Asked on May 21, 2018

The flap on the dog door has curled leaving large gaps. Can it be fixe

Lorei
by Lorei
  13 answers
  • Ellis Ellis on May 21, 2018

    I see it's a PetSafe dog door. Go to Petsafe's website ( www.petsafe.net), or to a dealer like Chewy, Amazon, etc. There are dog door replacement flaps for sale there.

    • See 1 previous
    • Ellis Ellis on Jun 24, 2021

      That's a shame. The manufacturer obviously needs to find a better material for the flaps.


      On a related note, I know someone who installed their dog door in the wall, behind a small kitchen cabinet that they kept empty. When the dog was free to come and go, the cabinet door was open; when it was time for him to be kept in, the door was closed and latched. It worked well, and their dog adapted to it, sitting patiently in front of the cabinet when he wanted to go out.

  • M. M.. M. M.. on May 21, 2018

    Have you contacted the manufacturer for replacement flaps? I have seen replacement dog door flaps at all of the big hardware stores Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, etc., Walmart, and even some pet stores. Take your flap or its measurements with you when you shop.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on May 21, 2018

    Unless you can perhaps straighten them up by warming it up and putting something heavy on it when it cools, I would get a replacement door, less time and trouble and won't warp for a while again.

    • Lorei Lorei on May 21, 2018

      This was the replacement. It gets expensive to keep replacing so will try the heating. Thank you Nancy for the advice.

  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on May 21, 2018

    Your welcome. We have had dog doors for years, right now we have a severe weather door with two of the vinyl doors and it works great. The flaps are heavy duty and don't seem to stay as bent as the others did. They are easy to straighten by hand. We have four dogs and they all can get through the extra large one, even my ten pounder. She can make it through, but usually the bigger dogs only go half way through and hold it open for the old girl (14 years) to go in and out.

    • Lorei Lorei on May 22, 2018

      Nancy, that's so sweet! Wish mine would do that! Right now our 2 latest rescues are 6 and 8 lbs. and they use the gap to get through😁. I appreciate the input.

  • Joye R. Foster Joye R. Foster on May 21, 2018

    Google the manufacturer and buy a replacement flap.

  • Lorei Lorei on May 22, 2018

    I appreciate the input . I had already replaced the door once and was looking for a diy fix someone had tried. I will try the heat and weight, then may look into the severe weather replacement. Has anyone tried a car mat cut to fit?

  • Theresa Theresa on Jun 01, 2018

    try to find the one with a magnet strip

  • Christine Somean Christine Somean on Apr 12, 2019

    It doesn't have to have a magnetic strip. You can get a tube of rare earth magnets and use a glue gun to mount them along the bottom of the flap and they will catch on to the metal bar at the bottom of the doggie door. They're nice and strong and secure and if you space them out evenly they will hold your door closed without a doubt. And yes, a rubber floor mat will do just fine as long as it's cut to the proper proportions so as to ensure a tight fit. There's a video on YouTube that shows how to put in a replacement flap using one. Everyone is so quick to recommend buying a replacement, but when that's what you've already done you feel a little bit like you're throwing your money away on something that's not going to last as long as it should. I understand that feeling completely and I am a do it yourself MacGyver of sorts... LOL.

    • Lorei Lorei on Apr 13, 2019

      Thanks Christine! This is very helpful. I did end up replacing it, but already I can see it won't last. I will now be ready to McGyver it!

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on May 10, 2021

    Hello,

    Time to buy a new one I think or cover with a fabric curtain both sides as a temp fix.

  • Deb K Deb K on Jul 04, 2021

    Hello, the dog's oils may help warp it, remove it and clean it well with hot water, try to let it cool with something on it to keep it flat

  • Richard Richard on Nov 09, 2023

    I too had 2 standard Petsafe dog doors with good success until I switched to the Extreme Weather model that instantly warped within a week. Same sunny location as the old door that never warped. Company is helpful sending me a replacement. However, if these new flaps are of the same material, then it's not processed properly. They need to stress relieve the flaps like the standard ones. Or they left out the UV stabilizing components necessary. Anyway, I'm going to add a soft silver mylar skin to the outer flap for insurance against thermal warping. Wish me luck. :)

    I got the mylar silver skin at Michaels craft store. Have to reflect the sun best I can.

    By-the-way, the annealing process is 185 Degs. F for 2 hours for vinyl. If you want to process yours before problems.

  • I would order a new flap for it.