Of course, if you purchase a door that is too small (especially in width) your dog won't be able to use it. On the other hand, large pet doors that are too big will allow more of your home's heat or air-conditioning to escape when your pet uses it than with a smaller door. This will definitely result in higher energy bills. (It's worth noting that if your region experiences extreme high or low temperatures you would be well advised to choose one of our energy-efficient pet doors. They usually cost more but they are worth it.)
In addition, large pet doors cost more than smaller ones. And that is why America's Pet Store urges you to take the time to determine the best size door for your pet.
At first glance it may look like the best way to select the correct size is to rely on general descriptions of small, medium or large pet doors. The problem with relying on general sizes is that there is no standard across the industry. So, for example, large pet doors made by Patio Pacific Pet Doors may actually be a lot bigger than large pet doors made by a different manufacturer such as Ideal Pet Doors.
The bottom line is that you really should measure your dog before purchasing one of our large pet doors. It only takes a few minutes and is well worth the time. To determine the ideal width of the flap/entrance, have your dog walk through a doorway with the door open just enough for him or her to get through. Then measure that space.
Before purchasing one of our large pet doors you'll want to determine the ideal height of the pet flap/entrance. Measure your dog from the lowest point of the chest/belly up to the highest point of the back/shoulders and add 4" to that measurement. That will be the ideal total height of the flap/entrance for your dog. If adding 4" makes the door too tall for the area you want it installed then you can get away with one that is not quite as high. But under no circumstances should the door be any shorter than the measurement from your dog's belly up to his or her shoulders. (Be sure to factor in for growth if your dog is not full grown.)
These measuring tips are applicable to all styles of large pet doors including patio pet doors, door-mount and wall-mount pet doors and window pet doors.
There is one circumstance where you might choose from large pet doors instead of smaller ones: if your measurements turn out to be in-between a medium or large, then you may want to consider "trading up" to large pet doors. This can account for possible future weight gain in your dog's senior years.
Another thing you should definitely not rely on are weight recommendations for choosing a size. A Bulldog and a Lab might be similar in weight…but the similarities end there. The ideal size pet door for these two breeds would be quite different because their width and/or height are not even in the same ballpark.
We sell more products labeled as large pet doors than any other size at America's Pet Store. We hope it is because there are a lot more big dogs out there than there are medium or small ones, and not because people are not taking time to measure their dog.
We work very hard to offer the lowest possible prices to our customers, so it would be a shame if they were losing money by choosing large pet doors when a medium size would be more appropriate. Of course, if you do have a big dog, we have many styles of large pet doors available in a wide range of prices. If you have any doubts or questions as to whether or not one of our large pet doors would be right for your dog please contact our Customer Service Department.
America's Pet Store offers pet doors for dogs as well as pet doors for cats including electronic pet doors which are fully automatic pet doors. Naturally we carry all sizes including small pet doors; medium to large pet doors; and XL pet doors.
We also offer many different brands of pet doors for sliders including PetSafe pet doors, Hale Pet Doors, High Tech Power Pet Doors and others. Many pet doors for sliding glass doors do not require tools to install; you can just insert pet doors for patio doors right into your slider's track. Please note that we no longer carry storm doors with pet doors because they don't survive shipping.
In addition to the popular brands already mentioned we also carry DogWalk Pet Doors, Freedom Pet Pass pet doors, Plexidor pet doors and Staywell Pet Doors.
