Just curious how it is that the dog is breaking windows. I've never had a window broken by a dog and we've had labs and doberman pincher size dogs.

Need to teach the dog to stop jumping the glass for the dogs own good.

Todd’s suggestion of tempered glass is probably the best
solution. To keep the cost down you can just temper the inner pane of the lower
sash unless your dog is so athletic that it can jump as high as the upper sash.

Some manufacturers have glass breakage warranties but if the
dog starts breaking glass you have the hassle of getting the replacements.

Good advice above. Tempered is what I would do assuming that there is no way to keep the dog off the glass. You will probably want to use it only as necessary though because it is not an inexpensive upgrade.

Thanks, everyone.

Will most companies customize enough that we could get tempered or extra-strength glass in just the bottom sash/inner pane? Or will we have to shell out for that privilege? We haven't talked to any pros yet.

Prairiemoon & Millworkman, he's extremely large and strong, 100+ lbs. He likes to "protect" the house by barking at whatever fierce threats happen to go by: shady dudes, large trucks, the UPS man, little old ladies, other dogs, tiny cats, ghosts... Our windows are fairly low to the ground, and his paws pound the sill in time with his barking. Sometimes his misses the sill and hits the glass.

We try to get him to stop jumping at the windows, but jumping is essentially his favorite thing ever, and he's also the most disobedient dog that's ever lived. So its unlikely that we'll win that battle. Luckily he hasn't hurt himself yet. Yay, dogs.

Bottom sash certainly. Inner pane only may be a custome request

I can speak for the fact that Simonton will temper the inner
pane only and they charge only for the individual glass that is tempered. This
option is easily done with a click of the mouse in their order entry system.

Some manufacturers
probably most will temper both panes of the IG but all will temper the lower
sash only creating a savings from tempering the whole window.

In most cases we are tempering glass to satisfy a building
code and inspectors require the glass of both panes of an IG be tempered. In
your case you are not required to temper the glass so you can do whatever you
desire.

Emily - Your dog sounds like something else. 100+ pounds?! I'm trying to picture which breed of dog is that big. We have a Great Dane in our neighborhood and he's got to be all of that. Seems to be a very gentle dog, but his size is intimidating. And he has an owner who looks to weigh less than he does. I am amazed that she can manage the dog on a walk, but she does. She had to restrain him on his leash, as we tried to pass with our dog who was barking too. I don't know how she managed. She is literally the thinnest person I've ever seen and short to boot.

I don't know if you've tried obedience training, but I highly recommend it. We had private lessons with one of our dogs, for the whole family and it made a huge difference. The dog could be counted on to do what you asked him to do. And our dog was only about 60 pounds. It made him a cherished pet that we had no issues with at all. We did work at it consistently and practiced to keep it fresh until the obedient response was consistent and predictable.

Good luck with your window decision. :-)

We try to get him to stop jumping at the windows, but jumping is essentially his favorite thing ever, and he's also the most disobedient dog that's ever lived. So its unlikely that we'll win that battle.

One of the things you're battling there is the feedback loop: dog sees "something", dog barks at "something", "something" goes away. Mission accomplished! This works so well -- from the dog's point of view!

But he can be trained, at least a little.

It sounds like you're looking for new windows for multiple (good) reasons. I will suggest, however, that maybe some window films are in order. There are security films that will make it difficult for a 100-pound dog to break glass. In addition, a decorative film might obscure enough of what's going on outside to not trigger the dog while being translucent enough to allow in the light you want. These films can be applied to new or old windows. Just a thought.

I would protect the windows and train the dog. You can get help on dog forums. When you replace the windows and glass, it's going to hurt that much more when the dog damages them. I might construct something to prevent the dog from accessing the windows. It probably won't be pretty, but it might be worth a try. I have used 1/4" heavy wire mesh in my truck bed windows to prevent the dog from scratching through normal screens and jumping out. Maybe you can construct something with that to prevent the dog from accessing the windows. The training may not take as long as you think. Try meaty treats - my watchdog will stop on a dime for a meaty treat. But also get some techniques from dog pros.

+1 While the tempered glass should dramatically reduce the risk or breakage and cuts from the broken pieces, the impact force required to break a section of tempered glass is such that you dog is going to sustain some head injuries along with some other stuff. There has to be some sort of film or other covering you can put on the glass to keep them from going so headstrong into it.

Stop judging her. I'm a certified veterinary technician of 20yrs. Dogs do stupid things. My Rottweilers just broke out my front window and that's why I was looking here. My idiots did it chasing a fly. One of my dogs is 8yrs old, 3 legs and cancer and she's the one that did the most damage. I think I'm going to go with tempered glass.

"Stop judging her."

Keelieprice - you are bringing up an old thread, to criticize people who gave helpful advice (which you are using evidently, despite your disdain) and who showed concern for the dog's welfare. Judging? Look in the mirror.

I have one of these dogs. Just came home to the 4th window broken. The 3 rd one was me looking out my back door window to check in them. My face got the most damage. All the other times I was not home. I have put a wire mesh on the picture windows. Good luck. I love my dogs with all my heart. Great dane and a Mastiff . The Mastiff is the ornery one. They had a trainer come to the house.

My Wheaten Terrier just broke 2nd window, huge picture window and side window hunting mail man. Old Victorian 1904 with 1 pain decided glass windows, so new windows not an option. Thanks for the tip on tempered glass.