Sliding Glass Doors

[Guest Eyeblaura]

We have a sliding glass door that leads out to our deck and fenced yard so this is the door that Enzo uses to access the backyard. I have some painters tape (and my daughter added some smiley face stickers) at eye level for him to remind him the glass is there. How long do you typically leave something like this up? If I need to leave it up forever I want to find something more attractive.

[OwnedBySummer]

I never put it on mine. I showed her the door, touched her paw to it, touched her nose to it... and that was that. I do, though, have pretty little ornamental things on the sliding screen part so that she doesn't go through the screen.

Edited February 3, 2012 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest Eyeblaura]

Thanks, I tried that first but he seems to forget in his excitement to get out the door . He never ran into it full force but he head butted it a few times in a lunge to get out so I added the tape.

 

Another lovely habit he has is jumping up on the door to come back in. The funny thing is he doesn't jump on the door to let us know he wants in, he stands there looking in and when you head towards the door he hops up on the glass until you open it. It's like, dude, I've seen you and am on my way no need for the kangaroo antics and muddy paw prints on the glass.

 

Maybe he's marking it with his paws so he can see it from the inside and I should stop cleaning them off.

[silverfish]

I have just a couple of stickers at eye level on mine and now they're permanent. I think every single dog we've had has run into the door at some point. One made his nose bleed and another cracked her skull so hard that she staggered and looked dizzy for a few minutes. Later she developed neck problems and I've always wondered if there was a connection.

 

To me, it's not worth the risk of injury (or worse) NOT to have them there, but there's no need to have painter's tape on your door permanently. You can buy a huge variety of ornamental stickers, from pictures of flowers to flying birds and strips of lace .. or you can make your own with plastic self-cling film which you can print at home from a computer file. Actually, you can buy greyhound decals, too!

[Guest twogreytkids]

I have a stained glass greyhound suncatcher at my two kids' eye level. I've had my boy for almost a year and he knows to stop at the closed door. I just leave it up, just in case.

 

Don't have a problem with any leaping on my door to come back in because when they are out in the backyard, so am I.

 

Marcy

[Guest KennelMom]

Forever. Even dogs that have lived with a sliding glass door for years can run into it. I've seen it with my own dogs when I was a new owner and we've seen it several times on this board. At best you'll have a sore hound with a bruised ego. At worst, you'll have serious head/neck/back injuries. At least one hound I know of has died from injuries sustained from a run in with a sliding glass door. I can live with a few door decorations to avoid that.

[dante2zoe]

I have those window clings that you get at the dollar store on my slider for years. At first, I would change them for the season or holiday and then I got lazy. I don't even notice them anymore and can easily clean the glass without issue.

[Batmom]

Forever.

 

Yep.

 

You can't rely on the dog remembering that the door is there. They get excited or frightened, they can't see the door, and you end up with a seriously injured or tragically dead dog. Not worth it.

[jetcitywoman]

To me, it's not worth the risk of injury (or worse) NOT to have them there, but there's no need to have painter's tape on your door permanently. You . Actually, you can buy greyhound decals, too!

 

Link, or it never happened!

 

I took the painters tape off our sliders after a couple days, and haven't had a problem. If I could find cute greyhound window decals, I would put them up, though.

[gazehund]

Forever. Even dogs that have lived with a sliding glass door for years can run into it. I've seen it with my own dogs when I was a new owner and we've seen it several times on this board. At best you'll have a sore hound with a bruised ego. At worst, you'll have serious head/neck/back injuries. At least one hound I know of has died from injuries sustained from a run in with a sliding glass door. I can live with a few door decorations to avoid that.

 

Or ugly blue painters tape. I have never gotten round to finding something more attractive. The tape has been on that door for 13 years and counting.

[Feisty49]

I have those window clings that you get at the dollar store on my slider for years. At first, I would change them for the season or holiday and then I got lazy. I don't even notice them anymore and can easily clean the glass without issue.

 

 

I don't have a sliding glass door so don't have this issue, but I know what you mean about not even noticing them any more (kinda like the cobwebs I have in the corners.. LOL). I wonder, though, if the dogs don't even notice them any more?

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

If you have a fenced in yard, why not get a sliding glass door doggie door insert(x large). I have one and it is fantastic. No worries of the hound trying to go through the patio door. If you dont like that idea, I did tape up Christmas wrapping paper on the bottom 3rd of my patio door for a while. It is decorative and shiny.

[rascalsmom]

Forever.

 

Yep.

 

You can't rely on the dog remembering that the door is there. They get excited or frightened, they can't see the door, and you end up with a seriously injured or tragically dead dog. Not worth it.

Absolutely. Been there, done that, and it was only the sliding SCREEN that Ruby tried to go through.

Leave the tape/sticker/suncatchers up FOREVER, to avoid what we went through.

 

For the screen, we got one of these: Screen Guard

I hate the way it looks, but I never want another dog to go through what Ruby did.

[silverfish]

Actually, you can buy greyhound decals, too!

 

Link, or it never happened!

 

 

 

OK, well here's one source - click here

 

And another

 

And if you don't like eBay, or want something less permanent, this site has some great greyhound window clings.

 

 

I wonder, though, if the dogs don't even notice them any more?

 

 

You might not notice them consciously, but you probably do notice them. Same with the dogs - they might not actually look at them as they walk toward the door, but the fact that they are a shape in the field of vision apparently hanging in mid air will remind them that the glass is there.

 

 

Going back to the original question, I think it's like any situation where the worst might happen, though it might not be particularly likely. Whether we're talking about leaving a martingale on an unattended dog, leaving them 'naked' in the house, using only four foot fences in the garden etc, etc, you have to do a little risk assessment.

 

Is it worth taking the chance that something bad will happen, knowing that it could be the very worst thing you can imagine (death) on the basis that the risk is fairly low? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. You must decide if the penalty is bad enough and the benefits good enough to justify the risk.

 

In this case, a dog may not always remember that they've learned about the presence of that glass if, for instance, they see a squirrel on your deck, three feet away and taunting them. Their focus will be beyond the glass, and their brain might just flick the 'sensible' switch to the 'off' position.

 

Remember that a young and fit greyhound can reach speeds over thirty miles an hour in two or three strides - and the older guys and gals are no slouches, either. What's more, they're more fragile.

[rascalsmom]

Remember that a young and fit greyhound can reach speeds over thirty miles an hour in two or three strides - and the older guys and gals are no slouches, either. What's more, they're more fragile.

 

Yes. Ruby was 12 when she tried to WALK through the sliding screen. She was in no way running AT ALL. She went down instantly, was not breathing, her tongue was turning blue....she spent two days at the emergency clinic, and still could not walk when we brought her home.

 

After that, I will not remove my screen guard until Jack is gone.

Edited February 3, 2012 by rascalsmom

[robinw]

I just have post it notes on the door. Like others have said, things can still happen. Treasure ran through the sliding screen door like it wasn't even there. I would hate to think what would have happened if it was glass.

[Hubcitypam]

My friend Susan had a beautiful blue boy KIrby had lived with her for several years and was no spring chicken.

One night he went headlong into the sliding glass door, broke his neck and died before she could get him to the vet.

[3DogNite]

I too have sliding glass doors and glass patio doors and after watching my best friends' dog go racing into a sliding door (broke her neck and died soon after)

I vowed NEVER to get rid of the static gel decals!

and i have paperclips dangling with color paper hanging in the screen at eye level.

[Guest SoulsMom]

Yup forever, not worth risking it. They do forget. Soul had been waiting for me to open the back of the CRV before jumping in for years. Then one day he just decicded to try and 'jump in' before it was open

[Guest BrianRke]

Mine are covered with snart! There is no chance they couldnt see the door! :lol

[Guest Eyeblaura]

Thanks, guess I'll look for something more attractive then my painters tape. It doesn't bother me terribly to leave something up and I'm sure we can find something the kids will love.

 

Dog door is not going to happen. I don't want him (or my kids) coming and going at will both for safety and dirty feet/paw issues.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

I have a row of running greyhound decals on mine which work well. The same decals we buy for our car windows.

[GeorgeofNE]

I never put it on mine. I showed her the door, touched her paw to it, touched her nose to it... and that was that. I do, though, have pretty little ornamental things on the sliding screen part so that she doesn't go through the screen.

 

 

Me too.

 

I have nothing on my slider. But I also have a small condo and an older dog who doesn't play. He's never not understood it's solid.

[robinw]

There was a dog on GT; I think her name was Emily. She ran into a sliding glass door and died. I'll never forget how much pain her person was in when she posted about the accident.

[rascalsmom]

I remember the "emily" story, too. It was awful.

 

And as someone whose dog DID get seriously injured, please, please, if you have any doubt, DO NOT remove whatever you have on the door. I would not want ANYONE to go through what Ruby (and we) went through. I seriously thought my dog was dying before my eyes. It was an absolutely horrifying thing. While Ruby recovered, she was never quite 'the same' again, and she only had four more months with us.

 

I often wonder how she'd be doing if that accident had never happened. Probably fine, as she had no health issues.

Edited February 3, 2012 by rascalsmom