I spent months talking my new husband into letting me install a dog door, only to have the thought…”well how am I going to keep the cats out (all 3 males and even though fixed, caught one trying to spray in my closet, and now they are banned). Install a Screened Doggie Door [Our Pick: PetSafe Pet Screen Door] Install a pet screen doggie door in the bottom portion of your own screen so that your pup can go in and out without scratching at the door. If your screen door has a solid panel on the bottom, there are several related products that may work for this type of installation. After testing, our favorite dog door is the BarksBar Original Plastic Dog Door, which uses magnets to keep its flap sealed—allowing your dog easy exit and entry, without letting in drafts or wet weather.

And they were indoor cats for the first 4 years of their lives until one of them (Chanel) figured out how to use the dog door. The included installation instructions were minimal, but there is an installation video on the seller’s site. The manufacturer of the dog door you select should provide measurement and weight guidelines to help you pick the correct size for your dog.If you are going to install it into a corner, you may need to use a custom cut Hale for screens, check out the "Details" tab of that product to read more! For most dogs, it is recommended to factor in at least three inches of room on the height and two inches on the width so that your dog can get through, even when they’re moving quickly. I tried using Lexan clear 1/4″ panel and to let the magnets connect I spring loaded the magnets on the door jam so they’d move out to the magnets on the door. You should also weigh your dog and select a dog door that is made to withstand their weight to maximize durability, especially if you have a large dog.

Some dogs – particularly those who are easily excited – may not really register that the door is there while hauling tail toward the door. As the host of beloved and groundbreaking TV series including “This Old House” and “Bob Vila’s Home Again,” he popularized and became synonymous with “do-it-yourself” home improvement.We have a cat and two ferrets that use the one to garage and the one to the lani but we have the last one as I posted above magnet-ted off so just the dogs can use it. At the end of the testing period, our testers filled out a detailed questionnaire, providing their input in multiple categories. If an electronic pet door doesn’t work for your home, there are other ways to stop the cat from using the dog door. While you can’t declaw a dog, maintaining your dog’s nails (and rounding the nails through the use of a grinder) can make a big difference when it comes to protecting your furniture from dog scratches. In most cases, you’ll need to cut a hole in the screen and then sandwich the screen around the edge of the hole between the two-piece frame.