog from opening, moving or knocking the gate over.
Some dog gates have a floor bar for additional support, but that could be a tripping hazard.
There are a number of choices for materials used for dog gates depending on whether they are indoors or outdoors. The gates made from wood are primarily for appearance and admittedly do look very nice. Most dogs will thoroughly enjoy chewing and scratching at a wooden gate and will likely damage it. You might need some spare wood repair and stain to keep the wooden dog gate looking pristine.
Whether you are using your dog gate inside or outside or on the deck you can choose other materials such as plastic, stainless steel or wrought iron dog gates.
Whatever you choose should be a blend of performance and safety for your dog, while coordinating with your home. Oh, and hopefully your dog will like it too!