Petsafe SmartDoor Small

by SmartDoor Small

Product Features

• Adjustable SmartKey sensing range up to three feet away
• Plexiglas dog flap, which locks in both directions
• Smart Door system can identify up to five SmartKeys per household
• Three easy-to-set pet entry modes: locked, unlocked, and automatic
• Energy efficient, weather-resistant insulated dog door flap and seal

Product Description

The small Electronic PetSafe Smart Door grants your dog exclusive access to your home with a PetSafe's award-winning SmartKey dog door tag, located on your dog's collar. After your dog has passed through the electronic dog door, the dog door automatically locks. PetSafe Smart Door Features:Adjustable SmartKey sensing range up to three feet away Plexiglas dog flap, which locks in both directions Smart Door system can identify up to five SmartKeys per household Three easy-to-set pet entry modes: locked, unlocked, and automatic Energy efficient, weather-resistant insulated dog door flap and seal Uses 4 D-cell batteries (not included) Fits door thickness 1 1/2" to 2" Perfect for dogs weighing up to 15 lbs Optional dog door installation kitSmart Door Dog Door Dimensions:Dog Door Exterior Size - 17 3/8" x 25" Dog Door Flap - 13 1/16" x 15 3/4"

Product Details

• Item Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001D4B3XU
• Item model number: PPA11-10711
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,099 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)
  • #62 in Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Hunting > Hunting Dog Equipment

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The rating of this door gets lower and lower everyday, October 10, 2008

By 

PenName - See all my reviews

I've had this door installed for about a week. My dog is already doggie door trained. She's a pretty intelligent client. However, even an intelligent dog and an adult human (that has read over and over the instruction manual) can have a hard time figuring out the automatic setting on this door. And I finally figured out why we were having such difficultly- the door only works when it wants to. The sensor isn't nearly powerful enough (on any range setting). My dog is pretty low to the ground and the key only seems to work when I point it directly at the door. Needless to say, I haven't quite trained my dog to turn and position the key just right in relation to the door- lacking thumbs and all, it would be kind of difficult for her.

Also when it does register, the door only stays unlocked for a few seconds before it locks again and resets. So if you're dog doesn't make it out of the door in time, they have to stand there for 10 seconds until the door registers the key again. I've tried to explain this to my dog, but I don't think she gets it. She just scratches on the door and when it doesn't open, pisses on the carpet.

If your dog does manage to point the key at the right angle and moves fast enough to get out of the door before it closes- the door can still get stuck in the open position. If the door is open when it attempts to lock it just freezes where ever it happens to be. Letting my cats out and defeating the purpose of having an automatic dog door in the first place. If I didn't care what animals got in or out of my house I would have bought a cheap flappy door or cut a random hole in the wall for free.

In my opinion, PetSafe has to step it up before anyone else bothers to install this door. Just house train your dog, pay a pet sitter, take your dog to work with you, or just don`t get a dog at all. All of these options are better than buying this door.

PetSafe: Just because your's is the only product on the market doesn't give you the right to suck.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New, improved version works perfectly., February 11, 2011

By 

Brucer (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Petsafe SmartDoor Small (Misc.)

First, let me explain why some people love this and others have had problems. There is an older model (pre-2010) and a new, improved model. They look almost identical but there are two easy ways to spot differences: the old one has a clear flap and a knob for "range" while the new model has a frosted flap and a flush dial for "sensitivity." I ordered and installed the new model in October in one home and it works flawlessly as further described below. In February I ordered another for our other home but received the older model. After installation it jammed several times in the first couple of days. The problem with the older model is that the flap takes too long to settle after the dog passes through it and it locks too quickly. If the locking motion is activated before the flap stops flapping it is likely to jam. The new improved model has increased sensing range, more and stronger magnets to settle the flap quickly and there is a longer (8 second) delay before it locks so it has never jammed on us. The frosted flap is a nice improvement as well since it doesn't show nose prints like the clear one.

I called the manufacturer to tell them of the trouble we were having with the old model and how much better our experience with the new model was. They answered the phone quickly, immediately understood what I was talking about and promptly shipped me the new model as a replacement at no cost even enclosing a prepaid label to return the old model to them. Positively excellent customer service!

I installed both PetSafe Smart Doors using the optional wall tunnel kit as I placed these in walls rather than doors. Installation is straightforward and cutting the hole in the exterior wall at the first house was the most time consuming part as it's real stucco & lath. TIP: use a diamond cutoff wheel in an angle grinder to cut the stucco. Once the hole was cut the rest of the installation took less than 30 minutes. The other house is wood and it took only a few minutes to cut the exterior hole with a reciprocating saw.

A nice feature of this unit is the solid plastic flap rather than the flexible flaps on others that need regular replacement. The hard plastic flap should last the life of the product but is replaceable if ever needed. The locking feature is the strong point of this unit as only the pets wearing a pendant can enter the door. Other critters such as stray cats, rodents and squirrels can't get in.

Training the dog was fairly easy. To make sure the dog fit through the door before I installed it, I held the flap open and held a treat in my hand and let him follow my hand as I pulled it through the opening. After a little encouragement he was comfortable walking through the door. Once it was installed my wife and I sat on opposite sides of the door and called him with treats ready. We held it open the first few times and then let him push it open himself. We left the door unlocked and after 10 minutes he was running in and out like it wasn't even there. Then we activated the lock so the pendant would unlock it when he approached the door. Depending on how fast the dog is he may get to the door before it's unlocked which it does with a distinct snapping sound. At first the sound startled him but after lightly bumping his head into the locked door a few times (quite funny to watch!), he quickly learned that the snap means it's OK to proceed so he waits for it and tests it with his paw before going through.
At night we remove his collar to keep him inside. He's taken it to it so well that even when the "people door" is open he prefers to use his private entrance.

Our dog is a 16 pound Shih Tzu and, as long as he doesn't get any bigger, the small size unit is perfect. If you're going to place this in a wall you could frame the tunnel yourself but the custom fit one offered will provide much better weather protection and a better looking and more pet friendly entrance.

Bottom line... make sure you're getting the new model and you won't be disappointed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for raccoons, can be modified for cats, June 17, 2011

By 

Larson Juhl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Petsafe SmartDoor Small (Misc.)

We were having a problem with a raccoon. It had figured out how to open the magnet-activated Staywell cat door leading from our garage into the back yard. Since the Staywell door only locks in one direction, the raccoon was able to use its claws to pull the door out and then slip through it. It would then eat all of our cats' dry food and make a huge mess with the water bowl. This meant that we could not leave on vacation unless we arranged for someone to come in every day and replenish the dry food and water. At one point, we were able to trick the raccoon into staying out by playing talking books on an iPod through small speakers and leaving a small light on all night, but after a month or so it figured out that this light and sound really weren't a threat, and it started coming in again.
I've had this small PetSafe electronic door for 10 days now, and it has totally solved the problem with the raccoon. Since the door slides down into grooves to lock, there is no way that the raccoon can defeat it.
However, we've had a problem getting our cats to use the PetSafe door. The door ships with extremely powerful magnets attached inside the clear plastic door. (Watch out, if you have a pacemaker or implanted cardiodefibrillator!) The purpose of the magnets is to align the door perfectly in the frame, so that it will slide down in the grooves and lock. However, they are so powerful that a small cat has to push quite hard to move the door, and then they cause the door to slam down hard on the cat's tail after it has gone through, scaring it. Our 10-year-old cat was able to learn to use the door after a couple of days, but our 17-year-old cat is frail, deaf and possibly a bit demented. She just couldn't get the hang of it.
I decided that the magnets don't need to be so powerful, so I took the door apart (it's very easy to do, just 4 screws), removed the magnets and broke one of them in half. Then I put the two half-magnets inside the door, in the places where the full magnets had been. Since the half-magnets are strongly attracted to each other, I cut a thin strip of flat steel and attached the magnets to each end, to hold them in place. Although this worked well, I found that sometimes the door would give an error message (flashing yellow light) to indicate that there was an "obstruction," meaning that the door in its neutral position wasn't perfectly aligned with the grooves. After experimenting, I found that it was important to keep the half-magnets closer to the inside of the door and the steel strip toward the outside. Then the door lines up perfectly. After making sure that everything was working, I also glued the half-magnets in place.
The 17-year-old cat now opens the door much more easily. When it slams on her tail, it doesn't do so with much force. I've spent time training her to use it by enclosing her in a cardboard box from which she can only escape by going through the door. I also pushed her nose against the bottom of the door when she didn't seem to know what do do. On at least 4 or 5 occasions, I have found her outside after leaving her inside, and vice-versa, so I know we're going to be OK.
What I don't like about the PetSafe door is: 1) It requires the use of a heavy and expensive ($22) collar sensor. Although they don't seem to mind, it looks too big for the cats, it drags in their water when they drink, and it makes noise when they bump it on things. The Staywell magnet was much better. 2) The collar sensor's battery is firmly glued into the base, to prevent customers from shopping around for inexpensive batteries. It's supposed to last 6 months, and replacements are being sold for about $3 each. However, these are minor gripes compared to the joy I'm feeling at having finally defeated the raccoon!
Addendum: One month later, we heard scratching sounds in the garage at around midnight. I went in there and found that the raccoon was inside the garage and unable to get out! The cats were outside. When the raccoon saw me, he immediately started climbing the inside of the garage wall, ending up in the rafters. I opened the door to the garage, but he wouldn't come down. I used a rake to make loud banging noises near him to scare him and finally went back inside the house to get dressed. When I got back, the raccoon had come down and was standing calmly near the open door, outside the garage, apparently talking to my cat! The cat and the raccoon appeared to be friends, or at least not the least bit scared of each other, even though the raccoon was much bigger. So apparently the cat, who likes to hang out near the door, had activated the door with his collar, and the raccoon, who was nearby, just took advantage of the opportunity to get some free cat food. I'm hoping that this experience has scared the raccoon enough that he won't try this again.