Patio Door for Dogs — Tough Frames, Built-In Blinds, Factory Pet Door
The old slider has a chewed track, a screen with a dog-shaped hole and a frame scratched down to bare vinyl.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
A patio door for dogs is a new slider or hinged door ordered with the options that survive a dog: a fiberglass or clad frame that does not gouge like vinyl, blinds sealed between the glass so there are no cords to chew, a factory pet door built into the panel, and a heavy pet-grade screen. JMB Builders orders those options and installs the door across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per door, reply within one business day.
- Priced per door, options included on the order
- Fiberglass or clad frames that take claws
- Factory pet door and pet screen ordered with the unit
Dogs are hard on patio doors in specific ways. They scratch the lower frame and the panel edge waiting to go out. They push through screens. They chew blind cords and bend slats. They lick and nose the glass, which is cosmetic, and they jump at the handle, which is not. A door ordered without thinking about the dog gets the same damage as the one coming out.
The fixes are all order options, not add-ons. Fiberglass and aluminum-clad frames take claws without gouging the way vinyl does, and a dark factory color hides the marks that do happen. Blinds between the glass put every slat and cord behind sealed panes. Several manufacturers offer a pet door built into the slider panel at the factory, sized for the dog, with a weathertight flap and a locking cover. And a pet-grade screen mesh ordered with the door holds up to a paw where standard mesh does not.
This page is about ordering the new door right. If you want a pet door cut into an existing door or wall, that is a separate job on our pet door installation page. We order the options above from lines such as Pella, Andersen, ProVia and Milgard and install the unit the same way as any patio door: sill pan, flashing, square set, trim.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The dog's size and habits: scratcher, screen-pusher, chewer, jumper, so the right options go on the order
- Whether you want a factory pet door in the panel, and which side of the door it goes on
- Frame material and color, blinds between the glass or not
- Paint color for the new casing if you want it painted — quoted as its own line
What JMB supplies
- Measurement of the opening and the order for the door, pet door panel, blinds and pet screen as one unit
- Removal and haul-away of the old slider, frame and torn screen
- Sill pan, flashing tape, backer rod, low-expansion foam and exterior sealant
- Subfloor or framing repair at the sill, often found where a dog's water and mud sat for years
- Interior casing and exterior trim; a tougher kick-height casing stock where the dog waits
- Pet door flap and locking cover fitted and checked, screen set and latched
- Painting of the new casing when you want it, quoted as a separate line
- Photos of the finished door in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Frame material: fiberglass or clad costs more than vinyl and holds up better to claws
- Factory pet door in the panel, and the flap size for the dog
- Blinds between the glass, which add to the glass package
- Pet-grade screen mesh and a heavier screen frame
- Two-panel vs three-panel, and the width of the unit
- Rot or soft subfloor at the sill once the old door is out
- Painting the new casing, quoted as a separate line
Send photos of the door inside and out, a close-up of the worst damage, and the dog's rough weight and height at the shoulder so the pet door is sized right.
How long it takes
One two-panel slider with pet options in a sound opening: most of a day on site. Pet door panels and blinds between the glass are built to order and arrive several weeks after the quote is approved.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Fiberglass frame in a dark color
The frame choice for a scratcher. Fiberglass does not gouge like vinyl, and bronze or black hides the marks that do happen. The lower rail and the edge of the sliding panel take the most abuse, so the material there matters most.
Blinds between the glass
Slats and cords sealed inside the insulated glass unit, run by a slider on the frame. Nothing to chew, bend or tangle, and the glass wipes clean. Available on most slider and hinged lines; see our blinds between the glass page for the details.
Factory pet door in the panel
A pet door built into the fixed or sliding panel at the factory, with an insulated flap, a magnetic seal and a locking cover for when you are away or in deep winter. Sized to the dog when ordered. Cleaner and tighter than a cut-in later.
Pet-grade screen
A heavier vinyl-coated mesh in a stiffer screen frame, ordered with the door. It takes a paw or a nose without tearing. A retractable screen that hides in the jamb is another option for a dog that pushes through anything in its way.
Patio Door for Dogs — Tough Frames, Built-In Blinds, Factory Pet Door: questions, answered
What is the best patio door frame for a house with dogs?
Fiberglass or aluminum-clad wood. Both take claws without gouging, hold a screw for hardware that gets jumped on, and come in dark factory colors that hide marks. Vinyl is softer and the white shows every scratch. If the dog waits at the door and paws it, that lower rail is where the material choice pays off.
Can a new sliding door come with a pet door already in it?
Yes. Several manufacturers offer a pet door built into the slider panel at the factory, sized for a small, medium or large dog, with an insulated flap and a locking cover. It is sealed into the panel the way the glass is, so it does not leak the way a cut-in can. Tell us the dog's weight and shoulder height and we size it on the order. If you want a pet door added to a door you already have, that is our pet door installation page.
Are blinds between the glass good for dogs?
They are the only blinds a dog cannot wreck. The slats and the lift cords are sealed between the panes and run by a slider on the frame, so there is nothing to chew or bend, and the glass wipes clean of nose prints. The door closes against a flat pane, so there is no blind to catch when the dog pushes through. They add to the glass cost and most lines offer them on sliders and hinged doors.
Is there a screen door a dog can't push through?
A pet-grade screen comes close. The mesh is a heavier vinyl-coated weave in a stiffer frame, ordered with the door, and it takes a paw or a nose without tearing. For a dog that goes through anything, a retractable screen that hides in the jamb when you are not using it keeps the screen out of reach most of the time. Both are order options on a new door rather than fixes to an old one.
Will a dark patio door frame show dog scratches less?
Yes. Scratches on white vinyl show as gray lines and go down to bare material. On a bronze or black fiberglass frame the color goes through and the surface is harder, so the same dog leaves far fewer visible marks. It is the main reason we steer dog households toward a dark fiberglass or clad frame when they are picking colors.
Does a factory pet door make the patio door drafty in winter?
A factory pet door has an insulated flap with a magnetic seal and a solid locking cover, and it is built into the panel at the factory rather than cut in later. Locked and covered it seals as well as the rest of the door. With the flap in daily use in January there is some air movement, the same as any pet door, which is why the cover is there for the coldest stretch.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 10, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
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