It’s always an exciting time when bringing your puppy home! But curious puppies tend to find new discoveries, whether finding tempting toys to chew (even if those “toys” include your shoes, rugs, or forgotten socks) or deciding to go potty in the corner of the room. To help your puppy safely settle in, we’ve created a guide to puppy proofing your home.
Supervision is key for puppy proofing
Puppies love to explore, and sometimes, these explorations can lead to chewed phone charger cables or your puppy sneaking out to another room to pee. We can prevent these issues by keeping your puppy within your eyesight at all times.
A good way to keep your little explorer within eyesight is to block off certain rooms of the house by closing doors and using puppy gates. Puppy gates are especially helpful for keeping puppies away from stairs and for open-plan homes.
You can also tether your puppy to a sturdy piece of furniture to keep them close by. You can move the tether spot to different pieces of furniture, so you aren’t limited to staying in a central location.
When you can’t supervise your puppy, we recommend placing it in a safe place such as a crate, kennel, or puppy playpen. We recommend purchasing a kennel or crate, as the small space will discourage accidents, and your puppy won’t be able to find any unwanted items to chew on. We recommend using a puppy playpen in your home if your puppy can’t climb out and isn’t having accidents inside the pen.
Double-check what’s within your puppy’s reach.
Limiting your puppies makes puppy-proofing your home much easier. We recommend searching these areas for any items they could chew or swallow. These items include loose clothing, food, wrapping, children’s toys, books, houseplants, cords, pillows, and rugs. It’s also important to vacuum and sweep these areas, including under any tables or desks your puppy could crawl under.
Have plenty of chew toys for your puppy
It’s very important that you have chew toys for your puppy, both to alleviate boredom and keep them away from household items. Our trainers have listed some recommended toys on this Amazon list. It’s good to have a variety of toys, including kongs, nylabones, and unfilled white bones. We recommend having between 8 and 12 toys and rotating the toys in and out to encourage more interest.
We do not recommend plush or rope toys for puppies. These toys can encourage shredding, encouraging your puppy to chew on furniture, clothing, or carpet.
We’re here to help with puppy proofing your home and more
If you want expert training recommendations and advice on raising a puppy, you can schedule a free consultation with our Pet Behavior Team. Our team can provide expert training recommendations. Our Tampa Bay Obedience and Manners Training Programs are customized to provide one-on-one training at your home and neighborhood.
If you are located outside the Tampa Bay area or prefer virtual training, our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Ectherling-Savage, offers virtual consultations to develop a personalized training plan with step-by-step guidance to help you reach your training goals.
