How To Puppy Proof Your Home and Yard
One of the most important things you should do before bringing your puppy home is to create a safe and welcoming environment for your new puppy. Puppies are like babies; they don’t understand why they want to put everything in their mouth, all the know is that they want to and that it feels good. They don’t know what items are harmful to them or why, so it’s our job to protect them!
Today I’m walking through how you can puppy proof your home from the inside and out!
Before you go, do you have everything you need for your first puppy? Be sure to check out my 10 items to buy for your new puppy blog post for a full checklist and check out my New Puppy Checklist in my Amazon Storefront for my tried and true must-have items!
Indoor Puppy Proofing
1. Unplug Any Electrical Cords and Move Them Out of Reach
By chewing on an electrical cord, your puppy could get shocked. For any equipment that does not need to be plugged in all the time, please unplug it and put the cords in a safe place. For items that do need to be plugged in, please make sure that all cords are out of reach (i.e. make sure all cords to your TV are completely behind your TV stand and cannot be accessed by your puppy).
2. Keep All Toilet Lids Closed
I mean, ’nuff said.
3. Put Away ALL Choking Hazards
This can include but is not limited to: coins, office supplies (Annie randomly found one of my expo markers), jewelry, shoestrings (from shoes you don’t want them to chew on in the first place).
4. Put Away ALL Sharp Objects
This includes scissors, tools, knives, etc.
5. Keep All Trashcans Closed and Secure
The last thing you want is for your puppy to eat something poisonous.
6. Put All Food Away
There are many types of foods that are toxic to dogs. To learn more about the foods that your dog should and/or should never have, I recommend reading this article from AKC.
7. Put Away All Medications and Cleaning Supplies
When you use them, make sure that you put them back in their secure place immediately and if you are using chemicals, do not use them around your puppy.
8. Move Your Cat’s Litter Box to a Secure Area
From day one Diesel and Annie both tried to get into the litter box. They could smell it from miles away. If you have a cat too, please move it to an area where your dogs cannot get to it. Your dog could face many health risks after digesting anything from the litter box (gross, I know).
9. Keep Doors and Windows Closed
If you don’t want them going in there (or out of there) keep it shut! Simple as that. The only place your puppy should have access to is the room you are in while you are watching them.
10. Put Away EVERYTHING ELSE!
Any shoes you might have sitting out, anything on the edge of your kitchen counter, anything hanging from your shower like a towel or laundry to dry, etc. Anything and everything! They will surprise you with what you will find so do your best to prevent anything from being found to begin with.
11. Have Safe, Chewable Things on Hand
Since your puppy is going to want to chew on everything, go ahead and have some safe, chewable items like teething keys/teething bones or safe dog toys ready to go. If you find them chewing on the furniture, tell them that it’s wrong and then have the safe item for them to chew on ready to go (and tell them that they’re a good dog when you give it to them). That way, they learn that they can still chew, but on something that was made for them vs. you!
12. Remove Access to Any Small Spaces
Last but not least is to try to limit the amount of small areas your puppy can crawl into or behind. If you have a couch near a wall, push it all the way back. If you have a space behind an appliance, remove it. You want to remove as many areas as possible where they can get stuck and/or into trouble.
Outdoor Puppy Proofing
1. Fence Your Yard
By fencing your yard, you’re able to keep your puppy in a safe, contained area. Make sure that your fence is at a height that they can’t jump over, is secure with no access points to crawl out of and is sturdy and strong. Every dog is different, but making sure your fence is prepared for any dog is always best!
2. Remove Any Toxic/Poisonous Plants
There are many plants that aren’t safe for dogs. Please check out this list from AKC for all hazardous plants. If you currently live in an apartment like I do, I still recommend reading through it. My boyfriend Chandler has noticed many harmful plants at our last two apartment complexes that you would think would not be at dog-friendly communities. It’s always best to be safe and aware!
3. Keep Your Yard Cleaned Up
By ensuring that your yard is cleaned of any poop, this limits the opportunity for them to eat any. Dogs are drawn to poop for many reasons but poop from other dogs can contain parasites, toxins and more. By teaching your puppy at an early age that they should not eat it, this can help prevent any health risks in the future.
4. Keep Your Puppy Away From Harmful Insecticides/Pesticides/Fertilizers
If you are going to be working in the yard or if you have a regularly scheduled pest control service, please keep your dogs put away. Insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers can be harmful and toxic to dogs. If you do use a pest control company, please inform them that you have pets and make sure they are put away prior to them coming to your home.
Thanks for reading my post about how to puppy proof your home and yard! I hope all of these first time puppy owner tips were super helpful and I’d love to answer any questions you have in the comments below!
If you loved learning these helpful new puppy tips, check out some of my other posts about new puppy essentials and puppy training tips like:
- What To Know Before Getting A Puppy
- 3 Stages Of Puppy TeethingÂ
- How To Potty Train A Puppy
- How To Crate Train A Puppy
- 10 Items To Buy For Your New Puppy
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