How to puppy proof your home?
Dog Proof your home in dictionary refers to make your home Resistant to damage caused by dogs. It has an ambiguous meaning, Safe for our puppy as well as our house and the entirety in it.
First, I want to congratulate you on taking a huge step toward dog ownership. With proper care, grooming, training and socialization, you will enjoy a good companionship of your dog for a long time.
Puppy proofing is very similar to baby proofing, you are basically thinking about things that could potentially harm your puppy and removing them. Your new puppy will be extremely curious and it’s part of their nature and what makes them so irresistible and lovable! Removing the temptations of things such as electrical cords, shoes, and small or loose materials from their reach to prevent an accident and give you peace of mind as the entire family make the adjustment to your new addition into your household.
However, if you adopt a puppy or an adult dog from Shelter, you will not have to go through this whole progress of puppy proofing and keeping your puppy away from harm at home.
Carelessness can both be COSTLY and sometime DEADLY.
Just by taking a walk down your own home, you will begin to see the dangers exist if you are not careful. Let's take a deeper look into the entire home.
In Bathrooms, Bedroom & Kitchen
Bathrooms, in my opinion, is the most dangerous area in our home. Bedrooms & Kitchen are a common area you will see your pup at. Some may sleep with you in your bedroom. And the family spend a good waking hour in their bedrooms. You have things like detergents, shampoo, soap, moisturizer, hairspray, comb, brush, toothbrush, hair dryer, shaver etc ... all these poses a potential danger to your pup. You need to ensure all caps are covered at all times, comb, toothbrush, shaver, hair dryer are out of sight and out of reach, just like to do with your young toddler at home.
Here is the list of some Animal Poison you might want to take note of;
Alcohol, Avocado, Chocolate, Coffee and Caffeine, Citrus, Coconut and Coconut Oil, Grapes and Raisins and Macadamia Nuts.
In Living Room
Living Room being the high concentration and activity area, we expect our puppy to be there most of the time. Danger like furniture, power cords, power points, electric appliances such as TV, HiFi Systems, racks, plants, we need to ensure it will not pose danger to your puppy. At the very start, you might want to ensure your pup is on supervision when he stays on your living room.
In the Dining Room
The dining room can be the most frequent area of your home, as the family frequently have dinner there. Your pup will soon realize it’s a place of opportunity. Sometime you will see ‘kind’ owners feed the pup off the table. Such behaviour will have a long-lasting impact. Especially when you have guests over your home for dinner, you do not want your pup to create nuisance at the dinner table. The feeding of your table scraps might be dangerous to your pup. Cooked bones are brittle and your home cooked food might not be the best diet for your pup.
In Balcony & On the Walkway
Some of us have the luxury of a Balcony and a common walkway. In such area, we usually do some planting and there are some toxic plants you need to look into.
Here is a list of Common “houseplants” that are potentially dangerous to dogs and cats (and people, by the way) include:
Aloe vera., Arrowhead, Caladium, Lily, Philodendron, Poinsettia and Pothos.
Here are some other items you should look into. Small Objects, Fishing Equipment, Dustbin, Water, Medication, Food, Batteries etc
In short, here are the recommendations, Keep your puppy grounded, Set restriction, Space and Keep a look out for your pup.
Keep your puppy grounded is an excellent option, allowing your pup jumping around your home is definitely a No-No! Not forgetting jumping too high could have an impact on your pup’s hips and joints. What about the danger jumping brings; a broken glasses cut his delicate paws. Crating is a great tool. The crate can be a safe haven to your pup, where he will retreat into the crate to rest and sleep. Crating helps in potty training and crating prevent your pup from getting into a problem.
Set Restriction. Home rules are important. The only pup who is training with house rules can truly enjoy the freedom at home. We will train our pup against counter surfing, jumping on the table, coffee table, cabinet, crouch etc Don’t beg on the table. We do not allow pup jumping on people too. A bad representation of a good train dog and jumping dogs are usually unwelcome. Set restriction on biting, only legitimate toys are allowed to bite and chew. No skins, clothing, socks etc, all no-go zone for puppy bites. Teach your pup to sit before letting him out of a door. Most puppies manage to escape because owners do not set restriction.
Space or Me time is good for your pup. The restriction is set in place to manage and control your pup, but you need your pup to have his own space to be himself, a PUPPY. Me time is also the time where your pup will recall what your training system is about and learning how to work with you and work within your house rules. Let our baby, the puppy will sleep most of the time, they need to rest, grow and stay healthy and cute.
Keeping your eyes on your pup is CRITICAL. The Rule of thumb, if you cannot supervise your pup, put him in his safe haven. Help him not to get into unnecessary trouble, sometime Costly and Deadly. I cannot stress enough, if you cannot supervise your pup, please put him in a safe place like his crate. Puppy being puppy, if you take eyes off him for a while, you are inviting problem.
We will have a great and enjoyable Companionship with our dog if we start in the Correct and Positive Note!
Have fun and stay positive!
#pupstrainingstudio #pupsjammingstudio #dogagilityisfunobedience #ObedienceTrialsChampion #wildisland #RewardBasedTraining #seletarCamp #UKI #PositiveDogTraining #CynosportWorldGame #EO #WAO #IFCS #DiamondisleKennel #dogadoption #dogrescue #SKC #babytodogintro #Puppy101Class #PEAKAgilityTrainingCentre #humanedogtraining #separationanxietyindog #SKCObedienceTrials #SuperbRecall #MedleyRecall #JFFEvent #DlearningAgilityClass #CyberAgilityClass #JammingStudio #DogAgilitySeries #LooseLeashWalking #JustForFun #FCI #DogFrisbeeTraining #PottyTraining #CompetitiveObedience #USDAA #AgilityCourseAnalysis #FlyballDog #puppy #PUPSObedience #cratetraining #DogObedience #benefitsoflongwalks #Nosework #PUPS #SuperDogEvent #DogTrainersCertification #PUPSAgility #PUPSAcademy #DogSportsTraining #FlyballDemo #dogagility #PuppyTraining #dogtraining #FlyballTeamSingapore #PUPSDLearningClass #positivelytraineddogcandoitall #BehaviourConsulting #dogtrainingsingapore #CynosportWorldGames #SingaporeKennelClub #PUPSCyberObedienceClass #Puppy102Class #DogBehaviouralModificationClass #DiscDogging #dogagilitySingapore #CertifiedWMADogAgilityInstructor #PetDogTraining #DoggyDancing #dog #PUPSDogTraining #travellingwithapet #dogtrainerwithpassion #PUPSwetrainFirstClass #PUPSFirstClassinDogTraining #BoardTrain