Puppy Proofing One's Home

Before you got your puppy, did you puppy-proof your home? Are all the breakable items beyond her reach? Were your walls painted with lead-free paint? Did you prepare a crate for her to have a secure spot of her own?

It is important for a new puppy owner to be prepared with these things because as cute as they may seem, they can be a force of nature.

Here are just some things you need to take into account before bringing your puppy home.

1. Toxic plants should be kept out of reach. Better yet, have them removed. Here's a link on Toxic Plants to Dogs from the ASPCA

2. Small and breakable objects should be kept out of reach and out of the puppies view. Puppies are curious and they could end up chewing something valuable. Also, they could end up swallowing them.

3. Dangerous food like chocolate should be kept out of sight.

4. Consider getting a crate for your puppy to have a place of her own. This is also a great way of keeping her out of trouble when she is out of your sight.

5. Use safety bars, baby gates and rails to keep potentially dangerous places inaccessible. This should include the stairs, the garage and the swimming pool.

These are just some of the things you should get started with.

We trained our puppy to stay in his crate at night and when we were cooking/eating. There is nothing more annoying than a dog begging for food at the table. He is three years old now, and goes to the porch as soon as he hears dishes or pots and pans being rattled around. We still put him in his crate at night and if we are going to be away from home for a few hours. I have left him on the sofa if I'm only going to be gone for an hour or two and he hasn't taken advantage of being loose in the house. I would be worried about leaving him for several hours though.

He did destroy a few things outside, but for the most part has been very good.

Those are some good ideas that you have posted. It never occurred to me to puppy proof my home before making the decision to bring home my puppy. It was years ago but it is still something to consider because one day I plan to purchase another puppy--perhaps in the near future. Now, I will be more knowledgeable about what is safe for a puppy and what is not. I didn't puppy proof back then but I will definitely do it this time and I think doing so is immensely important because puppies are just like babies, they tend to get into things they have no business getting into--curious about everything.

(02-02-2013, 08:49 AM)dziomek Wrote: We trained our puppy to stay in his crate at night and when we were cooking/eating. There is nothing more annoying than a dog begging for food at the table. He is three years old now, and goes to the porch as soon as he hears dishes or pots and pans being rattled around. We still put him in his crate at night and if we are going to be away from home for a few hours. I have left him on the sofa if I'm only going to be gone for an hour or two and he hasn't taken advantage of being loose in the house. I would be worried about leaving him for several hours though.

He did destroy a few things outside, but for the most part has been very good.

Wow, you must be living the life. It's nice to have an obedient dog. It helps when the entire family follows the same set of rules, especially when it comes to begging and spoiling our fur buddies.

For instance, my mom once allowed my dog on my bed and she thought it was perfectly fine. Now, every time I am away, she'd always be on the bed. How'd we know, you might ask? Well, the trail of white fur that's scattered all over my dark bedding is just so obvious.

(02-03-2013, 12:53 PM)mz_angie1987 Wrote: Those are some good ideas that you have posted. It never occurred to me to puppy proof my home before making the decision to bring home my puppy. It was years ago but it is still something to consider because one day I plan to purchase another puppy--perhaps in the near future. Now, I will be more knowledgeable about what is safe for a puppy and what is not. I didn't puppy proof back then but I will definitely do it this time and I think doing so is immensely important because puppies are just like babies, they tend to get into things they have no business getting into--curious about everything.

So true. This is why it is important to puppy proof one's house. Not all puppies are of the obedient type. Others can be rambunctious and mischievous. This is why puppies should also be taught early on the rules that he should adhere to as a big dog.

Good luck... and please consider adopting in a local shelter near you. You might find that one guy or girl that'll capture your heart forever.

The thing that needs puppy-proofed the most is the carpet. My dog did pretty good with housebreaking but had a few accidents when he was scared. I think the crate idea is good, and a bath tub works well when they are little. I supplied my dog with plenty of toys that were safe for him to chew. When mad at us he would destroy throw pillows off my sofa or chew up a shoe. It is better to train from the get-go what they are allowed to have, and not have, and their bed to go too, when under foot or at meal time.

We basically learned everything on the fly when it came to what puppies needed. My father use to bring home full grown dogs from shelters so I never had a puppy growing up. We did have to keep the carpet though until we had house broken our chow. We also had safety rails near the stairs installed for her when she was little as she slept on the 2nd floor in the kid's room. Now that she's bigger she can go up and down the stairs like a pro. We did keep breakable decors while she was a puppy and only recently put them back.