Dog door advice for New Englander

[Acadia]

Hi everyone,
My newf is 90lbs and my rescue dog is 10 lbs. I need a dog door to go through the wall. Because of the long, cold winters, I'm thinking an electronic door might be the way to go, but am a little nervous about the whole thing. I see some for around 1200 (Plexidoor brand I think) and then much less $$$.

Any advice on good ones, or ones to stay away from?
Thank you!
Suzanne

 

[wrknnwf]

I love my Plexidor. It's not electronic though. It's the saloon door type and is very quiet. I did have to replace one spring, but that was in 13 years of use. I think I got my money's worth of use out of it.

 

[Acadia]

Thank you. Do you live in cold climates? Also, do you think a 11-lb rat terrier/chi mix could push through the saloon doors of the size I will need for Cadie the newf?

 

[wrknnwf]

I live in Kansas, so we get moderate cold (10 deg with minus wind chills) to extreme heat (100's). The dog door keeps out both fairly nicely. Not 100%, but pretty close. You should make sure that a bunch of Newf hair doesn't clog up the swivels (rare). Or if the door fails to swing shut, it's probably a broken spring which is user replaceable.

The doors swing fairly easily, but are not so loose they would ever flap in the wind. They are self centering, so unless a spring is sprung, they return to the correct position every time. There is fuzzy weather stripping all around, which helps keep out drafts, but collects lots of hair. On rare occasions, I take an old toothbrush and sort of comb the hair off the weather strip. You will, of course, get lots of slobber on the doors, but they clean up easily and have not yellowed. Still clear as glass.

Our mini schnauzer had no trouble with it and I think a tinier dog or even a cat could use it too. You could always ask the manufacturer.

Do make it high enough that your big dog doesn't have to slump over or scrap his back to get in and out. Mine is roughly 6 inches from the floor. Depending on how tall your dog is, you will have to measure. Instructions are included with each door.

 

[Acadia]

Thanks again!