Puppy proofing your home – Pet tip 102

Few things on this earth are as cute as getting a new puppy. It really is a special time that passes so quickly. Puppies are adorable, they adore their owners and they love to play with everything. Play for puppies though often means chewing and eating everything in sight and that’s where problems can happen. Every year, thousands of puppies die accidentally because they have eaten and ingested something that should not be eaten. The solution, though obvious, is commonly overlooked. Just like when we baby-proof our homes for our human babies, we need to puppy-proof our homes for our fur-babies.

There are many things that you can do to puppy-proof your home but rarely is anything as effective a simply getting down on all fours and crawling around your house to see what trouble you can get into. Can you open cupboard doors and if so are there bottles of dangerous materials? This is a CRUCIAL puppy-proofing element. Puppies and dogs can both chew through bottles of shampoo, toxic cleaners etc. Don’t assume that your puppy or dog won’t like the taste. Make sure all cupboard doors that your dog or puppy can reach, that contain anything that has the remotest chance of being ingested, are securely locked. Make sure nothing can tip over and crush your puppy if it gets a little nudge.

Dangling ropes from curtains and window blinds are another common danger and common killer. Puppies love chewing on ropes and strings and will easily devour them if they have access to them. Some dog and puppy owners think that whatever dogs and puppies ingest will come out the other end. This is false. Strings and rope can easily get caught inside a dog’s body and cause an obstruction. These obstructions, when not treated can easily be fatal.

Electric wires are another common danger that need to be addressed and protected because puppies are electrocuted every year when they chew through these live wires. It is not because they are dumb, it is because they are dogs and dogs chew. Especially when puppies are teething when their baby teeth come in between 3 and 6 weeks of age, they will chew everything. Then again when baby teeth are lost and start being replaced by adult teeth at around 4 months major, teething and chewing is normal. May dogs love to chew on objects for their entire lives.

They key as it usually is, is prevention. See the world as the dog does and puppy proof your home. Scold your puppy with a firm “NO” when you catch it chewing on things that are unacceptable. Pick it up and place it in another part of the room and offer it a toy it CAN chew on. Then reward your dog with praise for chewing on the toy you give it. It will hopefully learn that it can only chew on toys that are given by you. But do make sure that the puppy always has one or two safe indestructible things that it is allowed to chew on at all times or it will find something to chew on. There are sprays that can be purchased in pet stores that you can use to deter your puppy from chewing on specific things.

Remember, puppies depend on you to make sure that their environments are safe. If a room has just way to many hazards to puppy-proof, then keep the door closed at all times. Protect your puppy or dog from harm and it will be your best friend for a long time.