PetSafe Extreme Weather Door

Petsafe Products

The PetSafe company produces many pet products, including wireless fences, in-ground wired fences, pet water fountains, automatic pet feeders, automatic self-cleaning litter boxes, bark control collars, toys, harnesses, regular pet collars, and – of course – pet doors.

Many of their products get five-star reviews and they have a range of options in every product category. PetSafe products are available on Amazon, at Petco, at PetSmart, on Chewy, and from other authorized retailers. This brand also offers extra or replacement parts and supporting kits, such as the PetSafe Pet Door Installation Kit, that fit precisely with their products.

The PetSafe Extreme Weather door gets high ratings and offers a good amount of benefits for pet guardians and pets alike. This company also offers a number of other pet doors with different benefits, specifications, and sizes. These include the Electronic Smart Door, the Microchip Cat Door, the Aluminum Pet Door, and the Wall Entry Pet Door.

Why This Product?

The PetSafe Extreme Weather Door offers more weatherproofing than other doggie doors, with three flaps: two on each side surrounding a central weatherproof flap. It is energy efficient, keeping weather out and climate control in. This door can also be installed by the homeowner and comes with step-by-step instructions on how to place it. It can be installed in a variety of places, including doors, walls, and garage doors. The plastic the door is made from can be painted so that it will match the interior of your home.

The door is recommended for animals weighing up to 100 pounds for the largest sized model, meaning it is usable for a range of pets from medium to large breeds, including cats. There are smaller versions of the same door for pets up to fifteen pounds (small size model) and up to forty pounds (medium size model). This is not a locking pet door. Instead, it comes with a snap-on cover for when you want more control over your pet’s exit and entry.

The door comes with step-by-step installation instructions, insulation material, a cutting template, and installation hardware. Make sure to consider the specifications, pros, and cons of this pet door and of pet doors in general before purchasing and installing.

Specifications and Dimensions

The flaps on the Petsafe Extreme Weather Door comes in three sizes. The flaps for the smallest size measure 5 ⅛ by 8 ¼ inches; the flaps for the medium size measure 8 ½ by 12 ¼ inches; and the largest size flaps measure 10 ⅛ by 16 ¼ inches. Keep in mind that this is not the size of the entire door, only of the flaps.

As long as the surface where the door will be installed remains sturdy when cut into, the door should be able to be installed there. An example of a place you cannot install this door is in a screened porch; the screen will not hold up when the door is placed in it after cutting into the screen.

This pet door offers flexibility so that a pet is able to change its mind as it tries to walk through. In other words, because the flaps are held fast by magnets and not electronically controlled, the pet can make its own decisions about movement. At the same time, the door protects the inside of your house from pests, weather, and loss of heat or air conditioning.

Pros

Product Specific Pros

As mentioned previously, this pet door is suitable for both cats and dogs of medium and large breeds. This particular model has several more pros:

1. The flaps do not stiffen up too much with cold weather, meaning they can be safely used by your pet even during winter months.
2. This pet door is significantly better at saving energy than other models because of the triple-flap design.
3. The door kit comes with everything you should need for installation and use.
4. It is relatively easy to train pets to use this door.
5. The unique three-flap design and surrounding insulation protect your home from the outside.
6. This door comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large.
7. The construction of this door is quality: insulating foam and air pockets, well-made magnetized flaps, and waterproof materials.
8. It is possible to purchase a second snap-on protection door to add more protection when you want to keep your pet inside and also add extra help keeping weather out.

Benefits of Doggie Doors in General

Pet doors generally offer benefits. For example,

1. Installing a doggie door ends whining for bathroom use and decreases accidents in the house after a pet has been trained to use the door.
2. Allowing a pet to go use the bathroom as it pleases lessens the risk of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in your pet.

Cons

Like any product, the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door also has some cons. These include:

1. Flap replacement can be expensive. However, replacement flaps are available.
2. Like any pet door, this one is subject to some draftiness.
3. The PetSafe Extreme Weather Door may not stay shut with strong winds or strong rain.
4. This pet door cannot be used in sliding glass doors. To be installed a hole must be cut into the spot of installation, preventing use in glass or screen surfaces. There are specific models of pet doors that can be used in glass doors.
5. The screws in the installation kit are plastic, which may break easily with too much force from a pet.
6. Although the kit comes with insulation material, it is possible that extra insulation will need to be purchased.
7. It may be possible for certain pets to kick or push out the snap-on cover.
8. Installation may not always be easy – it may require more than one set of hands.
9. This door cannot be used in conjunction with other PetSafe brand doors, as its attachment holes do not line up with the holes for other models.
10. None of the pieces for this particular PetSafe pet door model can be used with other models, and vice versa.
11. This particular model does not come with translucent or clear flaps and does not offer translucent or clear replacement flaps. This may make training pets to use the door somewhat harder than training a pet to use a door with see-through flaps.

Features and Benefits

This door provides three different modes of insulating for maximum energy efficiency. These are:

1. Double flap insulation. There is one flap on either side of the main central flap. All three flaps are vinyl.
2. Foam weatherstripping. The PetSafe Extreme Weather Door kit comes with a foam material to insulate around the cut where your door will be placed.
3. All-weather air pockets. These provide an insulating layer of air between the inside and outside.

Other than energy efficiency, this pet door model offers other benefits, including:

1. Quality make and build. The door is made from quality plastic, and the insulating molding foam is also of quality.
2. The magnets on the flaps allow for pet mobility and can also be easily glued back on or replaced if a rambunctious pet breaks them. The flaps themselves are also heavy enough to stay put while allowing and surviving frequent use by your pet.
3. The materials used to make this door are waterproof. This door should not sustain damage from rain or storms and should keep rainwater out of your house.

The Must-Know, True Facts about the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door

When purchasing and installing a pet door, there are some general facts you should know about types, materials, and use of the model you are considering. With the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door, you get a door-mounted model that has no exterior tunnel. This model gives your pet direct access to indoors and outdoors.

This model is also a swinging flap type of model, meaning (a) it allows any number of pets to be outside at a time, unlike certain electronic models, and (b) it is not electronically controlled by the pet guardian, but rather the pet can come and go as he or she pleases. The flaps on this door do not hang listlessly but are attached to the frame by magnets. The flaps themselves, as mentioned previously, are made of a heavy weatherproof and waterproof vinyl.

Pet guardians looking at this particular product likely have an interest in its energy efficiency. It is important to note what “energy efficiency” in this context means. As mentioned earlier, it of course means keeping the outside weather outside and the indoor climate steady. This will mean using less air conditioning or heating as draft is reduced. In particular with this model, that means insulating air pockets and foam, a tight lock of the flaps to the frame and the frame to the hole cut in your door or wall, and non-conducting plastic material. This will keep you from needing to excessively heat or cool your home as not much temperature will be exchanged between inside and outside.

Pet parents looking at the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door may also be interested in wired or wireless outdoor electronic pet fencing options, as the pet will have free reign of both inside and outside at his or her leisure. As this pet door is fully analog and not in any way electronic, it is fully compatible with any pet fencing system from either PetSafe or other brands.

Things to be Aware of

First, be aware of the size and weight of your pet and what size PetSafe Extreme Weather Door will be compatible with your pet’s size and weight. As mentioned above, the “small” Extreme Weather Door is compatible with pets up to fifteen pounds, the “medium” door is compatible with pets up to forty pounds, and the “large” door is compatible with animals up to one hundred pounds. Be sure to buy the properly sized door to keep your pet safe and to avoid the door being broken by your pet.

Second, be aware of whether you will need a second snap-on closing panel. Pets may be able to push off a single snap-on panel, and a single panel will not keep out as much weather as a double panel. You should also be aware of whether or not you might need other spare parts in case something breaks during installation or you have an especially rambunctious pet.

Finally, have a plan of how you will be installing the door. It’s important to make sure you have the right tools, can cut a hole in the place you want the door to fit, make sure the hole is the proper size, and have backup materials like screws in case something breaks.

Crucial Tips

Installation Planning Tips

Make sure to have the tools you will need to install the pet door. Although the kit comes with screws and other hardware, it does not come with any tools. You will need a hammer, a jigsaw, a drill, a ⅜ inch drill bit, wire cutters, screw drivers, a tape measure, masking tape, a pencil, a level, scissors, and safety glasses.

You will also need whatever paint you plan to use on your pet door prior to installation if you would like to change its color. Be sure to mark and cut carefully, as well as not to over tighten the plastic screws. Don’t rush installation – it’s worth taking the extra time to be sure this is done correctly.

Pet Door Usage Tips

Keep an eye on the screws, flaps, and installations over time as they may suffer from wear and tear. This is especially true if you have pets closer to the maximum size allowed for the door size you are using or if your pets are not gentle with the pet door.

Make sure the area outdoors that your pet will have access to is safe for your pet and sectioned off so that they cannot escape. This can be done using a standard fence, wired electric pet fence, or wireless electric pet fence.

Keep in mind that this product is not electronic. It will indiscriminately allow your pet exit and reentrance out of and into your home without informing you of where your pet has gone. If you are interested in a more discriminating model, some examples are laid out below in the Possible Alternatives section.

Installation

First, pick the place where you will be installing the door. Make sure to install it above ground level so that rodents and other larger pests cannot enter your home. Draw a template line to cut with a pencil, then drill holes in the corners of the template that do not go beyond the template.

The holes will allow you to get the drill in to cut out the space for the door. Keep in mind that it is better to cut a hole that is too small at first and trim the space than to cut a hole that is too large for the door.

Next, take the flap off of the frame and get the door frame flush with the hole you have cut in the door.

Next, put in the plastic screws and tighten them into the frame, being careful not to make them too tight as this might break them.

Finally, decide what to do with the flaps. You can either place them in the frame right away, or leave them off for a training period to teach your dog how to use the door. Keep in mind that if you are leaving the flaps off for a time you will have to put the snap-on locking cover on the doorframe to keep weather and pests outside. Make sure to check that the door fits snugly in place and both the door itself and the area around it remain structurally sound.

Warranty

Some retailers, such as Chewy, offer a single-year warranty on the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door. The brand PetSafe itself offers customer support for its products via online manuals, an online database, and a phone helpline. The helpline is available during business hours every day but Sunday.

Troubleshooting

What if the flap breaks?

PetSafe brand replacement flaps are available for purchase. It is possible that you could accidentally break one of the flaps during installation or that the flap could break after a long period of wear and tear from your pet’s use of the door.

Be sure that when buying a replacement flap you are buying the proper replacement piece for the PetSafe Extreme Weather model. No transparent or translucent flaps in the right size and shape for this model are available, so if you find yourself buying a transparent or translucent flap it is not the correct piece and will not fit on your pet door.

What if the screws break?

It is also possible that the plastic screws that come with the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door could break during installation or after pet wear and tear. Extra hardware kits are available from the PetSafe brand.

To help avoid screw breakage, be sure not to tighten the screws too much when installing your pet door. This could damage the screws, the frame, and the material you have cut into for installation. You should also be aware of how to strip a broken screw in order to replace one if breakage does happen.

What if the flap-closing magnets break?

The flap-closing magnets may break if you have a rambunctious pet who is not gentle with the door or if your door has been in use for a long time. This is an easy fix: simply use a strong, weatherproof, petsafe glue to reattach the magnets to the frame where they were before they broke off. Be sure to allow the glue to dry before letting your pet resume use of the pet door.

What if my pet can push out the snap-on closing cover?

It is possible that some pets may push or kick out the snap-on closing cover that is meant to keep your pet from exiting the house when you want to keep the pet indoors. There are a few options to fix this problem. One is to try adding a second snap-on cover. These are meant for extra weatherproofing and can be purchased individually. The door kit itself only comes with a single snap-on cover.

Another possibility is placing the snap-on cover on the inside side of the door so that it cannot be pushed off or kicked out by a pet.

Be sure to observe your pet with the door and snap-on locking cover when the door is first in use so that you are aware of how your pet behaves with the door. If you are not paying attention but want your pet to remain indoors but the pet can remove the locking cover, your pet could escape into danger. It is better to take the time to observe at the beginning than to have to deal with a pet door related emergency!

How do I teach my pet to use this pet door?

1. Have treats or toys on hand to encourage your pet to use the PetSafe door.
2. Either leave the flaps off for a short period of time or have them held up in some way so that your pet will not be discouraged by the inability to see the other side of the door. Make sure the flaps will not fall during the training session.
3. Without forcing, encourage your pet to go through the pet door. This can be done using the treats, the toys, or a meal. Forcing your pet will make him or her fearful of the door, and this will require longer training as the pet will have to learn to overcome that initial fear.
4. Start by offering the encouragement reward close to the door on the same side that the pet is on. If your pet is inside, put the treat, toy, or food close to the pet door but also inside. Once the pet approaches the door without anxiety, you can try moving the treat or other reward to the other side of the door to encourage the pet to walk through. Be sure to keep the reward where the pet can still see it through the door.
5. Once your pet has gone through the door with the flaps up a few times, encourage your pet to walk through again while holding the flaps up by hand. Gently lower the flaps so that they brush your pet’s back, getting them comfortable with what the flaps will feel like.
6. Next, start encouraging your pet to push through the flaps on his or her own. Allow the flaps to fall freely the way they would normally, and again but a treat, toy, or food on the other side of the door. If your pet is not confident enough to exit through the flaps yet, try going back to an earlier training step.

Summary

The Petsafe Extreme Weather Door is an energy efficient option to give your pet freedom to roam between your house and yard. You can install it in the house yourself and it fits in a variety of surfaces, from garage doors to walls to front doors. Installation likely will not require a professional or any outlandish tools.

The door is suitable for a good range of pet sizes and is flexible enough for pets to use comfortably. It boasts multiple modes of insulation as well as weatherproof materials. Plus, you can paint the plastic surface to match the interior decor in your home. This door is useful for customers looking at non-electronic, easily installed pet doors that protect the home while giving full indoor/outdoor freedom to the family pet.

Possible Alternatives

From Petsafe

Electronic SmartDoor

This electronic pet door is activated by a collar allowing you greater control over your pet’s access to the outdoors. It is programmable for up to five collars making it great for multi-pet homes who need greater control of their animals’ entering and exiting behaviors. It is battery operated and is designed for door installation, although a wall installation kit is available for purchase.

This door comes in two sizes: Small and Large. Each door comes with one collar and more collars can be purchased individually. The collars are waterproof and safe for your pet to wear in pools or other bodies of water.

This model may not be suitable for all pets or pet sizes.

Interior and Exterior Cat Door

This electronic pet door is calibrated to recognize your cat’s microchip ID number. It will open for your pet and your pet only, keeping pests out and allowing indoor/outdoor access to your cat. The door installs into most common door surfaces and additional kits are available for installation into metal, glass, brick, windows, or walls. Like the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door, this door uses magnetic locking and weatherstripping to insulate and protect the inside of your house. This door model is small, measuring 8.46 x 9.33 inches in the frame and 5.91 x 5.51 inches in the flap. This model is best suited for cats and could possibly be used for small dogs if they are microchipped. The flaps on this model are transparent and keeps drafts out. It is not built for extreme weather but its magnetic closings and built-in insulation help with some level of energy efficiency.

Keep in mind that a pet must be microchipped in order to use this door properly.

Aluminum Pet Door

The immediate allure of this pet door is that it offers sizing options for small, medium, large, and extra large pets. It is specifically designed to avoid wear and tear, as it is made from weatherproof and sturdy aluminum. It also comes with a slide-in closing panel which is a sturdier option than a snap-on closing panel. This model is designed to be installed yourself and comes with instructions and an installation kit. A major con of this model is that the screws it comes with are vinyl and are prone to breaking, meaning despite the sturdiness of the door itself you will have to be very careful during installation and careful to observe the screws over time to be sure they are not breaking. This model can be installed into many materials, including metal, and the extra large size is compatible with pets weighing up to 220 pounds.

Wall Entry Pet Door

Wall entry pet doors often have telescoping tunnels that protrude from them. The PetSafe Wall Entry Pet Door is no different. The telescoping tunnel allows the door to fit into thick walls, unlike pet doors meant for door installation that are thinner as they do not telescope. Like other PetSafe products, this one is meant for do-it-yourself installation and offers Small, Medium, and Large sizing options. It is energy efficient, with a double flap design, slide-in closing panel, and UV-protected material. It is possible to buy extensions for the telescoping tunnel if necessary.

Freedom Aluminum Patio Panel Sliding Glass Pet Door

This model is specifically made for sliding glass patio doors. It is significantly larger than most pet doors on the market and can be installed without any cutting, making it very useful for temporary use or those who do not want to risk damaging their home. It comes in five sizes and multiple colors. The closing panel to cut off pet access is a sliding panel. Sliding panels are much sturdier than snap-on panels, as a pet cannot push a sliding panel away. This door is meant to rest on the track of your sliding door, which is good for installation but could be a problem for use of your patio door. This model is not electronic, so your pet will not need a special collar or a microchip.

From Other Brands

Endura Flap Pet Doors

This pet door is specifically built to withstand very cold sub-zero temperatures and high heat. It is backed by a lifetime warranty from the manufacturing company. This company offers a range of models, including both door mount models and wall mount models. Different models are built to be installed in different materials including sliding glass doors, windows, and walls. The doors have a magnetic flap seal, four different door and flap sizes, and a frame made from ecologically friendly plastic and aluminum. Interestingly, the magnets that seal the flaps down can be changed in strength depending on weather conditions.

The Thermo Panel 3e is one model from this pet door company. Built to be installed in sliding glass doors, it does not require any tools for installation. No hole has to be cut in any part of the house for this pet door to be installed, making it extremely useful for renters, vacationers, those who aren’t handy, or those who do not want to risk cutting into their home.

SureFlap Microchip Thermo Sash 2e with Sure Petcare

This multifaceted pet door is made from glass for good insulation and built to be put in windows. It is a microchip door, meaning it electronically recognizes your microchipped cat or other pet. It is also possible to buy a “key” for pets who are not microchipped, making it a versatile electronic pet door option.

Two unique features of this pet door are “Curfew Mode” and “Raccoon Mode.” The “Curfew Mode” allows you to set a time period during which your pet is free to use the door for exit and entry into your home. “Racoon Mode” means the door scans for a microchip or “key” as soon as an animal’s head enters the door. If the animal is not microchipped or is not wearing the “key,” the door’s exterior and interior will both lock up to prevent entry into the home. The double-locking setup means no animal that is not your pet will be able to push or pull the door open.

Hale Pet Doors

This pet door company offers a wide range of pet doors for all different placements in the house. The company boasts sturdy pet door frames meant to withstand pet wear-and-tear.

One model from Hale Pet Doors is the Hale Pet Door for Screens. Made to screw directly into thick screens, the larger size models of this door come with a stabilizing bar to help protect your screen and the door from wear and tear from pet usage.

Ideal Pet Products

This pet door manufacturer has a host of pet door products including the ChubbyKat large cat door, the Air-Seal pet door, the e-Cat electromagnetic cat door, the Deluxe Aluminum Pet Door, and the Screen Fit Pet Door. Ideal Pet Products has different options made for the same installation, including multiple screen pet door options. The company also offers cat-specific doors like the ChubbyKat and e-Cat.

A prominent example of an Ideal Pet Products pet door is the Ruff-Weather Pet Door. This model comes in four sizes: small, medium, extra large, and super large. It is weatherstripped using air pockets, a foam frame, and vinyl flaps. The flaps are clear allowing visibility for your pet that aids in training. The door has two flaps, aiding in its energy efficiency, and a wall installation kit is available.

Kitty Pass Interior Cat Door

What about interior pet doors? What if you want to hide kitty’s litter box from guests or keep the smell out of your main living space? There are pet door options made specifically for within-home use. The Kitty Pass has a smooth plastic surround so that it will not upset your cat when he or she walks through to use the bathroom. The installer will have to cut a hole in the interior door, but the pet door’s frame clips into the hole and no screws or additional cuts will be needed. Like the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door, the plastic material this pet door is made from can be easily painted to match the color of your home’s interior.

Other Pet Door Products: What’s Out There?

There are many, many pet doors and related products on the market. Make notes of what you are looking for in a pet door before looking so as to avoid getting overwhelmed. Some common features to look for when searching for the right pet door for your home are:

• Energy efficiency
• Installation capabilities, hardware, and kits
• Tools needed for installation, if any
• Design, color, and sturdiness of materials
• Size and pet compatibility
• Electronic or non-electronic, including whether the door’s electronic system is collar-based or microchip-based
• Warranty and ease of troubleshooting or part replacement
• Price and retailers

Conclusion

The PetSafe Extreme Weather Door is an energy efficient option. Air pockets keep internal home temperature safe from outside weather, aided by foam and a magnetized triple-flap design. This pet door is made to be installed in doors that are not made of screens or glass. It is not meant for wall installation, as it does not have a telescoping tunnel to go through the wall and it is not possible to attach one. The tools needed for installation are not exotic, and the door kit comes with hardware needed like screws and insulating foam. The material is made so that it can be painted to match the interior, exterior, or both of the home. The plastic door frame material is sturdy and aids in energy efficiency.

This door model comes in multiple sizes, the smallest usable for small breeds and cats and the largest able to be used by medium or large dog breeds. The sizing measurements are measured by flap size, not door frame size.

This model is non-electronic. No electric pet collars, electric keys, or microchipping are necessary for use. Your pet will have free reign of movement through the door unless you use the snap-on closing cover. Some pets may be able to push out this cover, and the single cover alone may not offer enough weather safety for extreme wind, rain, or storms. It is possible to buy a second cover that fits precisely to the Extreme Weather pet door model.

A one-year warranty is offered from PetSafe on this model, and the company has three avenues of help for troubleshooting or product replacement information. PetSafe also offers replacement parts, extra parts, extra hardware kits, and replacement parts for sale.

Finally, PetSafe products like the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door are available from a myriad of popular pet retailers. It is easy to compare prices across platforms, across models, and across companies. Other companies offer similar pet doors with unique features, and the PetSafe Extreme Weather Door has unique features of its own.