| Although using the doggie door does takes some getting used to, even older dogs can be taught to use one. My 8 and 11 year old Weimaraners have recently learned to use their new doggie door. Both dogs started using the door with ease in just a few days. A doggie door can be installed in any wooden door or steel door or even in a wall, but if your house has a sliding glass patio door, a patio pet door panel can provide an almost instant doggie door with no cutting or permanent installation required. A patio pet door panel can also be easily removed, leaving virtually no trace, and installed in another patio door if you ever move. Pet doors are available in several sizes. To determine the correct size pet door you'll need, measure your dog from the top of the shoulders to the floor, just behind the front legs. Also measure the width of your dog at the widest point... this will be either across the shoulder or the hip area. Then choose the correct size door based on those measurements and the dogs weight. When buying a patio pet door panel, the size of the opening is not the only important measurement. You'll also need a door with the correct "rise" - the height from the floor to the bottom of the doggie door opening. The rise should be about an inch or so less than the measurement from the floor to the lowest part of your dog's chest. For tall dogs, the rise must be high enough so they can comfortably walk through without having to bend down or crawl. This is especially important for dogs who have joint problems like hip dysplasia and for older dogs with arthritis or back issues. For short dogs, the bottom of the opening must be nearly even with the floor. It must be low enough so the dog can go through without having to step up too high. Large tall dogs will need a greater rise than large short dogs such as Bassetts. |  |
 | Obviously if you're getting a doggie door for a puppy the measurements will change. For a young dog with lots of growing to do, you'll have to buy a door based on the size he will be as an adult, then build some sort of ramps that the puppy can use to comfortably reach the door. Deciding what size doggie door you'll need could be a problem if you're getting only one door and you have several dogs of different sizes. With a pet door that's big enough for large dogs, there is some concern that a small burglar could fit through. It's a good idea to hang a few beware of dogs signs outside your fence. If a would be intruder ignores such warnings and reaches the pet door before the dog does, the sight of a large dog/or dogs loudly barking on the other side would be a formidable deterrent. If you're still concerned, a home security system could be set to alert when a gate to the yard is opened or the fence is crossed. When the doggie door will not be in use... if you have the dogs in a closed bedroom with you overnight, for instance... there is a heavy plastic locking panel that can be placed inside to cover the opening. There are also electronic pet doors available that eliminate the safety concerns of doors with manual flaps. With electronic pet doors, the door remains shut until a signal from the approaching dog’s collar triggers it to open. After installing a doggie door, your dog will need to see how it works and learn how to use it. The door flap has several magnets along the bottom edge to help keep it closed completely and keep drafts and insects out. Although the door is easy to push open in either direction, the magnets do a great job of keeping the flap closed and in place. As the flap closes and the magnets grab hold, however, there is a snapping sound that's a bit intimidating to some dogs at first. |
Learning to use the doggie door...
Call the dog to the doggie door. Walk outside the big door as you normally would, but leave the dog inside. Open the doggie door flap from the outside, toward you. Hold it wide open and call the dog. Tell him to come while luring with a favorite, irresistible treat. It may take some coaxing to get him to walk through. Lavish with praise as he's walking through. As soon as he's through, give the treat as a reward.
A dog must learn that the door works both ways, but don't try to get him back through the door immediately, or he might think going outside through the doggie door was being bad. After a few minutes, preferably after potty time, when it's time to go back the house, encourage him to go through the pet door again, this time going from outside to inside while you're holding the door flap open.
| After the dog realizes that he can go in and out through the door, it's time to teach him how to use it on his own. For the first few days I fastened two pinch type clothes pins on the bottom of the flap to keep it from closing completely. You can use tape, a large plastic bag clip or whatever you have around to prevent the magnets from working and hold the flap slightly opened at the bottom... just enough so that the dog can see the opening. Standing on the opposite side of the door, call the dog and encourage him to push it open wider so he can walk through. Instead of holding a treat in your hand, place the treat on the floor outside the door, where the dog can see it. After my dogs began going through the doggie door while the flap was held partly opened with clothespins, it was time to remove the clothespins and let them open the flap by themselves. This was actually a little more challenging and took more time and getting used to than originally enticing them to walk through the door. They had to see and hear me outside and realize that I wasn't going to open the big door to let them out. I quickly poked at the flap a few times so they could again see that it moved, but I didn't hold it open for them. With lots of encouragement, Fritz eventually began to push the flap open with his paw. When he realized that worked, he soon started pushing on it with his nose. Fritz began using the door on his own a little bit faster than Schatzie did. But... since what one does, the other must do, Schatzie soon started following him in and out. Now, a few weeks later, they are both completely familiar with their door. They still would rather go in and out the big door with me and I usually go outside with them anyway, but, when necessary, they both will happily use the doggie door on their own. |  |
Patio pet door panels are available at many home improvement centers and in most pet stores, including online stores like Petco, PetSmart,
and Drs. Foster & Smith.
 | PetSafe Deluxe Patio Panel Pet Door The Deluxe Patio Door Panel installs quickly with no cutting required. It's reversible for right or left sliding doors. The all-weather flap system minimizes energy loss. It includes an insulated, locking closing panel that you can simply slide in to close and lock the opening. It comes complete with an installation and pet training manual and it installs in less than one hour with a 1/8-inch drill bit and a Phillips head screwdriver. It's available in a variety of sizes to fit any size dog. Choose from aluminum, bronze, or white frame finish. |
