General Pet Door FAQs

Q - Where do I measure my pet for a pet door?

A - Measure your pet from the floor to just comfortably above the top of its back ('withers'). Don’t measure to the top of your pet’s head. All pets normally duck their heads when passing through a pet door and pick their paws up (unless they're ill or arthritic). For width, open a door the minimum distance the pet needs to walk through comfortably. Another approach is to cut an opening in a piece of cardboard and see if your pet can pass through it easily. Don’t push.

We recommend that the top of the flap be about the same height as the top of the pets shoulder. Remember to give a little extra height for a wall-thru installation or when tall and short pets must share the same door.

Q - I took my new panel pet door home and it was too short (or too tall)?

A - A frequent misconception is that all sliding glass doors are the same height. People frequently say "I have a standard height sliding glass door". Not necessarily so. In fact, sliding glass doors vary in height from around 74" to over 10 feet in height and the maximum adjustment range of any pet door is only about 4". So, you really should take a moment to measure before you purchase.

Q - OK. So how do I measure my sliding glass door for a pet door installation? A- Measure inside the track, very top to very bottom (see illustration), then select the door that falls within that height range. Remember that you'll need some clearance to get the door over the track wall and into the track! Call us if in doubt.

Where to Measure for a Patio Panel Pet Door

Q - Do you make a pet door for conventional up-and-down sliding sash windows?

A. Yes we do. The Thermo-Sash™ door is perfect for this.

Q - Do you offer custom-sized pet doors?

A.-Yes we provide custom-dimensioned pet doors especially for French doors. We also carry custom height oversize and undersize panel pet doors for sliding glass door and for sliding windows.

Q -Do you make pet doors for my very large dog? He’s over 220 lbs.

A- Yes we do and for every installation type. We carry pet doors from small to Extra Large and even Giant-Sized.

Q - I don’t want to cut a hole in my front or back wooden door. What do you recommend?

A - See our line of through-wall, window or sliding patio door options. Basically, any place you can open a hole to the outside, you can install a pet door. Call us to discuss your particular problem.

Q - How can I keep my neighbor’s cat (or other animals like skunks, etc) from using the pet door?

A - Choose an electronic pet door. These are available for all installation types and all, generally, work the same way: Your pet wears a collar 'key' that the door responds to. They simply unlock and the pet pushes through as he would any pet door. You may use one of these doors to keep one animal in while letting another out. However, be careful here. Some of the smaller sizes control in only one direction. That is to say, they will not unlock for an animal coming in, but they will allow any animal that fits to go out. Others will control in both directions.

Q - I’m not sure if I fit into any of the above categories. I may have a special problem. May I call you for advice?

A - Of course. Call customer service toll-free at (800) 826-2871 7am to 4:30pm Mon-Fri. Patio Pacific is always committed to helping you solve any pet door problem you may have.

Q - (After purchase of a pet door) How did I ever get along without it?

A - We're sure we don't know!