My dogs scratch on the door to get in; is there anything to paint it?

John Manigold
by John Manigold
  4 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 25, 2018

    what is the door made of?

  • Claudia Groenevelt Claudia Groenevelt on Apr 25, 2018

    Yes, there are many door guards on the market. it looks like your door may be metal, which is a good thing. Here is a link for a clear acrylic door guard, https://www.amazon.com/Bandwagon-ikmn-Door-Scratch-Protector/dp/B00078ZK2S . There is another one from Drs. Foster....that is a clear vinyl.https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=20472. I am showing you the products so you can make them yourself. I took pieces of clear acrylic, spray painted them to match my doors and a few of my window sills. Then I used small magnets and/or very strong velcro dots to adhere them to the doors and window sills. Simple! Good luck!

  • Gaye Litton Gaye Litton on Apr 25, 2018

    My dog was doing the same thing. I put a bell on a string and taught her to hit the bell when wanting in or out. I trained first and then repainted. Worked great.

  • Lyn McLaughlin Lyn McLaughlin on Apr 25, 2018

    First, clean the doors well. Then - depending on what the door is made of - paint with a water based paint. I use acrylic because it lasts longer. When paint is dry and set up - at least 24 hours - put on pieces of Plexiglas.


    For plexiglas -

    Measure your door area from the top of the highest point the dogs can reach to the bottom of the door and as wide as the flat piece of door where they scratch. My guess would be about 60" high by 4" wide, but measure carefully to be sure.


    I go to Lowe's where they sell Optix acrylic and get the piece that is about 1/8" thick. Lowe's cuts it FREE! so take your measurements. Buy some caulk style mastic. If you get GE Iron Grip in clear that probably will be all you need. Put a nice bead all the way around the area on the door and place the plexi on it. Push and hold sealing all the way around. Press firmly and hold for a while. If you have c-clamps use them because this size piece will be a bit heavy and awkward. On some doors I have drilled a small hole and used screws and washers which may be a good plan with pieces this long.


    This is really an easy project since the acrylic will be cut and should last a long long time and easy to clean.


    Good Luck!

    Lyn