There aren’t many things more exciting than bringing home a brand new puppy! Who doesn’t love to cuddle a fluffy ball of fur? However, it’s important to take some crucial steps to puppy proof your home to protect not just the home, but your new puppy, as well.
Comprehensive Puppy Proofing Home Checklist
- Puppy Proofing Apartment vs. House: Key Differences: Though many puppy proofing tips overlap between houses and apartments, some key differences pertain to both to ensure pet safety.
- Balconies and Stairs: Balconies in apartments can present a fall risk, especially for a small pet who could easily slip through the rails. Use wire mesh or plywood to cover the rail openings. For houses with multiple levels, use baby gates at the top and bottom to prevent falls and limit roaming.
- Indoor and Outdoor Potty Options: In an apartment, training a puppy to use turf grass patches or potty pads can come in handy when it’s not convenient to access the outdoors quickly. Keep your puppy leashed in a pet relief communal area. For home backyards, ensure there are no gaps in fences and that gates close automatically.
- Noise Reduction: Limiting puppy yapping or barking in an apartment is the neighborly thing to do. Rugs, sound machines, and dog crates can help muffle the noise from a playful puppy.
- Securing Electrical Cords, Chemicals, and Valuables: Puppies love to chew on anything and can get into trouble pretty quickly.
- Electrical Cords: Limit electrical cord exposure with plastic cord protectors or spiral cable wraps. Run cords under or behind furniture. Use safety plugs on outlets.
- Chemicals: Keep all hazardous chemicals, cleaning supplies, and yard pesticides safely out of reach. Use childproof latches on cabinets. Don’t allow access to storage sheds, closets, or garages.
- Personal Property: Don’t leave purses, shoes, socks, wallets, passports, keys, remotes, money, and other valuables out.
- Protecting Upholstery and Furniture
- Cover furniture with blankets or throws, use bitter spray deterrents, and block access with baby gates. Keep the dog bed in the den or family room and offer chew toys to keep a puppy occupied.
Puppy Supplies Checklist: Safety and Comfort Essentials
- Crates, Playpens, and Safe Confinement Tools: Crates and playpens offer a safe, controlled environment for curious puppies left unsupervised.
- Crates are often used for the puppy’s sleep time or when a pet owner leaves the home for a while. Crates offer comfort, protection, potty training, and quiet time while it keeps the puppy out of trouble. Getting a puppy acclimated early to a crate is crucial to his acceptance of it. Rewarding with a small treat can be helpful. The crate size should be just large enough for the dog to stand, turn around, and lie down.
- Playpens offer a supervised play area while keeping the puppy confined to a specific area in the house, preferably where the family is. Safe toys, food, and water can be put in the playpen, as needed.
- Chew Toys, Food Bowls, and Feeding Area Set-Up
- Chew toys offer safe activities to keep your puppy busy while he teethes. Use tough rubber chew toys without small parts that the puppy can safely nibble on. Some chew toys can be filled with frozen treats like kibble and peanut butter to keep the puppy more engaged. Always supervise your puppy with new toys. Discard any broken toys.
- Heavy or stainless steel food bowls with rubber bottoms or placed on a rubber mat will keep the food bowls from flipping over or sliding. Wash food and water bowls out daily. Keep water bowl filled with fresh water. Feed the puppy alone if other pets live in the house.
- First-Aid and Grooming Essentials
- A First-Aid Kit is a must have for a new puppy. It should include bandages, antiseptic spray, antibiotic ointment, styptic powder, and a digital thermometer. At your puppy’s first check-up with your vet, ask what medications are appropriate to have for your specific pup’s breed. Have an emergency contact list handy including the vet, pet hospital, and poison control.
- Keeping your puppy clean and groomed ensures healthier skin and coat. Puppy shampoo, brush, nail clippers, and pet toothpaste and toothbrushes are essential grooming items.
Critical Safety Alert: Preventing Pet Suffocation
- The Danger of Chip Bags and Food Packaging: A Top Suffocation Risk – Chip bags and other food bags and packaging pose serious suffocation risks to our pets, especially curious puppies who want to get into everything. Pet suffocation happens daily and within minutes. Many of these chip and snack bags are made from a strong mylar-like material (like a balloon) which helps keep snacks fresher. When a curious dog puts his head into the bag, it creates a vacuum-like seal around the dog’s neck. As he tries to breathe, the bag tightens around his neck, cutting off the oxygen.
- Types of Food Bags and Containers that Pose Suffocation Risks.
- Any type of bag or container can be a suffocation risk to your pet, especially one that contains food. These include chip bags, snack bags, cereal bags, cheese bags, plastic bags, and pet food bags. Containers and jars including peanut butter jars, yogurt cups, kibble containers, cookie containers, plastic jugs, and cat litter bins/containers can trap your pet within minutes.
- Safety Tips to Help Prevent Pet Suffocation in your Home, Yard, and Vehicle.
- Keep all chip/snack/pet food bags safely stored away from your pet.
- Tear or cut up all chip bags, food bags, and food packages after use.
- Put lids back on jars and containers when disposing of them.
- Store chips/snacks/pet food in resealable plastic containers.
- Serve chips and snacks in glass bowls or containers instead of in food bags.
- Keep all trash can lids tightly fastened, locked, or behind a cabinet.
- Keep the kitchen pantry door closed.
- Don’t store food bags on top of counters or appliances where a cat can easily reach by jumping.
- Don’t let your cats play with plastic bags or food cartons.
- Do not allow your pets to roam freely in the house while you are away.
- Check the house before leaving for any pet suffocation risks.
- Don’t store pet food bags in the garage.
- Check your vehicles for chip/snack/food bags and drink cups.
- Don’t leave your dog in the car alone with fast food bags, snack bags, or food and drink containers.
- Learn CPR for pets.
- Practice these guidelines whether you own a pet or not – it helps protect stray dogs, feral cats, and wildlife.
- Alert all your friends and family about the pet suffocation dangers of food bags.
- Teach your children not to leave snack bags and food in their backpacks or bedrooms.
- Educate dog walkers, pet sitters, and babysitters about pet suffocation prevention.
- Remind overnight guests not to leave food bags and snacks in their luggage or purses.
- Be extra vigilant during family and holiday gatherings.
Toxic Plants and Foods: What to Remove
- Common Household Plants that are Poisonous to Puppies
- Plants to keep away from your puppies include Sago Palms, Lilies, Oleanders, Mums, Aloe Vera, Daffodils, Tulips, Poinsettias, Geraniums, Hydrangeas, and Holly Berries. Don’t let your puppy eat twigs and leaves. Always check his mouth for hidden objects.
- Foods and Human Snacks to Keep Out of Reach
- Foods that can harm your puppy or cause digestive issues include chocolate, grapes, Xylitol, corn, onions, mushrooms, raw meat, avocados, citrus fruits, nuts, salt, caffeine, and raw meat. Discuss with your vet other potential harmful foods. Learn about these toxic substances and keep them safely out of reach of your pets. Keep numbers for your vet and Poison Control handy.
Integrating a new puppy into your home and family can be a very rewarding, long-term experience. Being prepared and properly puppy-proofing your home beforehand will help ensure a healthy puppy and a happy homelife.
