Having a pet dog can enrich your life by providing a source of joy, companionship, and unconditional love. But as any dog owner can attest, the need to take your dog outside numerous times a day can be a nuisance—particularly when that need arises at inconvenient moments, such as in the middle of the night or when you’re rushing to get ready for work. Fortunately, there is a simple solution that can improve comfort, convenience, and overall quality of life for your family and your pets: installing doggy doors (also known as pet doors) in your home’s sliding or other exterior doors.

The Benefits of a Doggy Door for Your Pet

As a dog owner, ensuring that your beloved pets are happy and healthy—even when you are away from home—is probably among your top priorities. Here are a few ways that a doggy door can help:

As a dog owner, ensuring that your beloved pets are happy and healthy—even when you are away from home—is probably among your top priorities. Here are a few ways that a doggy door can help:

  • Greater comfort. For housebroken dogs, waiting for long periods of time to go outside and use the bathroom may cause significant discomfort and could even place them at risk for health problems, such as urinary tract infections. In addition, they may feel distressed as they try to avoid having accidents inside the house. A doggy door can alleviate these problems by allowing dogs to take themselves outside whenever they’d like.
  • More physical activity, leading to better health. Just as with humans, staying physically active is important for dogs’ health. Frequent exercise can help your four-legged friends stave off obesity while keeping their joints limber, their moods content, and their minds alert and engaged. Having access to your yard through a doggy door significantly expands the space available for your dogs to run and play—thereby helping to ensure that they stay active, even when you’re not there to take them for walks.
  • Improved mental health. A doggy door can improve more than just your pet’s physical health—their mental well-being may benefit as well. As naturally active, social, and inquisitive creatures, dogs can become bored or even depressed when they are stuck inside for long periods of time. On the other hand, giving them the freedom to let themselves out through a doggy door will allow them to play, explore, or simply enjoy some fresh air whenever they want—leading to a happier, calmer disposition.
  • Better safety. In the unlikely event that there is a fire or other emergency inside your home, a doggy door can provide a critical escape route that enables your pets to get themselves to safety. On the flip side, it allows them to come back indoors if they are outside when inclement weather strikes and you’re not available to let them in.

The Benefits of a Doggy Door for You and Your Family

In addition to improving health, comfort, and happiness for your pets, doggy doors can greatly enhance quality of life for you and your family.

For example, doggy doors can help you:

  • Save time and effort. While taking your dog for walks can serve as an important bonding activity that boosts physical and mental health for both of you, life gets busy and it’s not always convenient to go for a walk. Puppies and older dogs in particular often need to go out multiple times a day, which can be difficult or impossible for many people’s schedules. Instead of being woken up in the middle of the night or having to rush home from work on your lunch break to take your dog for a walk, consider installing a doggy door in your home. By allowing you the freedom to go for walks on your own schedule—and your pets the freedom to go outside whenever they want—a doggy door can save you and your family a significant amount of time and effort.
  • Reduce some of the frustrations that come with pet ownership by alleviating behavior problems. When dogs get bored or anxious due to being stuck inside for long periods of time, they often start looking for trouble. For example, they may bark excessively, scratch at the door, or find shoes or furniture to chew on. As mentioned above, having access to a doggy door can avoid these troublesome problems by helping dogs stay active and expend their energy in healthy ways, rather than through destructive behaviors. And of course, a doggy door will help simplify the housebreaking process and minimize the likelihood that you’ll come home to an unpleasant mess because your dog couldn’t get outside in time.

Built-In Doggy Doors from The Window & Door Store

If you’re interested in adding a doggy door to your home, The Window & Door Store features a range of options to suit your needs and the style of your existing doors. The doggy doors that we offer can easily be built in to your sliding doors, French doors, or other exterior doors, creating a sleek, seamless appearance that doesn’t require structural modification of your walls. Here are some of the benefits of our doggy doors:

  • Available in a wide variety of sizes. Whether you have a Chihuahua, a St. Bernard, or anything in between, we can provide a door to comfortably accommodate your pup.
  • Reliable weatherproofing. A common concern with doggy doors is ensuring that they will effectively seal off your home from drafts, heat, rain, and other natural elements—while preventing your indoor heating or air conditioning from escaping. Designed to maximize comfort and energy efficiency in your home while allowing your pets to come and go at their leisure, our doggy doors feature durable flaps, weatherstripping, and magnetic seals.
  • In addition to keeping out the elements, it’s important to make sure that your doggy door will prevent unwanted intruders—of both the human and animal variety—from entering. With their strong seals and heavy-duty frames, our doggy doors offer maximum security.
  • Long-lasting durability. As with all of our other windows and doors, our doggy doors are made by industry-leading brands using high-quality components and the latest technology. These products are built to withstand frequent use over time, yielding a strong return on investment and years of worry-free enjoyment.
  • Available in a range of color choices. Our doggy doors are available in a wide variety of colors, and our professional design consultants will work with you to select an option that best suits the style of your home.

Adding a doggy door to your sliding or other exterior doors is a relatively minor home improvement that can greatly improve quality of life for your family and your pets. At The Window & Door Store, we are here to help you select the right product to suit your needs and style, and our expert installation team will ensure that your new doggy door is properly installed for maximum performance over several years. Contact us today to request a free estimate, or stop by our new, state-of-the-art showroom in Scottsdale to meet with our design consultants!