Choosing and Installing the Perfect Doggy Door to Your Garage If you are interested in installing a dog door in your garage for your pet to enter through, you need to make sure that you choose the right one for your particular canine. There are many things to consider when it comes to making your final choice. Your garage can be a good haven for your dog, if they are able to have access to it without you having to let them in and out. Your doggy door can be perfect for this purpose. You will need to make sure that the size and the cut fits your canine well. You should measure your dog's height, weight, and shoulder fit to ensure that they are going to be able to get in and out with ease.
Things to Consider Depending on the size of your dog, you may need to make certain adjustment to the area that they need. The larger the animal, the larger the door you will need! So you get a good fit for your dog, you need to measure the height and shoulder width of your pet. See where the measurements fall in the purchase guide—the sizes are usually small, medium, and large. You may already know this, but some pets will enter through a door very quickly, and very hard. This happens often especially when at play. This is why it is so important that you have an entrance that fits your canine perfect, so that they fit without injuring themselves. When you have several dogs and you have a fenced garden or yard, that means your dogs can set up a running route around and through your house. You will need a dog door with a soft flap for that, so your dogs can enjoy the run and the exercise, which is good for them. Soft flaps are good for well behaved animals that like to jump in an out frequently. However, if you have an animal that is naughty and likes to chew and eat the plastic, you may need to buy a hard flap so that is lasts longer. There are also safety concerns that you need to think about.
Having a flap that locks is very important to the safety of your home. Some criminals will try to come in through the flap to access your things, so having a lock can mean a great deal to your safety. You can also regulate whether you want your animal to be able to enter in, out, or only one of these options. If you have dogs that want to come in after playing in the yard at night, you can set the lock so that they can come in, but cannot go back out again. There are even automatic devices which can be purchased to regulate the times when you want them to have access to their garage. Once you choose the device you want, you will need to make sure that you install it properly. You will need to saw a hole in the garage entrance that will fit your device properly. To install a device in a standard garage door, you will need a tape measure, a pencil, duct tape, a drill, a jigsaw, caulking, safety gloves, and a screwdriver. First, decide exactly where the door is to be installed. On a standard area, it is best to take a width measurement and center the entrance. Make sure that the entrance is easy to find, and convenient, so that they do not have any problems using it. Once measurements are taken, apply the template, which is included in the purchased package, and tape it to the existing area. Use a pencil to outline the exact framing of the template. Include specified points that will require drilling or sawing. After you have finished tracing the template, remove it and drill all the holes necessary. Take any precautionary safety measures, and use a jigsaw to cut firmly and precisely along the traced outline. When this is completed, remove the material that you do not need. Along the edges of this newly sawed framing, apply caulking and firmly insert the device, very carefully. Secure it with duct tape and allow several hours for the caulking to dry. Next, you can add the hinges and the flap, as the instructions indicate. Now it should be ready for your canine to use! Make sure that they are able to use it safely without any problems.