I would guess that the smells and activity from the dog would keep a lot of the critters out. Most wild animals avoid dogs and don't want to risk getting trappe

I would guess that the smells and activity from the dog would keep a lot of the critters out. Most wild animals avoid dogs and don't want to risk getting trapped in an unknown space with one. Not that it will always work, but I bet the critter traffic is vastly less than if the house was left empty with a dog door. Somewhat related, many of my neighbors have had issues with rats. I have seen them on the edges of my yard but never seen or heard one inside. I haven't done anything to prevent them except for having two indoor cats. These are fully domesticated chubby cats that probably couldn't catch a wild rat to save their life, but I suspect their presence deters rodents for the most part.