6 Tips For Puppy Proofing the Home

More often than not, puppies are mischievous! If you're not prepared - your pup can quickly create havoc in your home! This might seem cute at the beginning, but can become frustrating and dangerous if your pooch is destructive - or even gets into trouble or hurt. Remember basic positive training will also help keep your puppy safe.

Puppy proofing your home from the very beginning will not only help your sanity, but will also keep your pup out of harm's way.

6 Tips for Puppy Proofing Your Home

1. Move things to a higher level

Some food items can be toxic to dogs - for example dark chocolate, grapes or onions. Products that contain xylitol, such as sugar free gum and toothpaste, can also make your doggy poorly - so make sure that such items are out of your pooch's reach and that they cannot get to them - even if they jump up!

2. Safety from teeth at all times!

Dogs like to chew and puppies particularly will gnaw anything and everything when they are teething! It's important to make your house as safe as possible for your pet:

• Ensure things like electric wires are covered up or hidden. If your TV wires are exposed, block them off so your pooch cannot chew or mistake them for a rope pull and start tugging.
• Move sharp items like knives, away from the edges of counters or worktops. If these get pulled off and chewed, they can do untold damage.
• Ensure your garbage is kept tightly covered and inaccessible to a prying pooch. Remember, human food waste can contain items that are toxic to a dog. Plus if they get hold of sharp objects like chicken bones, these can splinter when chewed and cause choking.
• Remove any rodent traps that you may have around as these can often contain toxic materials that are dangerous to dogs.

3. Remove valuable items

Dogs don't worry about the same things we do and so do not recognise the value of an item! More often than not, if something is accessible, they think it's theirs for the taking! So if you don't want to have one sock instead of two, you want your shoes to continue to match and if you want the wires of your earphones to remain connected - move them out of your pooch's reach!

4. Provide chewable items!

A safe house doesn't have to equal boring and sterile! Puppies do like to chew, but you need to make sure they are chewing the right things. So, be sure to provide lots of fun, chewable toys, ropes and food-stuffed toys that are pup friendly to keep them occupied and stop them looking elsewhere.

Some children's toys can also be dangerous for pups if they get their teeth into them - so try to keep your pup's toys separate from kid's toys. Dogs won't be able to tell the difference and will think everything is fair game!

5. Beware wagging tails!

Once your puppy starts to grow, their tail could very much turn into a weapon of mass destruction! Although a wagging tail is a sign of happiness and excitement, they can also be very strong and can swipe a cup from a coffee table with one swoosh! This can create a dangerous situation with broken crockery that your pooch might stand on. Think ahead and keep knockable items out of a tail's reach!

6. Block escape routes

You don't want to create a prison environment for your puppy, but you do want to make sure they can't escape into a more dangerous situation, such as onto a road. Before you bring your puppy home for the first time, go around your house and garden and keep it safe by blocking any holes in garden fences, and closing doors to rooms that you want to stay out of bounds. Don't forget that puppies are inquisitive and can easily squeeze through the smallest of areas if they are determined enough!

If your pooch does manage to wiggle their way out of your safe home or garden, you will have a better chance of being reunited if you have them microchipped as soon as possible so that they can be traced. An ID tag attached to their collar with your contact details will also help you find them quickly.

Once you have puppy proofed your home you can spend time enjoying your new family friend in the knowledge that they will be safe and sound!