This is a specific conversation about Pet gates — containing dogs safely — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
An Irish Wolfhound is one of the few dogs that makes most pet gates completely pointless — at full height they can clear a standard 76 cm gate without breaking stride. Gate choice really comes down to three things: the dog's size and jumping ability, the width of the opening you're blocking, and whether you can wall-mount or need pressure-fitting. Worth flagging now: pressure-mounted gates should never be used at the top of stairs, only wall-mounted ones are safe there. So — how tall is your Wolfhound at the shoulder, where are you planning to install the gate (doorway, room divider, top or bottom of stairs), and is drilling into the wall an option for you?
He's a big lad — about 90 cm at the shoulder. I want to keep him out of the kitchen, so it's a doorway, not stairs. The doorway is about 80 cm wide. I can drill if I need to.
inparticular.ai
Perfect — a doorway with 80 cm width and wall-mounting available is a straightforward setup. At 90 cm at the shoulder your Wolfhound's back is already higher than a standard gate, and when he puts his front paws up he'll be well over 150 cm. What does he actually do when he wants to get past a barrier — does he jump cleanly, or is he more of a leaner and pusher? And has he ever cleared a gate before?
He's not really a jumper — he's quite lazy honestly. But he's a leaner. He'll put his full weight against something and it just goes. He hasn't cleared a gate but he's knocked every pressure-fit one we've tried clean off the wall.
inparticular.ai
That's really useful — a lazy leaner is actually easier to solve than a jumper. You don't need an Olympic-height barrier, but you absolutely need something that won't buckle under 70 kg of dog pressing into it. Pressure-mounted was always going to fail you for that reason, which is why those kept coming down. Wall-mounted with a solid frame is the fix. For your situation — 80 cm doorway, a dog who leans rather than jumps, and wall-mounting available — I'd go with the Safetots Extra Tall Robust Safety Gate. It mounts securely to the wall on both sides, stands 100 cm tall (enough that even a Wolfhound isn't going to casually step over it), and the frame is genuinely rigid — it's designed to take force, not flex. It extends to cover openings from about 75 cm up to 82 cm with the included extensions, so your 80 cm doorway fits within that range without any awkward adapters. It's available on Amazon UK and typically well-stocked. One gate, properly installed, should solve this completely.
That sounds promising. Does it have a walk-through door so I don't have to step over it every time?
inparticular.ai
Yes, it has a walk-through door with a one-handed release — important when you've got your hands full in the kitchen. The latch requires a deliberate action to open so your Wolfhound won't accidentally nudge it free, but it's quick enough that you won't be wrestling with it every time you pass through. That's the one I'd go with for your setup.
Great, I'll take a look at that. Thanks!
inparticular.ai
Good luck with it — once it's wall-mounted properly it should hold regardless of how much he leans. If you find the doorway is at the very top of the extension range, just make sure both wall mounts are going into solid timber or a stud rather than just plasterboard, and it'll be solid.
