Making Your
Home Puppy Proof
Puppies are
super cute and so much fun to have around. They are filled with
energy and curious about everything around them. It is your job as a
responsible pet owner to puppy proof your house to make it safe from
them and to protect your belongings.
The first
thing you should do when puppy proofing your house is to go room to
room on your hands and knees. Look at the things in your home from
your puppy's perspective. Think about what is at that level that may
be interesting to him. You may be surprised to find many things that
are potentially dangerous that you never even thought of before.
One thing you
should be aware of in your household is the location of electrical
cords. Make sure to limit your puppy's access to these areas.
Puppies can chew through cords and get electrocuted causing serious
injury or even death. Wrap cords up and store them away or lay down
rubber or plastic runners that can be purchased at most home supply
stores.
Another
potentially dangerous thing for puppies is your stairs. Small
puppies have a hard time navigating up and down stairs and could
fall down them and injure themselves. Stairs also lead to areas in
your house that may be off limits. The best way to ensure that your
puppy stays away from the stairs is to purchase baby gates,
available at most department and pet supply stores.
Just as
curious toddlers are, puppies are very curious about what is inside
cabinets. Many people store cleaning supplies and personal care
products in cabinets that can be accessible to puppies. These kinds
of products contain harmful ingredients that can injure or kill your
puppy. Make sure to either store these products in cabinets that are
out of reach to puppies, or purchase plastic cabinet locks that are
available at most department and pet supply stores.
Be aware of
small objects that are located around the home, on coffee tables and
other surfaces that are accessible to your puppy. Just as with small
children, puppies can choke on items like coins, needles, jewellery
and small toys. Make sure to keep these kinds of items out of your
puppy's reach.
Puppies seem
to be attracted to shoes and socks. They love to chew on them. Not
only will this ruin your favourite shoes, if a puppy were to chew on
and swallow a shoelace or a sock, it could get wrapped around their
intestines causing serious injury or death. Make sure to store your
shoes and socks out of reach of your puppy, and NEVER encourage them
to chew on these items, no matter how cute it may be.
Always limit
your puppy's access to the bathroom. Bathroom garbage is very
tempting to chew on. If your dog were to swallow some dental floss
or feminine products, this could be very harmful to them. Puppies
also are curious about toilets. Small pups could fall in an open
toilet and drown. Make sure to keep your bathroom door shut at all
times, or install a baby gate at the entrance to your bathroom. The
same can be said for the kitchen and kitchen garbage.
Open windows
are another potential hazard to your puppy. Being very curious about
the world around them, they could easily fall out of a window
causing serious harm or death. On the ground floor, they could exit
out of the window and get lost or run into the street. Be mindful of
open windows when you are not directly supervising your puppy.
House plants are another concern when it comes to puppies. Most dogs are very attracted to plants and many household plants are toxic to animals and can cause nausea, vomiting, and in some cases, death. Always make sure to keep house plants away from your puppy's reach.
The best way
to puppy proof your house is to crate train your puppy right away.
You are providing him with a safe place to go whenever he wants to
as well as a place to be safely contained when you are not able to
directly supervise him. If you need more information about puppy
proofing your home, consult your veterinarian or pet professional.
Dog Article
courtesy of I-Love-Dogs.com