Gates and Dog

[TroublesomeTownHouse]

Hopefully moving soon.

New house has a driveway with gates. I think its going to be a huge pain to open and close gates manually every time we go out in the car but we have a dog. I've thought about automatic gates but not keen on massive security-type things. Also what does the postman do?

Anyone have a clever solution?

What do you do currently?

Currently live on a main road with only a pedestrian gate which just stays closed. Am very excited about parking on an actual driveway!

Could you put gates down side of house so dog is safe round back and she of house.

If you expect postman to come into your garden you shouldn't have dog out in it .

side not she

Yes maybe we can keep dog in the back. Good point about the postman - at the moment he only pops out for a wee but when we have a garden that might be different.

Ah I see! Well we have gates onto the drive and a dog. We just leave them open the majority of the time, but then the back is enclosed separately so it isn’t an issue. You just use it as you woulda my other driveway, keeping the dog secured on the lead until behind the side gate into the garden. However, when we’re staying at home for the day and fancy some extra space for him to run around, we secure the gates at the top of the driveway and that means he gets free run all around the house.

“If you expect postman to come into your garden you shouldn't have dog out in it .”

I’m assuming the OP meant - how does the postie get in with automatic gates rather than that the dog is left out there and might get in their way...

I have a fence running along the side of the drive so that the secure dog bit is next to the drive, not including the drive.

Actually I am interested to ask people who have their gates closed all the time - do they do this every time they move the car? Automatic gates sound brilliant!

Our neighbours have a post box fitted to their automatic gates. You probably wouldn’t know they were automatic gates if you hadn’t send them operating, they’re not particularly high-security looking.

Manual gates are a pain. We used to have to keep ours closed to keep the sheep out (rural) and somebody always had to get wet when it rained to open and then wait to close after the car.

If the gates are not full width of the garden you can put in a pedestrian gate that’s separate. Make sure your dog is contained in the back garden. We have manual gates and it’s no big deal. You don’t have to keep them closed all the time. Most of us don’t where I live. Just when we are going out for the day.

"Our neighbours have a post box fitted to their automatic gates"

^ This. You can have a metal post box attached to the gate, something like this, or, if there's a substantial wall/post, you can have a more secure one which is inserted into the brickwork, something like this .
I'm not necessarily recommending this particular suppliers, just providing some examples. Google around, there are many styles varying from twee to sleek and modern.

Thanks @TaniaKP and @ComtesseDeSpair - good for letters but what about gazillion parcels we seem to get these days? Probably mostly because its lockdown.

@Ghostella I think cordoning off the back garden is probably the best way. Doggo won't know what to do with all the space - he's got a little courtyard at the moment.

I like the idea of automatic but big gates with an intercom just look awful to me - the opposite of welcoming!

Just get the side gate! Postie and delivery folk use it. Dog stays round the back. Have nice wooden gates.

I'm bumping this as I've just had a quote for the smallest simplest auto gates without intercom - £6.5 -7 k

Cordoning off the back won't really work as you an get all around the house and he's a nimble bugger.

He's already made a break for it twice so we do need something.

I think we will have to widen the drive to allow for a pedestrian gate too and that means planning permission due to conservation area.

DOes anyone have auto gates which look nice? I just don't want to look like a fortress.

If you already have gates you can get automatic gate opening kits to retrofit yourself. Might be a cheaper option

you put a postbox and a parcel box outside the gates. That keeps the dog safely in and the postman safe from the dog. This is one of the inconveniences that you signed up for when having a dog.

back in the day I did occasional leaflet runs in my village. A letterbox by the gate is brilliant for this. Any house with a dog running free and no box by the gate didn't get a leaflet. The post office are perfectly entitled to do the same thing.