Got called back to a house in Gilbert because the homeowner's dog kept setting off the motion sensor
Honestly, it was a standard install, a PIR-8 in the living room. The homeowner swore the dog was a small breed and wouldn't trigger it. Tbh, I got the call two days later that the alarm kept going off at night. Went back and the dog, a little terrier, was jumping on the couch right into the sensor's path. I had to re-mount the unit about a foot higher on the wall and adjust the angle down. Now I always ask for the dog's name and where it sleeps. Anyone else have a go-to question to avoid pet false alarms?
Always ask where the pet's favorite sleeping spot is. That terrier story is classic. I learned the hard way too, with a cat that loved the top of a bookshelf right in the detection zone. Now I also check for any furniture the animal might climb on near a sensor. Moving the unit higher and tilting it down is usually the fix, but you have to find the problem area first.
Exactly, mapping out the whole vertical space is key. People forget pets can jump onto counters or the back of a couch. A quick walk-through looking up high saves a ton of false alarms later.