Do you have a pet-friendly exterior? Providing them with a pet door that allows them to come and go looks like a perfect investment for your little furry friends. It also gives your pets an opportunity to enjoy the fresh air. The door comes in handy for senior dogs that love fresh air in the backyard.

However, you should never see it as a way to leave your dog unsupervised for hours outside your house. But, having a dog door on the garage door helps you get peace of mind knowing that your puppy is playing outside and will get inside their house whenever they want. It’s quite convenient for people working from home or those who have kids at home.

The question is, are dog doors safe on the garage doors? Is it a safe place to install these pet doors, or should you pick another location? As great and convenient as the idea sounds, it’s quite risky. And when you know the threats, you will most likely want to keep your pets indoors or build a separate door for them outside.

The Risks of Installing Dog Doors on a Garage Door

Usually, a dog’s door is installed on a regular door. And while a garage door might seem like a practical place to have a pet’s door, it is not safe for your pet. A door that tilts or can be controlled remotely poses a great risk to your pup’s health. What if the dog gets too close to the garage door when it’s opening or closing?

Most modern garage doors come with built-in sensors that detect any movement or an object on the way to its closing. These sensors are designed to prevent injuries caused by the doors closing on a person or pet. The sensors detect the object and stop the doors automatically. However, these sensors and other safety features on a garage door won’t work for pet doors.

Your dog might get so comfortable using the pet doors that they might not know when to come out or move away from the door when you open or close a garage door. If they roll up while you are operating the garage door, your pet might end up with a severe injury. Even worse, they can die if the garage door closes on them.

You can have the dog doors installed on a garage door if your door looks like the barn doors that open outward. Then again, installing a dog door on a barn door is not easy, especially with all the metal objects. You are going to have to seal all the sharp metal objects to prevent the risk of injury. Another problem with garage doors is that they open to a driveway, walkway, or high-traffic area, making this space unsafe for your pet. You don’t want your little munchkin to get too excited when the door opens that they injure themselves on the driveway. All these factors make other locations safer for your pet doors.

Why Should You Never Install Pet Doors on Garage Doors?

Dog doors on the garage doors are unsafe for your kids and pose a problem for your property. Wild animals or a strange dog can enter your place through the pet doors. Likewise, if you have not installed fence or security devices in your backyard, there’s a possibility an intruder can steal your dog, or your pet might run away.

The biggest risk of these doors is that your dog is left unsupervised for a prolonged period. What if your dog ingests a harmful substance or gets injured from a vehicle or from playing outside while you are indoors? Lack of proper supervision for a long time can cause anxiety and behavioral issues in your pets. Besides, it is extremely unsafe if there are predators roaming freely in your neighborhood. You don’t want your pet getting hurt just because they were not supervised.

A Risk to Your Property

People build pet doors on a garage door, thinking that their neighborhood is a safe place and that the doors are too small for someone to enter their place through them. How can you be so sure that someone won’t try to crawl into your house through these doors? Even if they are unable to get inside, there’s a risk they might access a manual latch that opens or close the garage door. Or, what if someone fetches things in your garage through the pet doors?

As far as the safe neighborhood is concerned, most intruders target safe places as they are not equipped with security tools and have homes with valuable things. Let’s say the doors are way too small for a human to enter. What’s the guarantee a raccoon or another animal that’s the same size as your pet won’t try to get in your garage? After all, it provides them with a safe place to reside, especially in extremely hot/cold weather. If you don’t want to damage your door frames or pose damage to your property, you are better off building a pet door somewhere else.

So, Where to Build the Pet Doors Instead?

The risk of injury outweighs all the reasons you should install pet doors on a garage door. There’s a chance your pet might get in the way of a closing door and get hurt. You may have sensors in place, but what if they stop working or malfunction due to weather damage? Besides, what’s the point of having a pet when you keep them outside and leave them unsupervised for days? It creates a perfect opportunity for an intruder to get access to your property when you are not home. Or for the street dogs and wild animals to find a residence in your dog’s house.

You should instead build the pet doors separately in the backyard, front yard, or patios (given that your exteriors have robust fencing). Alternatively, you can build them on the entrance door.