Puppy-Proofing Your House
There are few moments as exciting as bringing home a new puppy. You’ve invested a lot of time and effort into finding your furry little friend, and now you can spend countless hours coddling and playing with your baby dog. Before you bring your puppy home, however, you need to consider puppy-proofing your house to keep your new mutt safe and happy in its new environment, and to protect your home from damage.
Puppy-Proofing Your House to Protect Your Puppy
Puppies are just as inquisitive as babies, maybe even more so. Take a look around your home and think about these things.
* Medicines: Where do you keep your medicines? Will the puppy be able to find them? Make sure you store them in an inaccessible area, such as a high cabinet. The last thing you want is your new puppy consuming harmful medicines.
* Plants: Some plants can be poisonous to dogs. You can do a quick internet search to make sure any plants you have in your house are safe. If you discover that one or more of your plants are toxic for dogs, you may want to consider giving them away.
See Also:
Plants Poisonous to Dogs
* Cleaners and poisons: While these are usually kept in a lower cabinet in the kitchen or bathroom, you’ll want to make sure the doors are secure so your puppy can’t wiggle his way inside. Alternatively, you can store them in an out-of-reach cabinet.
* Trash: Some things that get thrown into the trash can be toxic for your puppy, even some of your food scraps. But the aroma will get their attention and make them want to take a little nibble. Make sure your garbage is secure and safe from your puppy. *
* Electrical cords: Puppies love to chew, and those lamp and television cords are perfect targets. Either buy sturdy cord protectors or push furniture up against any cords or outlets to keep your little guy safe.
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Puppy-Proofing Your House to Protect From Damage
Protect Your Floors and Walls
In order to protect your floor and walls from pet waste, you will need to train your puppy to go to the bathroom outside. You may need, for example, a crate to help with the training. Add a lot of diligence and a don’t-give-up attitude, and your puppy will eventually figure it out. Healthy treats can also help with positive reinforcement.
Protect Your Furniture
As already mentioned, puppies love to chew. And the legs of your tables, sofas, and chairs are at just the perfect height. While you can’t stop your puppy from chewing, you can take some precautions to keep them from having a smorgasbord with your dining room set. Make sure to provide your puppy with plenty of chew toys. Also, when your puppy’s not in their crate, you will need to watch their every move. Otherwise, it won’t be long before you’ll need to buy new furniture.
Protect Your Sanity
At first, your puppy might cry a lot, particularly at night. In addition to crying because they need to go potty, they may cry because they miss their mother or their siblings, or they’re scared to be in a new environment. While it may be tempting to let your puppy sleep with you, it might not be a great idea, especially if they are a larger breed. This is another time when the crate will come in handy. Just move it closer to you at night. Your puppy will feel safer, and you will be able to get more sleep.
Puppy-proofing your house for a new puppy is the best way to make the transition easier and safer for both you and your new pet. All it takes is a little planning, some patience, and a lot of love.
“Puppy-Proofing Your House Before Bringing Home a New Puppy”
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I can totally relate! For us, it was fabric. Pillows, sofa, curtains and sheets. She’d do something like a tug of war with them and keep chew everything including the wooden legs of the chairs.
Great article, Lizzie! I have this crazy fascination on puppies and I always tend to bring one home whenever my friends’ dogs give birth to bundles of joy. The latest one I have is a Corgi and I named him Charlie Brown (I love Peanuts). This post is really helpful and I couldn’t agree more with what you said. Indeed, it’s always an excellent habit to puppy-proof our homes before bringing a cute fur baby home. Thank you for this amazing read!