Puppy Proofing Your Home

Your puppy will be coming home soon, but are you sure your home is puppy proof? Find all you need to make sure your puppy's new home will protect him and keep him safe from harm.

Make Your Home A Safe Place For Your Puppy

You need to be confident that your house and garden are fully puppy proof before you bring your new puppy home.

Take a look around and ask yourself how safe it is from a puppy's viewpoint.

Pretend he's a two-year old toddler; are there any hidden or obvious dangers?

My Mom made sure our home is safe!

Puppies Love To Chew!

Let's face it, we all know that puppies love to chew, especially when they're teething, and have been known to destroy TV remotes, spectacles, sunglasses, CDs.

I know a little puppy that was partial to chewing false teeth. He managed to chew his way through two sets!

Apart from the obvious loss and inconvenience, your puppy could very easily choke on any of these items, especially if left unsupervised.

Make a special effort to move anything of real value out of his reach; don't leave anything lying around as it will almost certainly be chewed!

Watch Out for Electrical Wires!

Puppy proofing your home is essential to keep your puppy safe and one particular safety hazard for a new puppy is live electrical wires. Wherever possible, hide wires under carpets or use a cable protector to stop your pup biting through wires.

Better still, switch off electrical appliances at the wall if they're not being used.

Guard An Open Fire

If you have an open fire, you'll need to be sure you protect your curious little puppy from getting burnt. Use a fire guard that can be secured to the wall to keep your puppy safe from harm.

Candles Burn!

Burning scented candles can make your home smell wonderful, but they can be dangerous when you have a young puppy around. If you must burn candles, make sure they're on a high shelf, safely out of his reach.

Keep The Toilet Lid Closed!

Don't forget to keep the toilet lid closed.

Your little Cocker puppy may be too small to reach just now, but he'll soon grow. As well as keeping your puppy from falling into the toilet, it may also discourage him from using it as his drinking bowl!

Kitchen Waste & Rubbish Bins

When puppy proofing your home, don't for get to check your kitchen for other potential problem areas.

For example, a bored or curious puppy will go all out to try to get into kitchen waste bins and either eat the contents (yuk!) or spread it all over your newly washed kitchen floor.

Also make sure that kitchen cupboards at ground level are kept closed, and can't be easily opened by curious puppies. Especially those that contain household disinfectants and cleaners.

Don't Forget Small Pets!

You'll need to take care with small pets such as guinea pigs, and mice. If your puppy has a high prey drive, he may see them as quarry and worry them, or worse! Don't leave your puppy alone with small pets unless you're completely comfortable and confident that he won't harm them.

If you have a fish tank, make sure he can't reach it.

Don't Forget To Puppy Proof Your Garden!

It's important that you do the same puppy proofing 'risk assessment' for your garden.

For example, make sure your puppy can't get out through the gaps in the fence or under the garden gate.

• There are many types of electric pet fence available to keep your dog inside your garden. They can be very effective. Don't worry, they're very low voltage and safe for a puppy.
  
  
• If you think that sounds cruel, you might want to consider using chicken wire instead, which can be temporarily fixed onto the lower half of your fence, buried up to 50mm in the soil where possible, to stop him from escaping underneath. This should keep Hound Hudini safe inside your garden and it can be easily removed later when he grows.
  
  
• If you have a garden pond, think about placing a strong mesh cover over it to make it safe, at least until he's able to swim!
  
  
• Don't forget to secure your garden shed and greenhouse, if you have them, as they hold many chemicals and pesticides which could prove fatal to a puppy. Keep them out of reach.
  
  
• Your garage, if you have one, will also need to be puppy proofed. Garages also hold potentially harmful chemicals; one to be particularly aware of is antifreeze as it's highly toxic and unfortunately dogs love the taste of it.