Need a dog-proof door surface

[Brian Kent]

Is acrylic scratch resistant or should I go for a polycarbonate like lexan if I go for a clear cover? Lexan claims a Rockwell hardness of 118. Is that the same rockwell scale we use for plane blades and chisels?

[ray hampton]

I not sure but a Rockwell hardness of 118 sounds that someone are talking about a different hardness scale, the steel that I tested were about 60 +or -

[Craig Michael]

I'm no Caesar Milan here, but I agree with a few previous posters... You need to address the root cause or you'll end up having to replace all kinds of surfaces with steel/etc, or they'll end up purely as outdoor dogs. Train them now while they're at an impressionable age. One of the big reasons dogs freak out and chew stuff up is because of excess energy... so exercise them hard when you can, and train them while they're tired. Watch them like a hawk and correct their behavior in the moment, on the spot. Don't just leave them alone to act on their instincts. Dogs instinctively want to do what is right and please you, but you have to teach them what "right" is.

Crating made a massive difference for us. When our dogs were very young, they would cry when we first put them in their crates. After a week or two of that, they began to have no problem with it. Now they love their crates and put themselves to bed, or take naps in them during the day.

It's also a hugely helpful potty training aid, since they instinctively won't "go" in their beds unless they can't hold it any longer. So they'll cry when they need to go out.

As a short term fix, get the training spray stuff from your pet store. It tastes absolutely terrible, but it's odorless and won't stain any surfaces. Our dogs had a minor chewing problem when they were pups (chewed on our baseboard moldings in a few spots). We sprayed every chewable surface down and they never did it again.

Anyway, like I said I'm no dog trainer, and most of what I've learned is from screwing up!

+1 My sister's dog loved his crate when he was a puppy. You'd say "go to bed" and he'd sprint up the stairs and try to open the crate door himself if it were not already open. It was his own space and he loved it. And as you said, it really helps a lot with house training them.

[Brian Kent]

I've been looking around and there are several different Rockwell scales.

[ray hampton]

I've been looking around and there are several different Rockwell scales.

Yes , there are a number of other scales to confuse me, Brinell [spell check]are only one, I only use one machine to test the hardness of steel , other machines could show a different reading even if they are the same model

[Rich Engelhardt]

Is acrylic scratch resistant or should I go for a polycarbonate like lexan if I go for a clear cover?

Whatever way you go with that, make sure what you use doesn't shatter or break into sharp slivers.

[Jacob Reverb]

I still like diamond plate or galvanized steel ... classy!