Puppy Proofing Your Home
It is always exciting to bring a new puppy home. However, there are a lot of areas in your house that may be hazardous to your new puppy. It is essential that you make your home as safe as possible for your dog prior to bringing him home.
The most important thing to do first is to determine where your puppy will stay when you are away. Will you leave your puppy in the bathroom, in a sectioned off part of the house, in a crate? Determining this, will tell you which part of the house to start puppy proofing first. This will be the place your puppy spends most of their time and it is important that it is not only safe and secure but is a fun place for your puppy.
If you are not crating your dog while you were out, plan on your dog chewing whatever he can reach. Make sure your dog has appropriate items to chew on (toys, rawhide (in moderation), dental teethers, etc.) to try to minimize the inappropriate items that may be chewed on. If your puppy is left in a room with shelves or drawers, install safety locks on these to prevent him from getting in and exploring your cleaning supplies, grooming products or other potentially hazardous items.
The best way to puppy proof your home is to crawl on your hands and knees and view your home as your puppy would, from the floor level. Make sure to check that there are no exposed wires or cables for him to chew on, no items for him to jump on or knock over (tv’s, vases, other heavy objects that could harm your dog should they fall on him), and no hazardous items for him to eat or get into (plants, cleaning supplies, grooming products, etc.). Next, check to see if there are any items in the area that he can destroy, choke on or eat. It could be harmful to your dog if he eats a section of cloth from your couch and would be very irritating to you too. Finally, put away anything that he could break (picture frames, vases, etc.), get tangled in (put blind cords out of reach) or caught on.
Once you have puppy proofed his area, repeat this in all rooms of your home that your puppy will have access to. Your home may have other hazards that you will need to fix prior to your puppy coming home and you may find these hazards after your puppy has pointed them out to you. Remember, to make your house as safe as possible for your new puppy and to continue to look for ways to make it safer as your puppy grows.
