Bringing a puppy into your life is exciting, but be prepared to have that adorable wrecking machine let loose in your house. Before bringing your puppy home for the first time, it’s a good idea to puppy-proof your house and garden.
Just like a home needs to be baby-proofed before a little bundle of human joy arrives, your house needs to be ready for a puppy. Puppies are more active and smaller than human babies, and even more adept at getting themselves into trouble, so it’s important that their environment is safe. And if you like your belongings, it’s vital that they’re out of reach of the canine hurricane.
Puppies love to chew and their milk teeth are very sharp. Put out of harm’s way anything valuable or easy for your puppy to chew – remember expensive shoes seem just as tasty to a puppy as a pair of old slippers. Basically, if you want to keep something, keep it safe – puppies will try and chew anything, including that very important letter, or even money.
Provide some toys for your puppy to chew on. Put electrical cords out of your puppy’s reach – they can chew through the cord and electrocute themselves. Make sure puppies can’t get at small items that may harm them if swallowed (eg, pins and needles). House plants can be poisonous, and are easy for a puppy to pull over, so move them out of reach. Similarly, put ashtrays up high because cigarette butts can give your puppy nicotine poisoning.
Put away all housecleaning products, medications and pesticides. Ditto with aerosol cans – they can explode if punctured or chewed. Keep the toilet lid down so your puppy doesn’t drink from the bowl because toilet bowel cleaners are toxic for dogs.
A baby barrier is a good way to keep puppies from tumbling down steep steps and perhaps injuring themselves. Keep doors shut to rooms that are out of bounds – it’s a good idea to keep puppies out of basements, garages and other storage areas where they can run amuck.
When it comes to your backyard and your puppy, one of the most important things is a secure fence. Puppies can easily squeeze through very small areas, so make sure there are no gaps.
Fence off – a small barricade will do – any plants or trees that might be poisonous for your puppy or that you don’t want your puppy destroying. Check with a vet or landscaper what plants are bad for your pup (some dangerous plants for dogs include azaleas, ivy, daffodils, hydrangeas and lantana).
If using pesticides or fertiliser, wait at least 48 hours and check with a vet before letting your puppy into the treated area. Safeguard against a puppy drowning in a swimming pool or fish pond by having secure fencing around these areas.
Once you’ve finished puppy-proofing your home, walk around. Try to look at your house and garden from a puppy’s perspective – what have you missed?
Finally, when your puppy is welcomed home, keep an eye on them as much as possible. And have fun!
For more great pet info, visit www.petnet.com.au
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