Stair gates

[midnightstar66]

Small puppy (JRT) coming and thinking I might need a stair gate. We're in a flat - main door firs floor which means there's a flight of stairs at the end of our hallway to get down to the door. I doubt a small puppy will attempt them but thought better to be safe than sorry. Looked at the mesh hook dog gates on amazon that looked perfect, was about to order but thankfully read the reviews which were awful. A normal gate would be no good I don't think for a small puppy. Will it be able to squeeze through? Any suggestions?

[Nixee2231]

We just bought a baby gate for our dog so we could leave the living room door open during the hot summer months.

I dont know about the UK but where I live, the doggy gates are a lot more expensive than baby gates, for a much lower quality and less features.

Some things to consider:

• A higher quality baby gate is safer than a doggy gate. If the bars are too far apart (ours isn't and we have a Yorkie, though not a puppy) you could tie chicken wire/metal mesh to it on the side the puppy can't reach until he is older.

• Make sure as much as possible is metal because any wood/plastic will 100% get chewed through

• Consider the dog's height as an adult and make sure the gate is high enough that he cant jump/lean over it. They have extra high baby gates but not sure if it will be enough for a very large/agile breed.

[midnightstar66]

She's a Jack Russell so will never be large, the gate probably won't be needed as an adult anyway. However she will be a tiny pup so was worried about gaps. Covering them is an option I hadn't thought of. Thanks

[Nixee2231]

Also,

Accordion-style solid/mesh gates are not recommended for babies anymore (where I live) but they might work for a dog depending on breed/size. They are usually cheaper than doggy gates AND normal swing-open style baby gates.

Consider if you want it hardware mounted (screwed on to the wall) or pressure mounted (squeeze tightly into place). If your dog will be large/strong as an adult, he might be able to push the pressure mount out of the doorway.

[midnightstar66]

I was looking for something like that @Nixee2231 but couldn't find anything.

[TARSCOUT]

Is the gate to go in your flat or in stairwell? If stairwell you cant do it. Also your puppy WILL attempt the stairs!

[midnightstar66]

The stairs are in my flat, it's just like a normal staircase in a normal upstairs of a house but when you go downstairs there is only my front door rather than more rooms if that makes sense @TARSCOUT . When dc were small I put the stair gate in the hall way leading to the stairs as it branches off my main hallway rather than directly at the top of them in case they climbed so will put it in the same place.

[TARSCOUT]

Ahh I see. I never bothered with anything like that (rightly or wrongly). Enjoy your pupper !!

[hopeforlucky3]

Definitely don't buy the mesh one. I had one for one of my dogs and she managed to escape every constantly. I have a stair gate I got think maybe from Argos? But that was a few years ago and it's mesh. It was quite expensive but worth it,

[Itsjustmee]

You could put a stair gate / baby gate
And then put a piece of wood at the bottom to stop him from getting stuck
We had puppy’s a few years ago and one did manage to stick his head through and our puppy’s at six weeks were bigger than a JR
Hence the piece of wood going across the bottom of the stair gate

[MiniChoc]

I'd just get a pressure fit baby gate from Amazon. If it can fit through the gaps then wrap some chicken wire round it. A dog can eat their way through a fabric baby gate!

[Justsocross]

We used a baby gate and attached Perspex when the pup was little . Easy to do using cable ties . No gates now as my dogs just jump them !!