Puppy Proofing Your House

Puppy proofing your home before you bring in the new member of the family is a necessity. Not only can it save you a lot of trouble and a big mess but you can avoid common household items that may pose a real danger to your new puppy.

Puppies explore the world with their noses and their mouths. Obviously this means anything new and interesting they can get to will be going in their mouth for a taste. This can make for a huge mess or even a potential tragedy.
There are a lot of houseplants for instance that could make your puppy sick and can even be life threatening. Some examples of toxic houseplants are philodendron, hydrangea, spider plant, ficus and many others. Electric cords are another concern, if your puppy chews into one of those he could be burned or shocked. If your puppy gets into the trash this could also be a dangerous situation, especially if there are bones in the garbage. These can splinter inside the dog and cause serious damage. You also need to avoid giving the puppy access to small objects and take care not to drop them on the floor. A puppy can choke on these just like a young child.

Besides removing potential threats from your household, it is advised to avoid potential temptations: this can nip some problem behaviors in the bud. For example, there is no need to leave a box of kleenex where the puppy can find it. If you have a large breed puppy you will soon want to go ahead and clear off coffee tables and low shelves.

You should definitely limit your puppies access to the house in the beginning whether this means simply closing some doors or possibly putting up some baby gates. This will be very helpful in potty training and it will be easier to recognize when the puppy has to go.

You also have a golden opportunity at this stage to teach your puppy what it is allowed to chew. For instance, if you let your puppy chew on an old sock he will quickly learn to eat all socks, brand new and old alike. With a lot of puppies you can even teach them how hard they can chew, a simple correction when ripping and tearing sounds are heard will go a long way towards saving stuffed animals in the puppy's adulthood.

No matter how careful you are a puppy is bound to inflict at least a small amount of damage, but truly this is a small price to pay for all the love and joy a new puppy will bring to your home.