Buying Guidepet supplies

Pet Doors for Dogs: Flap, Electronic or Screen-Door Models

How to choose a pet door for your dog: plain flap with a lock-out slide, electronic key door or screen-door model.

Researched and edited by the PouchMe team Updated 19 October 2026 Every fact linked to its source

The short answer

Choose by the door you are fitting into and how much control you want over who comes and goes. A screen model is made for mesh or security screens. The PetSafe SmartDoor suits a standard panelled, wood, metal or PVC door 32 to 51 mm thick, and opens only for a pet wearing its SmartKey. For size, match your dog's weight to the maker's listed range. Petway's large door (22 kg and over) and its large security-screen model (23 to 50 kg) are different products, so check which one you are reading about.^{[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]}

Dog door types and their trade-offs

Plain flap with a lock-out slide. A lock-out slide is a small slide on the frame that locks the flap shut. Glasscorp Australia lists the Pet-Corp Slim-Line large dog door with security slides that lock the flap in place and two-way locking. It also lists additional security locks. Check how the locking works on any model before you buy, because it decides how much control you have over the opening.^[7]
Electronic door. The PetSafe SmartDoor opens only for a pet wearing its SmartKey, and comes with one key that attaches to the collar. PetSafe Australia lists the SmartDoor in small (pets up to 12.3 kg) and large (pets up to 45.5 kg). The large has a flap opening, the gap your dog passes through, of 28 x 40.6 cm. An Australian retailer says it unlocks as your pet approaches and locks again after the pet passes through. Extra keys are sold separately, and the door takes up to 5 keys. PetSafe Australia says it suits standard panelled, wood, metal or PVC doors 32 to 51 mm thick. The large needs a 39.7 x 59 cm cut-out, which is the hole you cut in the door. Check your door against those figures.^[3],[4],[8]
Screen-door model. These are made for mesh and security screens rather than solid doors. Petway lists its medium model for security screens as made for all types of security screens, able to be fitted without taking the screen door off, with a cut-out of 375 mm high x 285 mm wide. Petway's large model is listed as best suited to pets from 23 to 50 kg. Pillar Products makes a flyscreen pet door that allows access through flyscreen mesh doors, with sizes listed from 202 x 254 mm (medium) to 305 x 406 mm (extra large). PetSafe Australia lists a pet screen door that snaps into an existing screen door. Petway's medium model can be fitted to a standard insect screen door using a support L bracket, sold separately. That applies to that model only, so check what any other model needs.^{[1],[2],[6],[9]}

Measuring your dog and budgeting for fitting are covered in our pet doors buying guide. Renting and fitting steps are in our guide to installing a pet door.

Common questions

Does a dog door affect home security?

It can, depending on how the opening locks. A lock-out slide shuts the flap, and an electronic key door opens only for a pet wearing its key. Both are described in the types above.^[4],[7]

Can a dog door go in a wall?

Some models are made for it. An Australian retailer lists a small VEVOR metal-frame pet door as easy to install in interior or exterior walls. Its applicable wall thickness range is 120.7 to 184.2 mm. That range is for that model only, so check the range for any other model you consider.^[10]

Sources

How this guide was made

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed, then fact-checked and edited by the PouchMe team. PouchMe researches products from published information; we have not tested them ourselves.

How we research

Related guides

Pet Doors for Sliding Doors: Panel, Glass or Flyscreen Options

Read guide