To want a dog flap

[SugarHut]

We have a little rescue boy. With a bladder the size of a pea problems. I'm literally up and down all day long letting him in and out, and because he won't ever pee in the house, when I'm gone for a couple of hours and get back, he's literally bursting.

He can't be left out because he has no hair and would freeze.

I am all for getting a dog flap, so I can leave for more than two hours at a time without feeling hideously guilty and rushing back.

My mother says I am inviting burglars...but the dog is the size of a cat, so surely no more than a cat flap "assists" the tea leaf community? She says to give it a month and someone will have either stolen the dog or burgled my house. And declares if I'm too lazy to open the door, we should not have the dog. (Because clearly that's the problem mother!!)

Has anyone had any success with dog flaps? Or is mother indeed right and I am BU to think I am not setting myself up for an imminent burglary?

My parents always had a Labrador sized dog flap when we were growing up and we were never burgled. This could have been the off-putting presence of the Labradors though!

We could easily fit through it up till our teenage years. Convenient if you forgot your key!

I think people don't like them nowadays because of two reasons:

1. Your dog could be stolen your garden or escape if your garden is not secure.
2. Anti social issue of your dog barking in your garden when you are out.

How secure is your garden? If your dog is a barker then maybe lock the flap when you go out?

If you add locks (and take the keys with you) to the door, and the flap is not large enough for a small child to get through, then it will be as safe as the windows,

anyway locks,doors, and windows only keep an honest person out, with the arrival of decent cordless power tools, it takes about 30 seconds to get in what ever you do.

I think a dog door is a good idea in this case. A question, though, has the dog been tested for diabetes? An adult dog should be able to "hold it," for longer than a couple of hours at a time. We had a dog who developed diabetes, and one of his symptoms was needing to pee very frequently.

I am up and down too, however apparenlty moving loads helps to prevent diabetes, so everytime she gets me up I think she is helping me.

I have had Jack Russells and used dog flaps with them - both in a regular door and a glass one.

It was actually a "Large cat-flap" and I would say posed no threat to attracting burglars. It's great as my old girl needs to get up in the night and go up the garden to do her business and although I hear her I don't have to get up and let her out.

The only problem you might have is training your dog to use it - I persevered with mine and Morrison's economy sausages worked brilliantly in training them to use them!

your mum sounds like a pain