Guide · · 3 min read
Dog door for a sliding glass door: the fitted door that keeps your slider working
A dog door in a sliding glass door does not have to narrow the opening or bypass the lock. Fit it in the pane and the slider works exactly as before.
By the Pet-Tek International team, Auckland — designers of Catwalk® and Dogwalk® since 1999.
The ranch slider is where most New Zealand dogs want to be let out, forty times a day. Two ways to give them their own door: a Dogwalk® fitted in the glass, or an aluminium insert panel standing in the track. One is a permanent part of the house; the other is a compromise. Here is the fitted version properly explained, and the comparison.
The fitted door
A glazier cuts a round hole in the pane and the Dogwalk® door’s two frame halves clamp through it with a gasket. Nothing is screwed into the glass. The slider keeps its full width, its seal and its lock. In single glazing the hole is cut in place; in a double-glazed slider the glazier orders a new sealed unit with the hole pre-cut and swaps it in.
Which Dogwalk® for a slider
| Dog | Single glazing | Double glazing | Cut-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| To about 380 mm at the shoulder | Intermediate Slim Line | Intermediate Dual Glaze | 320 mm |
| 450–500 mm | Medium Slim Line | Medium Dual Glaze | 385 mm |
| Small dog to about 300 mm | Catwalk® Maxi Slim Line | Maxi Dual Glaze | 267 mm |
Measure floor to shoulder blade; here is how. Clear, white or black frames.
Where in the slider
The fixed pane if possible: it never moves, so the dog’s route is always open and the sliding pane is untouched. In the sliding pane, keep the hole on the side away from the handle so the open door clears the dog door; the glazier sets the distance from the edge. Bottom of the opening at the dog’s belly height.
The insert panel, honestly
An insert panel is a tall aluminium frame with a pet door in it that stands in the track; the slider closes against it. Its appeal is that no glass is cut, which makes it the right answer for renters. Against that: it takes the width of the panel out of the doorway, it seals on brush strips that let wind through, the slider’s lock no longer reaches the frame so the panel relies on a bar or clamp, and a panel that drops into a track can usually be lifted out of it. For a house you own, the fitted door wins on everything except avoiding the glazier.
Security and locking
The 4-way dial locks the dog door independently of the slider. The glass Dogwalk doors take a security clip that holds the dial in the locked position, and the Medium ships with locking clips. Lock a Medium when you are away — the opening is big enough to reach through.
Cost
The door, plus a glazier: single glazing cut in place is the smaller job, a new double-glazed unit the larger. Give two glaziers the cut-out size; see installation costs.
Quick answers
Can you put a dog door in a sliding glass door?
Yes. A glazier cuts a round hole in the pane (320 mm for the Dogwalk Intermediate, 385 mm for the Medium) or supplies a new double-glazed pane with the hole made, and the dog door clamps through it. The slider still slides and locks.
What is the best dog door for a sliding glass door?
A Dogwalk Slim Line for single glazing — Intermediate for dogs to about 380 mm at the shoulder, Medium for 450–500 mm — or the Dual Glaze versions for a double-glazed slider. Clear, white or black.
Is a sliding door dog door insert a good idea?
It avoids glass work, but it narrows the opening by the panel width, seals with brush strips, bypasses the slider's own lock and can usually be lifted out from outside. A door fitted in the pane has none of those problems.
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