puppytales

So you have a new puppy! Congratulations! But now you need to puppy proof your home, and quickly, I might add, in order to keep your puppy safe and your favorite belongings as well.

Keep in mind that puppies are just like babies…they see something and immediately they put it in their mouth.  Curiosity will win every time, no matter how many times a little puppy hears the word “No.”   And though with a new puppy there are bound to be shoes nibbled on, a plant or two knocked over, a sock chewed up, and other puppy adventure casualties, there are some preventive measures new puppy owners can take.

Put all poisonous household items away and  out of the puppy’s reach.

Place all household cleaners, insecticides, fertilizers, mothballs, antifreeze, insect poisons, rat poisons and other items in cabinets or on high shelves. Remember, as your new puppy grows, he will be able to explore higher places and be tempted to jump up on shelves.

Place plants out of reach if possible for a couple of reasons.  irst being that you will want to avoid a curious puppy from knocking over a plant and thereby happily providing you with an instant dirty carpet.  But secondly, and more importantly, many plants are potentially toxic for puppies.  You may want to check out this list of poisonous plants for puppies to see if any of your household plants are on it, and if you are still not sure about a plant you have and it’s possible toxic effects, ask your vet.

Puppies are often tempted to play in toilet bowl water. This can be a hard habit to break and toilet cleanser may be harmful to puppies if swallowed.  So keep the toilet lids down at all times!

Unplug, remove or cover any electrical cords in your puppy’s confinement area. It is also a good idea to cover electrical outlets, when they are not in use.

Tying ribbons around your puppy’s neck could choke him if the ribbon gets caught on a fence or other object.  If you have children that are tempted to play “dress up” with the new puppy….this may not be such a good idea.

Finally,  get down on all fours and look around. Are there any dangling electric cords, loose nails, plastic bags or other tempting objects that will be in puppy’s reach? If there are, be sure to put them away immediately. Be sure to remove any valuable and sentimental items from your puppy’s reach as well.

The best rule when it comes to new puppies and puppy proofing your home is that anything that is not safe for children is not safe for pets.

Happy Puppy Proofing!

If you have any tips or stories on puppy proofing, PuppyTales would love to hear them!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS