Stylish Dog Gates and Enclosures

There are so many details to consider when building or moving into a new home, but it’s funny how sometimes some of the most obvious things that could potentially make life a lot easier are often overlooked, or are often realized literally moments after you needed to know about them. Take for instance, the dog gate. It is literally something my husband and I struggle with every single day. If we’re not tripping over it with our hands full, then we’re wincing at the sound of it crashing down and hitting the wood floor as hard as it possibly can. We run into it propped up against the wall as we come and go from work and running errands with our hands full of stuff. It never fails, that dog gate is always in the way, but it’s a necessary evil if we want to keep our home looking nice and our pets from destroying carpet, furniture, or you name it while we’re not there to watch them.

It literally seemed like it was minutes after we moved in that I started seeing these great built-in dog gate ideas and styles. I saw so many great ones that would’ve been such great additions to our house. But, I can’t say I was thrilled about tearing into new walls when we hadn’t even paid one mortgage payment yet. And, I wouldn’t mind having something possibly flexible that could be moved, or taken with us when we travel, too. The current gates we’ve been using are the type that basically wedge into the door frame and I think are literally baby gates. They are unattractive, unfinished raw wood with some plastic on them, too. Our pups are small, so we don’t need anything too tall or big, but these things are pretty unsightly even with their fairly small size. Literally nothing about them matches a home’s décor. They are certainly designed for utility purposes only as far as I’m concerned.

Here are some really stylish looking dog gate ideas:

Whether you’re in the market to add a built-in dog or baby gate to your home, or find one like we did that is moveable, here are some things to consider:

1. Consider the height of your pet if you opt for a built-in especially. With the work and construction involved with adding a built-in variety, you wouldn’t want to watch Fido leap right over it when complete, would you?

   

2. Make sure there aren’t any sharp materials being used on the gate. I’ve seen some gates that use metal in the centers as a design element, or mesh. Be sure there are no sharp edges. Also, if you dog is still prone to chewing, then a wooden gate might not be a wise choice until they’re broken of this habit. Remember, when you leave, they’re upset. They don’t like be pent up anyway, and many pets take out their aggression and scratch, chew or bite. The last thing you want to come home to is a sick animal, or a gate that now looks like a pile of firewood!

   

3. If you have a one of those house designs with an open floor plan similar to our home, then some entries into the rooms are quite open and warrant a gate much wider than a standard door opening. We like the flexibility of being able to decide how much space we can leave our pets in. If we plan to leave for a short while, then often we give them a little more freedom, but if we know we’ll be gone for a longer period of time, then we may confine them to a space better suited to handle a potty training accident. So, we chose a couple very sturdy moveable gates that open up as long as 6 feet. When we’re home in the evening we even keep them from having full reign of the entire first floor, but these hinged gates are easy for us to keep up even when family are over because they swing open. And, we put felt circles on the bottom so they don’t scratch across our hardwood floors every time someone moves or opens them.

Pet owners spent just over $69 billion on their pets last year, so clearly pets are becoming an even more important part of the family than ever before, but there’s no reason to sacrifice style and function in your home because you have a furry family member. Today’s pet gates, as well as other pet accessories and spaces are more stylish than ever and are far from an eyesore any longer! So, use these ideas to help you get started!