Do you find chipped dog flaps handy in 2023 and want to get one?
Then take a look at my top 3 and let yourself be inspired.
In an intensive 10-hour research, I looked at many products and formed my own opinion. Of course, I not only took into account the information provided by the manufacturer, but also the ratings of previous buyers in order to offer a picture that is as practical as possible.
In the test, the PetSafe electronic dog flap convinced me the most. But the other products also have their advantages.
Just get an idea for yourself and find your perfect dog flap with chip.
Have fun while reading.
My dog flaps with chip favorites
product test
PetSafe SmartDoor Electronic Dog Door
Quality comes at a price and you can see that with the PetSafe SmartDoor. The dog flap with chip recognition prevents strange animals from entering your house. How? Quite simply with the unique chip that can be used to open the dog flap.
The chip is attached to the collar. The smart key system can recognize up to five different trailers. Therefore, the product is perfect for households where several animals live.
Depending on your needs, you can lock and unlock the door or activate automatic chip recognition.
The installation of the dog flap is very easy. The prerequisite for this is that the door is not made of glass and is between 3.8 cm and 5.1 cm wide. If your door is wider, you can also use an extension tunnel.
SureFlap Microchip Pet Door
The SureFlap dog flap can be installed in glass and wooden doors. It is controlled by an implanted microchip or by using the supplied collar tag.
The chip can effectively prevent foreign animals from entering the house. The integrated timer allows you to precisely control the times your dog goes in and out.
The flap’s batteries last up to 12 months, so you don’t have to keep changing them.
Ferplast 72108011 Dog Flap
The Ferplast dog flap made of sturdy plastic can be used in doors made of different materials. Whether wood or glass, walls or metal – everything is possible.
The door can be set in four different ways: entry and exit, entry only, exit only or locked. So you can control your four-legged friend exactly and determine where he is allowed to be.
It is also useful that there is a direction indicator. This way you can see exactly which direction your pet went last and can deduce where it is at the moment.
The tag on the supplied collar or the chip implanted by the veterinarian can be registered as a chip. The flap recognizes over 30 chips. Be sure to choose the «Swing Microchip» dog flap, the other versions of the Swing door are not chip-compatible!
Purchase advice – Dog flap with chip
What is a chipped dog flap?
Dog flaps are designed to let your dog in and out of the house even when you’re not around or don’t have time. Classic dog flaps go in both directions, which means that your dog can freely decide where he wants to be.
With more sophisticated systems, you can set whether your dog can only go outside (and then no longer in) or only inside (and then no longer go out). Of course, a 2-way solution and complete locking is also possible.
Actually a good thing if it weren’t for the problem that other four-legged friends can also get into the house through such a dog flap. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the neighbour’s cat, your playmate or martens, mice, foxes and the like – strange animals have no place in your house.
The solution is a dog door with chip recognition. These models have special electronics that can recognize chips and then select whether the animal has access authorization or not. Most models work either with the implanted microchip or with a chip collar tag.
As soon as your dog approaches, the door will recognize the chip and open if you have preset it to do so. With some models you can even set a timer and thus determine the opening and closing times.
For whom is a dog flap with a chip suitable?
If you want to control your dog individually, you can save a lot of time with a chip-controlled dog door. For example, your dog can go into the garden on its own when it has to do its business. He can also go out to play and come back in to eat.
Especially if you have a lot of strange animals in your garden, you should think about buying a dog door with a chip. Otherwise you’ll soon have a few unwanted guests in the house.
But you can not only use a dog flap for the outside doors of your house. This also makes sense for indoor use, for example if you want to feed your dog during the day when you are at work.
If you put food out early in the morning, it may run out faster than you would like and your dog won’t get anything in his stomach for the rest of the day. However, if the chip-controlled dog flap only opens at midday and your four-legged friend can only then get into the room with the food, you can provide food during the day.
With a dog camera you can monitor your indoor area as well as your dog and check what he is doing when he is alone. Some dog cameras have the function of giving treats. If you see that your dog has nothing left to eat, you can give him treats via app control.
Sometimes a dog barks when it’s alone. Then you can give your dog treats to calm them down at the touch of a button. With a dog camera, you can also check whether your dog really comes through the dog flap and monitor it so that an uninvited guest does not sneak into your house.
What are the costs of buying a chip-controlled dog door?
As with all products, the price depends largely on various factors. How big is the dog flap, what is the quality of the materials? How is the model processed? Are there any additional functions that one looks for in vain with other manufacturers, etc.
So I can’t tell you exactly what you need to spend. What is certain is that you should budget 70 to 100 euros for dog doors for small dogs. Dog doors for medium-sized animals are often found in the price segment of 120 to 150 euros. For very large dogs, large dog flaps with a chip are available from 150 euros.
Which criteria are important when buying a chip-controlled dog flap?
Quality of material and workmanship
As already mentioned, quality is an important factor. Here you should rather spend a little more money and use high-quality products. Otherwise it can happen that the dog flap breaks quickly or does not serve its purpose well. That would be wasted money. So invest right now.
In order to be able to assess the quality of the product, I recommend that you always look at the ratings of previous buyers. From this you can draw many tips for your own purchase and learn from the experiences of others.
2 or 4 way system
When it comes to dog flaps, a distinction is often made between a 2-way and a 4-way system.
The two-way system is the simpler variant. You can adjust the door in two ways: either the flap is open on both sides, so your dog can go in and out as he pleases, or the flap is completely closed, so that your dog can no longer go through. This functionality is practical and sufficient in many situations. However, you are not very flexible.
That changes with the four-way system. With this popular model, the flap can not only be opened or closed completely, but you can also decide that your dog can only go in or only out. For example, if you have to go to work early but your dog is still outside, you can set it so that once it goes inside, it can no longer go outside by itself.
But if, for example, you have a four-legged friend who just wants to sit inside, you can let them go into your yard to do business and then block their way back so they can spend time in the fresh air.
The fact is that you are much more flexible with the four-way system. On the other hand, it is more prone to incorrect settings.
isolation
Some dog owners object to dog flaps because they hurt energy efficiency. In winter, the warm air goes outside and the icy winter air comes inside. In summer, on the other hand, the dog door quickly gets too warm in the apartment. This is annoying and uncomfortable.
However, it is not necessary to completely condemn dog flaps, because there are insulated models that can effectively prevent drafts and thus benefit energy efficiency. The selection is still limited, but there are a few good products.
Compatibility with the door
Before you buy a dog flap, you should consider which door you want to attach the flap to. How wide is the door and what is it made of? Some dog flaps are only suitable for wooden doors, while others will also fit glass, stone or metal doors. Here you should inform yourself in good time to avoid making a bad purchase.
If the door is too wide, most manufacturers offer special extension tunnels for the dog flap. Here, too, you should find out in advance whether there is an extension option for the product you have chosen.
Conclusion: dog flap with chip test
The PetSafe electronic dog door convinced me the most. It’s reasonably priced and has all the features I want in a chipped dog door.
Over 30 different chips can be recognized. After registration, the flap recognizes both the supplied collar chip and the chips that are implanted by the veterinarian.
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