How to Puppy Proof Your House
There are many reasons to have a dog. From teaching young children about responsibility to improving wellness, living with dogs can be a great physical and mental boost.
Often, when people decide they want a dog, they choose to bring home a puppy. People think that having a dog from a very young age makes them easier to train and adapt.
One thing that you might not think about beforehand is how to puppy proof your house. You shouldn’t leave your puppy unsupervised, but they sometimes have a way of escaping your watchful eye. So today we’ll talk about how best to puppy proof your home before bringing them home.
How to Puppy Proof Your House
When trying to figure out how to puppy proof your house, it’s best to go room by room and figure out where you can tidy up or take precautions. By thinking about puppy proofing room-by-room, you have a great opportunity to clean up your living spaces while making it more inviting for your new dog as well.
Puppy Proofing Your Living Room
When it comes to puppy proofing communal spaces like living rooms, it’s important to keep in mind that your dog will have pretty much unlimited access to this area. The living room is often the one spot in a home that people always go to. Each person might spend some time in their own room, or in the kitchen, but the living room usually is where the whole family will relax. This means you need to set it up for your pup too!
Look at your living room’s decor. Do you have candles out? How about some potpourri? If you have decorations that are low enough for your new pup to reach, you’ll have to move that. These can be toxic to your dog. At the very least, they are one more way for your dog to make a mess. It’s best to avoid any issues and simply remove your dog’s access to these.
Also consider any cabling. The main television is often in the living room, so make sure you don’t have any cables laying around where your dog can chew on them or trip on them. Wrap cables up, and if possible, keep the bulk of cables up high where they can’t even reach them. Also, consider using outlet plugs to cover any outlets you are not using.
If you have children, always make sure they clean up their messes. If they have a snack, make sure they eat them at a table where the dog won’t be able to reach. And if they play with their toys, make sure the toys go away when they are done. Dogs love playing with toys too, and your children’s toys might make a nice snack if you allow your dog to grab hold of them.
Puppy Proofing Your Bedroom
Like with the living room, make sure that you do not keep any edible decorations low where your pup can reach them. While we may want to trust our pets, simply removing temptation may be the best course of action.
If you have cosmetics or lotions in your bedroom, either remove them to a bathroom or put them away in a drawer when not in use. Never leave these products out as they can be bad for an unsuspecting dog who is just curious.
Lastly, make sure you keep all windows, garbage cans, and closet doors closed. Sleeping with a breeze may be nice, but if you forget to close your window after waking can cause some serious problems if your dog finds it. Closing your closet doors is more for you than it is the dog. Imagine coming into the room only to find your dog chewing on your favorite shoes, or they could have gotten into something worse in your trash can. Better yet, you can remove the trash can from your bedroom and place them somewhere else like the bathroom.
Puppy Proofing Your Bathroom
Bathrooms and kitchens are tough. There are the two places where you’re likely to keep some stuff that is easy for the dog to get to but can be very dangerous if ingested. Because if this, make sure any cleaning chemicals or cosmetics are high where your dog can’t reach. You can also consider using some child safe locks to ensure your dog won’t be able to get their nose where it doesn’t belong.
Make sure your dog can’t reach anything in the shower either. Place shampoos and soaps high where they won’t be able to reach if they jump in the tub. The same goes for your toothpaste and other creams.
And a final word about the bathroom. Make sure every member of the household puts the toilet seat down. Dogs love drinking from the toilet, which is gross. But worse, if you’ve recently cleaned the toilet then your dog can be lapping up dangerous chemicals.
Puppy Proofing the Kitchen
Kitchens are sometimes hard places to puppy proof. For this reason, do not rule out a dog gate to keep them from this area. Though, some pet owners find the kitchen a great place to put dogs during the day when they are left alone. If you’re going to let your pup in the kitchen, be sure to take some precautions.
The trash can should be sealed somehow. You can put the can under the sink in a cabinet with a child safe lock to make sure it’s unreachable. Alternatively, you can decide to just buy a trash can that seals. This will let you leave the can out, but will not allow your pet access to the contents.