Choosing an right doggy door for your dog is an important decision. The doggy door has to be the correct size for your specific dog. If a doggy door is too small for your dog, your dog will have to crouch in an awkward way in order to walk through the doggy door.
If a doggy door is too large for your dog, cold air will enter your home through the doggy door in the winter and hot air will enter your home in the summer. Additionally, if the doggy door is too large, animals like raccoon may find a way into your home through the doggy door. The size chart provided will help you to find the starting point for purchasing a doggy door that is the correct size for your dog.
How to Choose the Right Doggy Door
The size chart divide dogs into six different categories. Each category includes the weight of the dog and the shoulder measurements of the dog. Additionally, each category includes a few example breed that fall into that weight and shoulder measurement category.
The height of the doggy door has to allow for a dog to clear its shoulder height when walking through the door. The width of the doggy door has to allow for a dog to walk through in its natural stride. If the height or width of a doggy door flap is incorrect for a dog, the dog may hesitate to use that doggy door, or it may avoid the doggy door altogether.
People often make mistake when measuring there dog to determine the size of the doggy door that will work best for their dog. Many people will guess at the shoulder height of their dog. You should not take the measurement from the top of the dog’s head.
Instead, you should use the withers of the dog for measuring the dog’s height. There are four step to measuring a dog. These steps include measuring the shoulder height of the dog, measuring the body width of the dog, measuring the dog’s step-over clearance, and adding a comfort buffer for dogs with joint problem like arthritis.
Choosing the larger size for the doggy door is rarely a mistake. Instead, if the measurements fall in between the two size for a dogs category, you should choose the larger size. The installation height of the doggy door from the floor is also another consideration when buying a doggy door.
Small dogs may require the doggy door to be close to the ground in order to allow the dog to walk through the doggy door. The larger the dog, the more higher the threshold that the dog can clear when walking through the doggy door. The chart makes recommendations for each size of doggy door for the installation height to prevent the dog from pushing the doggy door flap with the dogs snout.
Doggy doors come in different mounting style. You can cut doggy doors directly into an existing exterior door. However, this mounting style is only an option for those who own the house and are okay with cutting the exterior door.
Wall-mounted doggy doors include a tunnel. This tunnel can provide added insulation for the home in extreme weather conditions. Doggy doors with glass inserts do not require cutting the glass of the exterior door.
These doggy doors are a benefit for those who are renters. Electronic doggy doors use either a dog’s microchip or the tag on its collar to provide security to the doggy door. These doggy doors will not permit a cat or a stray animal to enter the house.
Training a dog to use a doggy door is a necessary process. However, the size chart will not assist in training a dog to walk through a doggy door. Tape the doggy door flap open for a few days to allow the dog to become accustomed to walking through the doggy door.
Use treats to encourage the dog to walk through the doggy door. For confident dogs, training will be short. For cautious dogs, it may take a few weeks to train the dog.
However, the dog will learn to use the doggy door when trained consistent. Security features and weather seal are two other features to consider in the purchase of a doggy door. A locking panel will prevent unwanted visitors from entering the house.
Double-flap designs and weatherstripping can keep the house from losing heat in the winter and can keep insects from entering the house in the summer. These features are best considered early in the purchase process to avoid frustration later on. The size chart is useful because dogs move in different ways.
A doggy door that will work for a Labrador will not work for a Chihuahua. Similarly, the doggy door that will work for a Chihuahua will not work for a Great Dane. By choosing the correct proportions for the doggy door, the dog will treat the doggy door as a part of the house.
This will ensure that the dog use the doggy door every day.
