This is a relatively new category of doggy door that has become enormously popular in recent years.  It offers one huge benefit that all other passive pet doors lack: selective operation.  You see, the problem with passive pet doors is that they open for anyone who wants to push on them.  That means other dogs, other cats, raccoons, kids, squirrels, and on and on.  Most people generally don’t want those things in their house, they just want their dog or cat to come and go as they please.

Enter the RFID industry.  Some marketing genius decided to take RFID, which is a mature technology, and pair it up with a dog door, which is another mature product.  The result is a sweet little unit that recognizes your pet and only opens for them.  No more neighborhood dogs wandering in your house and getting into your garbage.

The doggy door can be mounted in a wall or just as easily in a door.  The package comes with a small transmitter on a collar that your dog wears, and when the transmitter gets in range of the door, it opens up.  what a joy!

As part of the very slick control circuitry, the receiver on the door can tell how close the collar is, and also what direction it is traveling in.  So if your dog is walking parallel to, or past the door, it won’t open.  If they are walking directly at the door it will obediently open and let them in.

The door can also be set to only open on detection from either side, meaning you can set the door to only let your dog out or only let it in.  That’s a nice little customization if it’s a nice day and you want your little mutt to play in the backyard and come in when they please, but not go back out.

These are the best things going on the market today.  Don’t be afraid to buy one - you won’t regret it.

Patio doggy doors are by far the easiest type to install.  As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t even call it an installation since it can be done and undone at will, and is no more difficult than opening and closing your sliding glass door.

This type of door is less a door and more a panel that fits into your existing door.  It is designed to sit snugly in the slider track, and mate with bother slider and the door frame on the wall.  These generally are generally good fits and are only marginally worse insulators than your actual sliding glass door.

And, the best part is that when you’re going away on vacation or even for the afternoon you can simply take them out and stand them up in a corner for later use.

The argument against this type of door is that it is quite a bit more expensive than the standard door or window versions. The reason being, of course, is that they’re quite a bit bigger and have a lot of glass or plexi-glass in them. By their very design, they’re required to be large so they can fill the space in the patio door from top to bottom. It wouldn’t make much sense to have a huge open gap, functionally or practically.

How much more expensive? Well, that can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. You could pay as much as $700 for one of these panels or as little as $150. It all depends on the materials and the make, and double-paned glass is going to push the price quite a bit further towards the high side. The benefit there, of course, is that the insulation is better so you don’t lose as much heat through the panes in the winter. If you life in a part of the country with long or harsh winters, it’s something to consider.