Dog Doors And More | Installing A Pet Door

In my previous post I discuss how to install a dog door in a patio screen. Today I'll cover how to add a dog door to your back door or garage door. The steps are pretty simple but a bit different and will require a little more work than discussed in my other article.

1. Measuring your dog. In order to know how high to place your new dog door you will want to either measure your dogs height or the distance from the floor to your dogs chest. If you choose the first option this will then be the height for the center of your dog door. If you went with option two then this will be the height for the lower edged of your dog door opening. Using a pencil draw a horizontal line on your door at the determined height. Then you will draw a vertical line through the horizontal line using a Square at the location you want to be the center of your opening.

2. Using a template provided with your dog door tape it to the door in the location you want your opening. Make sure to position it according to your measurements , you don't want to cut a hole in the wrong spot and ruin your door. Now trace the inside of the template with your pencil, this will be your guide lines for cutting the opening.

3. Remove your door and lay it across a couple of saw horses. Drill a hole in each of the corners of the guide you have drawn on your door. You can now use a jig saw and cut away the material from the opening. Make sure the blade you use is designed for the type of door material you will be cutting. After you have your opening cut use a hand chisel if necessary to clean up any corner areas.

4. Position the front half of the dog door frame in the proper location and mark any screw holes that need to be pre-drilled. remove the frame and pre-drill the holes.

5. Now all that is left is adding the second half of the dog door frame to the exterior side of the door. Usually the manufacture will provide some sort of sealant or gasket to go around this portion of the door. Install the two halves per the instruction manual provided. Install the flap and make any necessary adjustments to locks, handles or flap locations.

6. Reinstall your door on its hinges and have your pet test out their new dog door.

I just want to remind you that these are just basic installation instructions to give you an idea of what your getting into before you purchase a dog door. Always follow the dog door installation instructions provided by the manufacture. I hope this comes as some help to you and makes your purchasing decision easier.