by Ines Peros

Created on: June 02, 2008   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

Puppy Proofing Your Home

The excitement factor of getting a puppy is enough for anyone to lose their perspective on what it means to puppy proof their home before the little cupcake comes home with you.

Puppies are just the most adorable animal to own and watching puppies grow into their adult lives is sometimes fraught with a few hazards along the way.

Most of the time a puppy will want to sleep because growth takes a lot of energy, eating will be another favorite pass time. Wetting the kibble or dry food will make it easier to chew until the adult teeth arrive, and more easily digested.

A Crate is a Home To a Puppy:

Your puppy is more than likely used to a crate with its litter mates or a shelter of some type and a crate provides a place for comfort and sleeping quarters, which they will not soil. It is similar to their home within your home and represents a place to hang, sleep, and play with toys. It should be roomy enough to accommodate them as they grow, and you should think of a full size dog that you chose to get the right size. Keep the crate as close as possible to where you are letting the puppy outside to relieve itself, it creates less chance of an accident along the way.

Chewing, Clawing and Scratches:

As a puppy grows to explore more of your home the instinct to bite or chew is how they become familiar with unfamiliar items, like the couch, or your shoes.
As their adult teeth grow in at around 5 months of age they will need to chew on something to relieve the pain. Get some organic chew toys with a rope, or healthy chewable toys that can be thrown in the freezer to ice which relieves teething pains. Soak a terrycloth wash cloth, wring it out and freeze it and present it to your puppy to soothe the teeth. As their claws grow out you will hear that familiar " tapping fours" sound on the floors.

Carpeting:

Carpeting to a puppy is like grass and the tendency is to pee on them because they are so similar. Dogs like carpets therefore do not put the crate on carpeting. For toilet training, upon waking take the puppy outside to a designated area, so they get used to where they are supposed to go, or else you will find a mishap on the carpeting.

Cupboards:

Dogs are not as adept at opening cupboard doors as cats might be, but there are some that are handy with their paws. A puppy can probably be a little inquisitive so it's best to keep the cupboards fixed with a baby proof latch, until it gets used to the forbidden zone.

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