Pet gate for older Lab on vet advice

That's a really common vet recommendation for senior Labs — cold hard floors can aggravate joint pain and make mobility worse, so keeping them on carpet genuinely makes a difference. Gate choice comes down to three things: your dog's size and how much they still try to push through things, the width of the opening you need to block, and whether wall-mounting is an option. Pressure-mounted gates are convenient but not safe at the top of stairs — though for blocking a doorway to a room, they work fine. Can you tell me a bit more? Roughly how wide is the doorway or opening you want to block, does your Lab still push against barriers or are they pretty settled these days, and is drilling into the wall a possibility if needed?

Perfect — 85cm is a standard width so you've got good options. A wall-mounted gate is the right call for a dog his size and strength, because pressure-mounted gates can be pushed loose over time by a leaning 35kg Labrador, and that's the last thing you want when the point is to keep him off a hard floor. What height are you thinking — is he still tall enough that a standard gate might be worth going over if he really wanted to?

Got it — sturdiness is the priority, and given his hips, a gate with a smooth, easy-to-step-over or walk-through design matters for you as much as for him. My recommendation is the Safetots Extra Wide Screw Fit Safety Gate. It's wall-mounted with a solid steel frame, opens both ways and stays open hands-free, and it's built to take real pressure from large dogs without flexing. The 85cm opening is well within its range, installation is straightforward, and the one-handed release is genuinely useful when you're carrying things. It's designed as a stair gate but works perfectly as a room divider, and the wall mounting means your Lab leaning on it won't budge it. That's what I'd go with.

Good question and very sensible given his hips. The Safetots Screw Fit gate does have a small threshold bar at the base — it's minimal, but it's there. If that's a concern, it's worth considering the Safetots No Trip Safety Gate instead, which is specifically designed with a flat threshold, no bar to step over at all. For an 11-year-old Lab with hip issues, that flat-base version is actually the better choice. Same wall-mounted, steel-frame build, same solid feel — just without anything on the ground to catch his feet. I'd go with that one.

Yes, very manageable as a DIY job. It comes with all the fixings, you just need a drill and a spirit level. Mark your holes, plug and screw the wall cups in, and the gate clicks into them — most people have it done in under 30 minutes. The instructions are clear and there's nothing complicated about it. Well worth doing properly rather than opting for pressure-mount given his size.