How to Puppy-Proof Your Home
Puppies are adorable and full of love and fun. But puppies also require lots of work over a sustained period of time. To protect your home and your sanity, here are some great tips to help everyone survive the puppy adventure.
Keep Valuables Secure
For small, valuable items like jewellery, important documents, or sentimental objects, consider looking into storage lockers to rent. They provide a safe and secure location out of your puppy’s reach and give you peace of mind that items you can’t replace won’t be irretrievably lost if your pup swallows or destroys them.
Use Baby Gates
Install baby gates to restrict your puppy’s access to certain areas of the house. This is especially important for rooms with valuable or delicate items. It will also help with house training by limiting your puppy’s access to the entire house and also get them used to certain areas being out of bounds if you don’t want your dog upstairs when he/she has grown up.
Hide Cables and Wires
Pups love to chew, which can be dangerous and costly to replace if they get hold of the wrong thing. Use cable protectors or hide them behind furniture to keep them out of your puppy’s reach. Like babies, puppies teethe and explore the world with their mouths, so provide lots of chew toys to help divert attention from the table legs or the TV cable.
Secure Your Bins
Invest in kitchen bins with secure lids or alternatively hide them in a kitchen cabinet, maybe under the sink. This prevents your puppy rummaging through the rubbish and potentially eating things that will cause hurt or illness.
Lock Cabinets and Drawers
If your puppy is particularly mischievous or curious, you could consider installing childproof locks on cabinets and drawers that contain cleaning supplies, chemicals, or other hazardous materials. Some pups are determined to know what’s behind every door and can be quite inventive when it comes to figuring out how to get where they want.
Pick Up Small Objects
Ensure that small objects like coins, buttons, or small toys are out of reach. This can sometimes be especially challenging if you have young children at home as well as an active, determined puppy, but those little things can easily end up as choking hazards or cause digestive problems.
Choose Sturdy Dog Toys
Provide your puppy with plenty of safe and sturdy toys to keep them occupied. Have a variety of different types of toys, such as balls, tug toys, chew toys and soft toys your puppy can cuddle with. Try and avoid providing toys for children as these are often not strong enough to withstand biting and tugging and can prove hazardous if the pup tears them apart.
Elevate Houseplants
If you have indoor plants, make sure they are out of reach. Many common houseplants can be toxic to dogs if ingested. Common ones that can be dangerous include Peace Lilies, Swiss Cheese Plants and Begonias. There are others, so do your research if you love your houseplants.
Protect Furniture and Carpets
Consider using furniture covers or slipcovers to protect your upholstery from puppy accidents. You can also place washable rugs in high-traffic areas to protect your carpets. Puppyhood doesn’t last long, so it might be a sound idea to put valuable or precious furnishings into self storage for a few months just to be safe. Choose a storage facility with good security measures and the best padlocks for your unit.
Create a Safe Space
Set up a designated safe space for your puppy, such as a crate or a playpen. Crate training is a little controversial, although it can be helpful provided you approach it kindly and learn how to do it properly. A child’s playpen (one with mesh sides) that the pup can’t get out of would work just as well for those short times when you can’t supervise, maybe while you’re hoovering or otherwise busy in a different room.
Supervise and Train
The most important step in puppy-proofing is supervision and training. Keep a close eye on your puppy, especially during their early months, and provide consistent training to teach them what is off-limits. Get all the family involved so you all give the same commands; otherwise, you’ll confuse the pup and hinder learning. Puppy training classes are an excellent idea if you’re new to dog training.
Puppies definitely go through ‘teenage rebellion’ stages, which can be challenging. Regularly reassess your home for new hazards and adjust your puppy-proofing measures accordingly. Soon enough, you’ll have a happy, well-adjusted and well-behaved dog you can trust in the house and everywhere else.
