How to Dog-Proof Your Home

Hey everyone!

Long time no blog for me—in between zoom meetings and training our new pup, Honey, I’ve had my paws full. Oh yes—we have a new pup! For Christmas, we all surprised Taylor King with a new edition to the family: Honey. Honey Bear…Honey Pot…Honey Bun…really, she answers to all of the above. She has ALL the energy and is as sweet as honey, too. Which brings me back to my first point: I’ve had my dog bowl FULL with puppy-proofing our home and office to keep little one here safe.

5 Tips to Puppy Proof Your House

I know I’m the only one out there with a new pup-friend, so I thought I’d share my Top 5 Safety Tips to make your home safe for a new puppy:

1. Little pup needs a little world.

While the little guy or gal is mastering potty training and fighting the urge to chew, it is so important to gate off a smaller area of the house for them. Your puppy needs the freedom to roam and sniff, and you need the assurance they won’t mark the carpet or chew up your nice couch.

As the puppy gets older, you can give more freedom to explore other areas of the house.

2. Keep personal items out of reach.

It’s in our DNA; we LOVE to chew. And when we are young, we don’t know the difference between your bag, a pillow, shampoo bottles, or our own toys. They all look fun and smell like you! Safety starts with being mindful and proactive by keeping any potential hazards off the ground and out of reach. If you do catch us with something we shouldn’t have, sub it for one of our bones or toys we are allowed to gnaw on.

3. Give a better chewing option.

Not all chew toys are the same. Some are easily destructible with parts that shouldn’t be ingested. But puppies don’t know that! Some of our toys smell like bacon for goodness sakes; why wouldn’t we try to eat them?

At a very early age, toys that are soft enough for our puppy teeth but tough enough to survive our constant play can be hard to find. Just in case, never leave us alone with a toy we shouldn’t eat!

4. Child-proof locks are the new puppy-proof.

If we want our sniffer in your cabinet, trust me: we can find a way. Put those invisible child-proof locks on lower cabinets to keep our curious noses out of the human food and other kitchen appliances we pups don’t need.

5. Privacy please, bathroom door closed.

When you aren’t in the bathroom with your new furry friend, it is best to keep the bathroom door closed. There are lots of things pups can get into when they aren’t supervised—trash cans…toilet paper…toilet water—just to name a few!

Good luck with your new pup—you humans are our whole world, and we really do live to please you! With these tips, you can make it a little easier to keep our puppy habits in check and keep us safe in our new home.

Click HERE to read Bradi’s top travel tips for your pup: How to Keep Your Dog Safe in the Car