Doggy Door

[mayday0017]

Not exactly garage question but more a general question.... I got new carpet in the house Saturday and just got a phone call letting me know the dog threw up and crapped on the carpet in the living room. I have 2 solutions, either install a doggy door or put up a couple baby gates keeping him locked in the kitchen when we arn't home. He didn't use to have accidents very often but lately it seems like a daily thing almost, we even quit letting him eat people food because I thought that was it. (inside joke at home was his mommy telling him to throw up so he can start having people food again, maybe he was listening)

Anyways, so I am interested in sticking a doggy door in, the back door isn't anything so fancy that I really care if I cut a hole in it, and honestly I could repair it to look like new if needed so not to big of a deal.

Question is what does everyone think of doggy doors?
Will it make much difference in cooling the house?
Any problems with other animals coming in? (I do live in city with fenced yard don't see to many cridders around)
Should I get a fancy one with electronics (either opening or unlocking it) or just get a standard one?
Maybe some other input you have on the matter?

Really annoyed it is having these accidents but would rather let him roam the house while we are gone then keeping him trapped in the kitchen, plus we are looking at getting a 2nd dog in a couple months so would be nice to teach it to go outside on it's own too...

 

[Hobbit]

I have a permanent mid-sized pet door built into the brick veneer of my laundry room with a small deck & steps for the dog to use. I have never had a critter enter & the magnetic sealing door keeps all but the strongest wind out. There is a sliding rigid plastic panel that is more secure for storms. The doors are not that good at keeping the cold out so if your living area is near where the door is to go I would think twice about it. A burglar could easily bust & fit thorugh my mid sized door.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I hate doggie doors. OP, I think your dog has a separation anxiety going on. Anything new change around the house? Baby, schedule, people?

Next word - crate.

IF and big one and only IF I put a doggie door on anything was a kennel or dog run building specifically built for and only dogs. I don't like the potential lack of security they create..

I have a permanent mid-sized pet door built into the brick veneer of my laundry room with a small deck & steps for the dog to use. I have never had a critter enter & the magnetic sealing door keeps all but the strongest wind out. There is a sliding rigid plastic panel that is more secure for storms. The doors are not that good at keeping the cold out so if your living area is near where the door is to go I would think twice about it. A burglar could easily bust & fit thorugh my mid sized door.

The POs of our house did that in the garage. I still curse them for doing that I ripped out that dilapidated "mod", fixed the wall and rebricked it.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

With 2 young dogs and an older cat, I couldn't imagine not having a dog door. Sure it leaks a little air, but look how much air is let in when you open the door. Both of my dogs came to us as pups. Each dog had 2 or 3 accidents in the house before being totally house trained. Thank you doggy door.

I also have the door knocked through the brick veneer. Curse me all you want, but it's staying.

I know people swear by their crates, but I don't see the purpose in having a dog if it has to be in a crate all the time.

 

[mayday0017]

I hate doggie doors. OP, I think your dog has a separation anxiety going on. Anything new change around the house? Baby, schedule, people?

Basically same thing the G/F says.... "Nerves"

Which I guess could be true, in the past month I have repainted the entire house, ripped out all of the trim and replaced it, and replaced all of the carpet in the house. He is still getting let out at all of the same times but maybe his whole world has been turned upside down?

Should I just stick him in the kitchen for a couple weeks until he stops having accidents then let him back out to roam the house?

If it wasn't for lack of security would you have problems with a doggy door still? I'm not really worried about a person getting in, in Houston if people want in they come in, but I live in a nice neighborhood and don't think I would ever have a problem.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

My dog doesn't mess in the house. That works for us.


I've got friends with a doggie door and they love it. It's definitely a preference thing.

Basically same thing the G/F says.... "Nerves"

Which I guess could be true, in the past month I have repainted the entire house, ripped out all of the trim and replaced it, and replaced all of the carpet in the house. He is still getting let out at all of the same times but maybe his whole world has been turned upside down?

I suppose that could be. How is his exercise schedule? Is he getting regular playtime (like the kind that exhausts him) and social activities? Is he tearing up anything else in the house or just messin' on the floor?

Just to rule out a serious medical problem, have you mentioned it to your vet just in case?


Should I just stick him in the kitchen for a couple weeks until he stops having accidents then let him back out to roam the house?

If the kitchen is his normal "place" yes. We raised our pup with a crate so that's what I'd use simply because we use it. These days we leave the crate door open so dog goes in and out as he pleases when we are here and when he is home alone.

Ultimately I think you'd have to get to the bottom of the anxiety though.

If it wasn't for lack of security would you have problems with a doggy door still? I'm not really worried about a person getting in, in Houston if people want in they come in, but I live in a nice neighborhood and don't think I would ever have a problem.
Well, I don't know. After seeing doggie doors at the end of their life, it kinda grosses me out and I don't want it

If the door was on a designated dog outbuilding I could go with it. On my house, with a lot of soul searching, thinking and some time, maybe in a mud room or laundry room.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

With 2 young dogs and an older cat, I couldn't imagine not having a dog door. Sure it leaks a little air, but look how much air is let in when you open the door. Both of my dogs came to us as pups. Each dog had 2 or 3 accidents in the house before being totally house trained. Thank you doggy door.

I also have the door knocked through the brick veneer. Curse me all you want, but it's staying.

I know people swear by their crates, but I don't see the purpose in having a dog if it has to be in a crate all the time.

He isn't. How do you come to that conclusion that he is?

 

[mayday0017]

As it is dog is free to play and do whatever he wants all day in the house. He gets let out when we wake up, when we get home, when we go to bed, and once when he wakes us up. This has been his pattern for a long time now and never had many issues, though he has always randomly thrown up and she calls it "his nerves". The dog is scared of any noise of any kind or really any activity. If we are on the couch folding laundry he runs and hides in his special place until the "work" is done.

It really does sound like "nerves" or "anxiety" doesn't it? And that's fine, but I still have to get him to not **** or throw up on the floor, dumpped 5k into new carpet and dont' plan on cleaning accidents up off of it every day when we won't even walk with our shoes on it.

If the doggy door will fix the problem I will stick it in and never look back, if it doesn't though I will be annoyed I spent the $$ on the doggy door and pretty much ruined a regular door for nothing.

Thanks for the feedback keep it coming!

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Sounds good mayday. I wonder if some focused playtime with him would quell the need for some direct attention? When he poops on the floor do you address him? If so, how? Also consider that to pups even negative attention is attention. He might be pooping to get your direct attention. Also, direct physical activity will stimulate his digestive system that he will poop outside while he's playing. Does he go potty on command by chance?

Your schedule sounds pretty stable as far as opportunities to go outside and go potty.

I understand about the carpet. When pup at the plastic chicken that caused an ER surgery and $2k out the wallet he was throwing up all over the new carpet. We'll be installing hardwood lol

 

[Falcon67]

Crate. Ours go in their crates at night and are secured and go outside in the daytime. If they stay inside because of storm, cold, etc - in the crate, locked. All of it is territory of the pack, and we lead the pack. For the newest dog, we had a couple of clean ups and "re-scent" of those spots to our "pee" and she got the picture quick. Our "pee" is a mix of vinegar and water.

 

[rburke65]

We have two dogs and two cats and have had a dog door for 30 years and I wouldn't be without it. The puppy, now 2yo, was trained within 6 weeks max. Love the door. They come and go as they wish.....of course the back yard is fenced.

 

[Jimmy_B]

I have a dog door installed in the kitchen door that opens into the garage. Then I leave a garage door open about a foot, but that ends when the weather gets cold since the garage is heated. I live in the country and have a couple of acres with invisible fence that works great for my lab. Security could be an issue, but I have insurance for that. I had the neighbor's dog in the house once. No critters ever. Never made a difference as to where the dog would puke though. Inside, outside, doesn't matter to her when it's time. I've lived in this 25 year old house for 13+ years and it needed carpet when I bought it. Never replaced it because I have dogs (only one now). There's no way I could have nice carpet living where I do and having a large breed dog. YMMV and GL!

 

[blacksporty]

Had doggy door for 17 years, it is the only way to go. Dog is not locked up so it can protect the house and you don't have to worry about being gone too long so the dog can go out. It won't help the puking in the house though, when they have to puke they just do it were they are at when the urge comes.

 

[beater74]

I have two Rotties and a dog door big enough for them. My shop is in my back yard and they have complete access to protect it. I love my dog door! so do my dogs.

buy a good one. a double flap will help keep out the elements.

http://www.petdoors.com/

 

[Kevin C]

Try a food change... I put my mutt on a limited ingredient diet. She has never had an upset stomach since. Over time we have added more normal food, but the high end stuff.

Night and day difference.

We do have a dog door and in general they are not as good about getting out to barf.

We did fire alarm train her. She hears the alarm and exits out her door and waits outside until told to come back in.

 

[UncleJoe]

Two dogs and a doggie door leading to a large fenced in back your. The door is off the mud room and we love it.

If we are gone all day we know the dogs have water adn can run out side and in the summer heat I know they can come into the air conditioning. In August here in Eastern NC a lot of dogs die because the owners left them outside during the day. Very sad.

We have had this setup for 15 years and will never live in a house without dogs and a doggie door.

 

[Olyar15]

I have two medium-big dogs (German Shepherds, each around 85 lbs) and I have had two different kinds of electric dog doors for the back door that led from the kitchen to the back yard. The main reason I got a dog door is that my "firstborn" dog has lupus. It is controlled by prednisone, but a side effect of this drug is that it makes him drink more. Therefore he cannot hold his bladder for a full workday.

The first door I got was installed inset into the door, which means you lose a fair amount of insulation in the door. That dog door was activated by a magnet on the dogs collar. While this worked OK, the magnet kept coming off the collar as a result of the dogs going near metal objects. Also, the build quality wasn't very good. When something finally broke, I could not get a reply from the company regarding replacement parts.

That led to me buying another dog door: This one from http://www.hitecpet.com. This door is surface mounted on either a door or wall, so the only cut you make is for the actual opening. This door is activated by an ultrasonic speaker. The downside is that the transmitter requires batteries, and I find they last a few months before they need replacing. It also means that you need to adjust the sensitivity quite often as the battery drains.

The nice thing about these doors is that it prevents other critters from entering the house. As far as other people entering, the opening is small enough that only really skinny people have a chance of getting in. And hopefully they would think twice when they see two sets of snarling jaws. I certainly haven't had any security problems with these doors.

 

[AZ Pete]

Check out Hale Pet Doors, on the web. They are a pretty big company and make pet doors for a number of applications. They aren't cheap, but they sure are well built. Even if you don't use them, there are some good ideas on their web page for security and pet door application.

For access to the back yard, I prefer to have a pet door that exits into the garage, and a second door that goes to the yard from there. Not always possible, but does help with keeping drafts out of the house, and gives the option of blocking off the door into the house, while allowing access into the garage for shelter, food and water. The exit from the garage to the yard can be through an attached "dog house", as Hales web page shows for added security, if you have a very large dog.

 

[rharman]

+1 on the Hale product. Look here: http://www.petdoorstore.com/door/haledoor.htm

Double flap, good magnets... a nice door.

Also, a big +1 on the trip to the vet. One of our dogs went through an upset stomach phase. A course of Reglan (metocloprimide) seemed to clear things up. Better safe than.......

 

[abstamaria]

Here is our dog door, some ten years old now. That's Sundance, then a year old, showing how it's used. I ordered the door from Petdoors.

Our dogs run around free - I can never think of confining them in a crate - so the door works very well. No problem with leaks. I live in the tropics, so insulation isn't an issue.

Highly recommended.

Andy

PS: We have two Rotts as well, Beater74.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

He isn't. How do you come to that conclusion that he is?

What an ego. How did you come to the conclusion that I was talking about you?

You brought up the crate. I brought up crate training in general.

The main problem with my dog door is traffic jams.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Had doggy door for 17 years, it is the only way to go. Dog is not locked up so it can protect the house and you don't have to worry about being gone too long so the dog can go out. It won't help the puking in the house though, when they have to puke they just do it were they are at when the urge comes.

I had a large (70#) female rescue that developed stomach cancer. Towards the end of her life she would throw up fairly often. She would stick her head out the dog door and puke, then come pull her head back in, never stepping foot outside.

 

[38Chevy454]

Have a large dog door I put right through the wall in laundry room. With four dogs (Anotolian Shepherd, Lab/Pit mix, Golden Retreiver, Australian Cattle Dog) it works great to let them be able to go in and out as needed. I have the double flap type and it does not leak much. I do live with cold and snow, it does not seem to be an issue with the laundry room being too cold at all. Even have a couple cats that will use the dog door.

My dogs are 50-90 lbs and they fly through the door sometimes so fast I think the rubber flap will break off. Yes there is some security risk, and my door is big enough a small person can get through. Not a full size person though. Four dogs keep the security risk down. Never had any other critters get in the house.

Very rarely have any house accidents. More than likely house accident is puking up something, not #1 or #2. The ability for the dogs to let themselves in and out gives them protection from cold or heat. Gives me flexibility to not have to be home absolutely by time. Dogs don't wake me up in night if they hear a noise and want to go out to investigate. Dog door is a big plus for me.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

What an ego. How did you come to the conclusion that I was talking about you?

You brought up the crate. I brought up crate training in general.

The main problem with my dog door is traffic jams.

lol Wow, you really do have issues.

You bring up "people", I'm part of those people. And you conclude all those people have dogs that stay in crates all the time. So, how do you get to that conclusion? Do you just guess? Do you assume?

Really, you don't know. But you'd like to think you do. Get a clue. You're a bit ignorant on the topic of crates.

That's an ego, talking like you know about something but you really don't.

With 2 young dogs and an older cat, I couldn't imagine not having a dog door. Sure it leaks a little air, but look how much air is let in when you open the door. Both of my dogs came to us as pups. Each dog had 2 or 3 accidents in the house before being totally house trained. Thank you doggy door.

I also have the door knocked through the brick veneer. Curse me all you want, but it's staying.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

lol Wow, you really do have issues.

You bring up "people", I'm part of those people. And you conclude all those people have dogs that stay in crates all the time. So, how do you get to that conclusion? Do you just guess? Do you assume?

Really, you don't know. But you'd like to think you do. Get a clue. You're a bit ignorant on the topic of crates.

Jump to conclusions much?

 

[hh76]

I loved having a dog door, except for when it's wet outside. Then you get the dog tracking all kinds of mud into the house.

On days when it's raining, we couldn't use it, so it didn't really become an everyday solution.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Four huskies and a fenced in yard....could not live without their own door!

 

[EOC_Jason]

Just because you put in a dog door doesn't mean the dog will use it in an emergency. When a dog wants to throw up, it usually just does it wherever it's standing.

My guess is like you said, nerves. When you makes all the changes to the house, it probably just "smells" different to the dog and it just needs to get used to the new smell of the home and realize it's still his same old home.

My friend just got new carpet and his dog has done the exact same thing as yours. I think it has got to be the smell...

I would probably just do the baby gates for a while and see how that turns out. Then you can always do a doggie door if necessary.

My dog usually throws up because she has an empty stomach and gets overly excited / worked up, that plus the heat here in Houston during the summer usually will yield her throwing up that yellow mucus stuff... My solution has been to keep her calm in the morning till we get to the office then I give her a couple treats while I put her food & water out.

As for the pooping... You can try walking your dog around before you leave in the morning and make sure he/she does their business. I have to do this with my dog before we load up in the truck, otherwise she is known to have accidents in the truck. My point being if your daily schedule is pretty routine (i.e. you are gone the same time each day), then try to get them on a regular schedule when they do their thing.

 

[porschedude996TT]

The one I installed is weather/draft proof. It has two doors and each door has a surrounding magnet catch as well as an extra removable one on each door. Bad weather use the extra magnet. Each door is insulated as well..

http://www.petdoors.com/endura-dog-doors-for-walls.html

 

[LutzTD]

Basically same thing the G/F says.... "Nerves"

Which I guess could be true, in the past month I have repainted the entire house, ripped out all of the trim and replaced it, and replaced all of the carpet in the house. He is still getting let out at all of the same times but maybe his whole world has been turned upside down?
Should I just stick him in the kitchen for a couple weeks until he stops having accidents then let him back out to roam the house?

If it wasn't for lack of security would you have problems with a doggy door still? I'm not really worried about a person getting in, in Houston if people want in they come in, but I live in a nice neighborhood and don't think I would ever have a problem.

first rule of troubleshooting, identify the time the event started, create a timeline of change to see what corrosponds with the new event. I would put money on the painting and trim. Maybe an alergic reaction or possibly the dog is getting contact with or eating/chewing construction materials or dust.

The cage might be a temporary way to isolate him from the materials and extra activity, not sure how to mitigate the fumes. Maybe swing open a window and put a window fan pulling out. If your problems persist look for the next change in the timeline starting around the time of the first event.

 

[1967marti]

I have had dogs my whole life. And currently have two GSDs. A doggie door or another way for the dog to get outside is a MUST.
He/she doesn't want to mess the inside of his/her house anymore than you do, and that’s why crates "work"... Dogs won't mess in the same area they sleep /live.
Do not lock your dog into a crate while you are gone during the day. If you have to take bathroom breaks than so does your dog, it can cause very serious harm to your animal if he/she is not allowed to relieve his/her self when the need arises.
Like it has been said before, new smells and changes to the house and new routines can make some dogs nervous and they will mark the inside or have accidents but that will pass after they calm down. Best thing to do is block the dog off from the carpet area but give the dog an area to do its business (puppy pads or newspaper are better than nothing).

They have doggie doors that lock until a xmtr (attached to your dogs collar) unlocks them. This will allow your dog to 'escape' inside to safety or to keep unwanted animals from coming in.