Congratulations! You have finally found the perfect addition to your family – a puppy! If you haven’t decided on a puppy yet and want a pure breed, check out our article on friendly dog breeds for families. There’s no denying the fact that this is one of the happiest moments of your life. But in the midst of all the chaos and celebration, I hope you are taking the time to make sure that your home is ready for your new puppy by puppy proofing it.
As a responsible fur parent, it is your obligation to puppy-proof your home. If you have no idea how to do this, you have come to the right place! Below is the information you need to know on puppy proofing your home.
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Why Puppy Proof Your Home?
Perhaps you are wondering – why should you go through all the troubles of puppy proofing your home? Well, there are two important reasons for this. First, puppy proofing your home helps to ensure that your furball will be kept safe and protected from any harmful items inside your home. Second, puppy proofing your home also protects the furniture, appliances, and items in your home from your puppy.
Puppy Proofing the Different Parts of Your Home
With that in mind, here are some tips on how to puppy proof the various parts of your home:
1. Living Room
This is the room that receives the most traffic in your home and will most likely be the place where you and your puppy will hang out. Because of this, you need to puppy proof it by doing the following steps:
- Cover outlets and secure the cords
This room also contains the most number of appliances so you must find a way to protect your puppy from electric shocks, mouth burns, and death. You can do this by putting on covers on electric outlets. You can also prevent the puppy from chewing on the cords and cables with the use of a deterrent spray.
- Keep remotes and other battery-operated gadgets off the floor
Aside from the fact that there is a chance that the dog will swallow the small parts in these gadgets, they may also gain access to the battery which is a lot more dangerous. When your dog swallows the battery, it may cause burns to the soft tissues inside your pup’s digestive tract.
- Use a slip cover
You can use this to protect the material of your furniture from pee, poop, and your pup’s teeth and claws. When the cover gets dirty, you can just simply remove it and pop it in the washing machine.
2. Bathroom
This is one of the most dangerous parts of your house for a puppy, so you need to take extra precautions when puppy proofing it. You can take a look at the tips below on how you can do that:
- Place toiletries in a hanging cabinet
These chemicals can poison your dog so keep it out of his reach at all times.
- Keep the bathroom door closed at all times
Your little furball should not go to the bathroom unsupervised, and that’s why you have to make sure that he will not gain access to it by keeping the door closed all the time.
- Keep the toilet lid down
You may think that it is impossible for you pup to get into the toilet bowl but there are already many cases of puppies jumping into the toilet bowl and drowning and keeping the lid down is a good way to prevent it.
3. Kitchen
Aside from the bathroom, the kitchen is also a hazardous place for the curious puppy. After all, it can stimulate the sense of smell of your little one. Here are a few tips on how you can puppy proof your kitchen:
- Install childproof latches on the kitchen cabinets
Most probably, you will be maximizing the space in your kitchen by using the space under the countertops. These are easily accessible to your furball, but you can stop him from getting into your cabinets by installing childproof latches in them.
- Install a gate in your kitchen
If you want to make sure that your puppy will not be able to eat any toxic foods or if you want to enjoy a hassle-free cooking experience, you can install a gate to keep them out. Or you can just simply keep the door (if your kitchen has one) closed all the time.
4. Garden
Your garden or yard may seem harmless (after all, dogs are designed to survive the outdoors, right?) but this place has plenty of hazards that are easy to miss. You can protect him from those dangers by following these tips:
- Remove poisonous plants in your garden
There are some plants that can be poisonous to your dog. Do your research and make sure that your garden is free of these plants. Here are some examples: lupine, daffodils, birds-of-paradise, etc.
- Ensure that your fence has no gaps
You may not notice it, but there are times when the fence has broken areas or holes where your puppy can easily squeeze through. Inspect your fence and cover any holes and fix any broken parts before you bring home your puppy.
- Make sure that the fence is a lot higher than your dog
If there is one place more dangerous than the garden, it would be the road so make sure that your puppy cannot go outside of your fence or property by installing a fence that is higher than your dog (or higher than his jump).
5. Bedroom
If you are planning to let your pup sleep inside the bedroom with you, then you should not forget to do the following steps:
- Keep your shoes and clothing out of reach
Keep in mind that dogs have a strong sense of smell and they get attracted to anything that is quite smelly like your dirty clothes and shoes. With this in mind, it is recommended that you store your shoes and dirty laundry in a place that he cannot reach.
- Store small items properly
Always make sure that there will be no jewelry, coins or any small ingestible items that are lying on the floor, to prevent your pup from accidentally swallowing them.
- Place temporary blockage on the sides of your bed
Dogs, especially the little ones, love to hide under the bed. If you have important things stored under there or you wish to avoid any unwanted accidents, you should put up plywood sheets or any temporary blockades that will prevent the puppy from going under the bed.
Puppy proofing your home is not an easy thing to do, but it is a must if you wish to make sure that you and your puppy can enjoy a harmonious relationship. With the right tips (like the ones we have mentioned above), you can keep your puppy safe and at the same time, make sure that he will not be able to damage any furniture or appliances in your home. Now, that’s a win-win for all!
Good luck with your puppy proofing shenanigans and with taking care of your new best friend! If you finished puppy proofing and want to go the extra mile for your pup consider getting him/her a toy.
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