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Measure height
Example of tunnel in frame wall
Cut opening, if needed add
a
1—1/2" flat mounting surface.
This is how an installed
door looks.
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Step #1:
Measure the
belly height of your pet from ground level to his underside to find
the correct height of the door opening. Bottom edge is usually 6" to
12". Do not mount flush to ground.
For the Heavy Duty Dog Door
™
cut the opening 12-1/2" wide x 17-1/2" high. For the
Big Dog Door ™
cut the opening 16-1/2" wide x 25-1/2" high.
Step #2:
If mounted on
garage or house wall, frame the depth of the wall to form a tunnel
through the wall. (Use 2" X 4" or 2" X 6" material.) If needed, add a
least a 1/2" x 1 1/2" flat outside mounting surfacing.
Step #3:
Place door over
opening and use the enclosed two 1 1/2” wood screws to hold door to
opening.
Step #4:
Show dog how to use
door. Your dog will learn to use your pet door almost at once, but
there are a few which may be a little nervous at first.
The most important rule is to be patient.
Do not let the dog have a bad experience or it may become frightened.
Most dogs can be trained to use a pet door in a matter of hours. Your
dog will respond to encouragement, repetition and play in particular.
Alternatively, use the door flap as part of a game - throw a ball
through, for instance. As your dog responds to your encouraging calls,
help it through the door, patting and congratulating it. Repeat the
game several times, continually encouraging the animal with positive
gestures and comments. Within a short time your dog will be totally
familiar with its pet door and use it happily on its own.
I have seven-week old lab pups that use these doors, naturally, your
dog will learn too.
Problems…see Special Dog Training Instructions at end
of page
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Installation Tips:
Install 1/8"
felt or rubber weather stripping on surface of building or door. Do
not put rubber weather stripping on Gun Dog House Door ®.
NOTE:
If your door does not close at the bottom, the door is installed
incorrectly. Unscrew door and move 1/4" lower. If there is a gap
between top strap and upper doorframe, move door 1/4" higher.
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Measure height.
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The Heavy Duty Dog Door
™ and
Big Dog Door ™ are installed on the outside of a
house door.
Determine Height
To find correct height of
the hole for your dog, measure the belly height of your pet.
(Average installation is six to twelve inches.) Mark the height in
pencil on one side of your door.
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Drilling and
cutting hole
The Heavy Duty Dog Door
™
hole size is 12-1/2" x 17-1/2". For The
Big Dog Door ™ the hole size
is 16-1/2" x 25-1/2".
Drill half
inch in each corner. Insert jigsaw into drill hole and cut out
hole. See photo 1.
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If installing on a steel door,
cut hole one-half inch larger, glue one quarter inch pine or
cedar trim inside opening.
See photo 2. |
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If installing in a hollow core door,
use four strips of wood the same width as the hollow between the
panels in your door. Position the wood so that they are flush
with the edges of the hole. Either glue, nail or screw the
strips. Frame the outside/inside hole with (2) inch by (1/4)
inch lengths. Again, either glue, nail or screw to door surface
as Photo 3 illustrates.
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Draw template/drill 1/2" holes.
Opening 12-1/2" x 17-1/2" on the Heavy Duty Dog Door™, 16-1/2" x
25-1/2" on the Big Dog Door™.
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Jigsaw cutting to each (1/2") drilled corners
Photo 1
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Steel door: Note hole is cut 1/2" larger to allow for 1/4" thick
wood inserts. Opening 13" x 18" on the Heavy Duty Dog Door™, 17" x
26 " on the Big Dog Door™.
Photo 2 |
Hollow core reinforcement
wood strips |
Frame the inside and outside of the hole on the door – use 1/4”
cedar or pine 2” wide.
Photo 3 |
Heavy Duty Dog Door ™ installed
on a metal door.
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This little 7 week old Lab pup is already a pro at
using the Gun Dog House Door ®.
This yellow lab is 7 weeks old and the GDHD is 20 years
old...and still working great. |
Whether you have an adult dog, or a new puppy, teaching
him how to use a Gun Dog House Door ® (GDHD) will be done the same way.
When you install your dog door, make sure you
measure the "rise" of your dog (the measurement from the floor to the
lowest part of your dog's chest or stomach). This measurement tells
you where to place the "bottom" of your dog door. The bottom of your
dog door should be an inch lower than the "rise" of your dog. If you
have a puppy you will need to install the dog door one inch from the
ground; and you will need to re-install it at higher intervals as your
puppy grows. Another option is to take an educated guess as to how
tall your dog will eventually be, install the dog door at the
appropriate height, and construct a "puppy-ramp" so your puppy can
reach the dog door and go through it comfortably.
Once the frame of the GDHD door is installed in a
wall or door, leave the GDHD off at first. Have someone stay inside
with your dog while you go outside. Call your dog through the "hole"
(door frame without the GDHD). When he goes through and comes to you,
praise him lavishly and give him a treat. Now have the person inside
the house call him through the "hole." When he gets to them, they
should praise it and offer a treat as well. Do this at least 3 times
and no more than a dozen. After this, your dog will know there is a
hole in the wall or the door especially for him.
Leave the GDHD off the cut opening for one full day.
Encourage him to use his opening by not letting him use the "real"
doors. Instead, you use the real door and say to your dog, "Go to your
door!" pointing in the direction of his dog door. You may need the
help of someone inside to "help" the dog find his new door. After a
half a dozen times, your dog should like this new game! If you
have a very young puppy, do not expect them to learn "Go to your door"
for many weeks or months; still give them the command in a happy
voice, and have someone inside show them where their door is every
time. It sometimes helps if you are outside (after going through a
real door) and someone else helps your dog or puppy find the doggie
door as you call him from outside.
On the second day, install the GDHD. Now, you will
need to repeat the same exercise as when you first sent your dog
through the "hole." But this time, the person on the same side of the
door as the dog will need to "push" the GDHD open for him. Each time
the dog goes through the door, push the GDHD less and less for him. It
is important that the dog gets used to the feel of the GDHD on the
back of his head so once your dog has begun going through the door,
let go of the GDHD so he feels it on his head and body as he goes
through the door. Eventually the dog will need to push the GDHD by
himself and dogs are usually hesitant to do this at first. He will
probably put his nose down by the bottom of the GDHD and wait for the
GDHD to move (after all, it has up to now). At this point, push the
GDHD slightly so that your dog can see it is a moveable object, let
the GDHD bounce back to the closed position. The best way I can
explain it is that you are "poking" GDHD using short, quick pokes.
This gives the dog a glimpse of an opening and encourages him to poke
the door himself. At this stage, some dogs begin going through the
door with ease, others become quite excited, but still haven't figured
out that they can push the door open. If your dog will not push the
door open by himself yet, remove the GDHD and install a piece of
carpet onto the opening. You want the carpet to have a least a _”
opening on the sides and bottom. The dog should feel more comfortable
pushing the carpet on its own. After 2-3 days, install the GDHD and
with our enthusiastic encouragement and praise, your dog should be
able to push the GDHD now with no problem
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