Owning a dog entails considerable responsibility and first-time pet owners would do well to properly prepare both themselves and their home prior to adoption. From keeping your new puppy safe from household hazards to ensuring your valuables don’t become chew toys, creating and maintaining the right environment is an issue of great importance. Puppy-proofing your home can help you to avoid many common problems and potential issues.
Create a Space Just for Your Puppy
Having a safe and comfortable space of their very own can give your new puppy a sense of security. Whether it’s a simple crate, a pen or even a whole play room, creating a space just for the puppy can make quite a difference. Maintaining the right temperature is a detail that often goes overlooked, so be sure to include a blanket or to turn of the AC for breeds that have a tendency to overheat.
Keep the Trash Out of Reach
Puppies are very curious and inquisitive and often find ways to get into trouble. A trash bag, can or recycle bin that may be easily accessed can often be a recipe for disaster. Investing in a trash bin with a locking lid or storing the trash within a latched cabinet is always a wise precaution.
Pet Safe Flooring
A new puppy can cause considerable wear on floors, especially flooring installation made from less durable material. Using doggy doors and gates to limit access to certain areas, protecting floors with throw rugs or installing luxury vinyl flooring that will be durable enough to avoid being damaged are all potential solutions you would do well to consider. You want to make sure that your flooring won’t stain easily, that it’s waterproof and easy to clean. Otherwise, you will take your frustrations on a puppy that is just learning to control their own bodily functions.
Durable Furniture
An energetic puppy can damage more than just the floors. First-time pet owners are often shocked at how quickly a new dog can damage or destroy the furniture. Covering certain pieces, moving other items out of reach and taking other precautions to protect the furniture can be well worth the time and effort involved.
Schedule Plenty of Playtime
A bored puppy is far more likely to act up or misbehave. Scheduling plenty of play time and ensuring that your new puppy is getting adequate exercise and sufficient stimulation is not something that should be left to chance. Plenty of playtime is essential for ensuring that your puppy is able to adapt to their new surroundings more easily and without any issues or problems that might otherwise disrupt the household.
When you adopt a puppy you are having the intention of keeping them a part of the family for life. This means that you are going to take care of them when they are sick, when they are bored, when they are happy, and that you will make sure that your home is a comfortable place for them to live. If you take care of their needs you will be sure to have a better behaved puppy.
