Puppy proofing your house

by Lovejoys Pet Food on July 05, 2021

Bringing a puppy home?


How exciting... congratulations on welcoming your new puppy into your family... now its time to get prepared and 'Puppy Proof' your house. In this article, we will be sharing some tips for puppy-proofing your home.

Its important to ensure that anything that could be dangerous or harmful to your puppy is kept out of their reach and kept securely out of harms way.

Puppy proofing


Ideally if you can, it is recommended to puppy proof both your home and garden before you bring your puppy home as much as you can before they can get into mischief!... well that is the plan anyway... through we can't make any guarantees on no mischief!

Puppies absolutely love to find their way and explore their world through their mouths as it is a natural extinct. It is really important that they do not start chewing on the wrong things that could really harm your pup.

puppy-teething

Chewing is very common especially for puppies when they are teething and still in training. It is worth looking into giving them some suitable chew toys but keep it fresh as pets tend to lose interest after a while. To keep them interested and to maintain interest get some new ones when needed.

Puppies have so much to learn so it is best to ensure your home is dog proof and robust enough to prevent any unecessary dangers.

Would you like to learn more about how to keep your puppy safe and sound?


If the answer is YES, then read on to find out more on how to puppy proof your home and garden....


10 most common hazards to look out for to puppy proof your house


  • Cleaning products and Medicines will need to be lock and secured away
  • Wires and cables plus anything else they could chew on and should not get their teeth into.
  • Fireguards should be put in place to cover a fireplace and move the breakable items such as ornaments out of reach and so they cannot be knocked over even with a waggily tail!
  • Climbing - Ensure items like chairs/side tables cannot be used to enable an adventure onto worktops or get to great heights
  • Food should be kept out of reach - some human foods like chocolate and grapes can really be extremely dangerous
  • Plants should be kept out of reach to prevent being dug up or eaten and consider cutting plants and flowers that can be toxic to dogs when ingested
  • Appliances that have wires and cover up your plug sockets with blank socket covers to keep them safe from the electricity supply. It is not advisable to leave a puppy without supervision. 
  • Electronic toys, remote controls, key fob and any other devices that contain batteries will all need to be keep out of reach.
  • Small items such as jewellery, valuables, coins, hair bands, needle and thread and anything else that is small and ingestible items will need to be kept in a suitable container or drawer out of harms way.
  • Garden will need to be secured to prevent the little escape artists and double check that they are not able to squeeze through or dig under a fence nor climb and check for poisonous plants or garden items such as slug pellets.

Setting up boundaries for your puppy


If their are certain designated areas that you wish to restrict access for your puppy, we would recommend setting up a clear boundary from day one if possible.

If you decide to allow your puppy to access somewhere sometimes and get told off at other times, it can provide a confusing situation.

  • Consider using baby gates for areas of your home you don't want your dog to go 
  • Consider fitting child locks to your kitchen cabinets
  • Ensure your boundaries are secure and that ponds are fenced off

It means you can provide a safe place for your puppy to have in the fresh air outside.

puppy-with-slipper

Keep your puppy entertained


Puppies have a lot of energy so keep their mind active and occupied by training your puppy and games to focus them rather than things they should not have like a shoe or slipper!

Make sure your puppy has access to enough toys that they can chew on.

Puppy Crate


Use of a suitability sized dog crate can be useful for short period of times knowing that they should not be getting into trouble when they are not supervised.

It is worth noting that when you get a new crate for your puppy that they are likely to grow quite a bit, quickly so it is probably best to get one that is slightly larger than necessary at this stage or if not be prepared to replace it when the outgrow it.

Any crate that you consider using for your puppy should have plenty of ventilation and visibility.

A crate for your puppy can be a great training tool for puppies and give them a quiet and safe haven secure place to relax as well as assisting in house training your dog.

We would recommend not placing it in direct sunlight nor somewhere that is a cold and draughty. Your puppy will most likely would like to be positioned close to where you are so that they do not feel isolated.

For further details on this and other articles and tips relating to a dog crate, please refer to our puppy corner for related articles.

puppy-in-bed

Allocate a space for your puppy


Welcome your puppy home by designating an area in your house for them that can be used for your puppies' bed, crate and toys.

To help them settle into their new home, this space should be a place they can sleep, relax, and play with all the toys.

Puppy pet proof power!


Hopefully now with these tips you will feel more prepared and having gone through the list you can ensure everything is in place and are confident that your puppy will grow and thrive in a loving pet friendly home. The key is to putting yourself through the process of imagining looking at things as they would be for your puppy when viewing your home and garden. It also means when you go to pick up your new pup, you can both have a relaxing journey home. 

By preparing well for your new puppy arrival it can also help for them to settle in quicker and more enjoyable for you. It maybe challenging at times but you are sure to have much excitement and a rewarding time.

If you have found this article helpful why not share it with your friends and family or perhaps you have something that you would like to add to this article, why not leave a comment.


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