Make Your House Safe for Your Puppy

Before inviting a puppy into your house make sure your home is a safe house for him or her. A good rule of thumb is to take the same precautions with your house as you would for a small child. Follow these steps below to prepare your house.

First step: Put dangerous things out of your pet's reach. These things include: medications, chemicals (cleaning products, paints, insecticides, etc.), food (chocolate and alcohol especially), and small items that can be a chocking hazard. Also remove sharp items and protect sharp edges on low tables and other furniture. Make sure these things are out of reach by being in a room that the pet can not enter, up high, or out in a shed. If you throw these things in the trash, they won't be out of reach.

The ASPCA has a list of toxic food, plants, and other items you might not think of, a full list and other advice is available on their website at www.aspca.org. Some of the common dangerous foods include: chocolate, alcohol, coffee, onions and onion powder, avocados, yeast dough and products sweetened with xylitol.

Second Step: Think about your outside space. To create an outdoor room for your dog, which is important, install a fence at least three feet tall and one foot underground (because dogs can dig). Stop using fertilizer because it can be dangerous for pets. Also avoid using fly bait. Providing a safe space for your dog to run around in will keep your pet from getting into trouble inside the house.

Third Step: Wrap up curtain strings and all other strings or ropes your pet may tempted to pull. A simple &.50 hook will give you a place to wrap those strings out of your puppy's reach. Then wrap up electrical wiring and if the wires are accessible to a pet, get a mesh net to secure the wires. You can also use split tubing to cover the wires and prevent you puppy from chewing them. Wires can look like a chew toy to a pet so please be careful. Get your puppy a real chew toy and teach them what he or she can and can not chew.

Forth Step: Close cabinets and toilet seats. You don't want your dog to be tempted by the smell of food so close all containers and cabinets. Make sure toilet seats are put down so dogs don't drink out of the toilet. If you think household members or guests will forget this then leave notes. You can also get childproof locks for cabinets and toilet seats.

Fifth Step: Put all of your food in tight plastic containers, even if they are out of your dog's reach. The smell can tempt a dog to get into trouble. Plastic containers will help hide the smell and if they do happen to get the food, the plastic should make it harder to get in.

Sixth Step: Post a list of important pet numbers in a visible place by a phone. Include your vet's number, the ASPCA poison control center at 1-888-426-4435, and local 24 hour emergency vets. Keep numbers for you local humane society and animal shelters handy incase your puppy ever gets lost.

When you think you are done get down on your hands and knees! If you want to see what your pet can get into the best way to do it is at their level. Once you see they can get around your house easily without any hazards, go get your new best friend!