Come Home

Come Home

Once you've made the decision that you're ready for a puppy and everyone in the house is on the same page, it's time to get your house ready for the puppy to come home! Much like securing the house before your baby begins to crawl, your home needs immediate protection from your puppy. Everything - absolutely everything - is a chew toy as far as she's concerned, so unless you agree with that sentiment, get busy!

Get started chew training your puppy before she walks in the door by clearing off anything that might be yummy - and, well, that means everything. It goes without saying that you shouldn't leave out food or anything that ever touched food but you will also want to put away books, papers, toys - nothing that you value or want to keep should be anywhere out and about and exposed. Put everything away into drawers and close them up tight.

Close the doors to all rooms that you don't want your puppy exploring. Shoes will be safer if the bedroom door is closed. Toilet paper rolls and small trash cans will be safer if the bathroom door is closed. What begins as a cute rolling around in a mountain of unrolled toilet paper turns into a big sloppy dog drinking out of the toilet and slopping water all over the floor. It's not pretty. Shut the doors.

There are some things that your puppy can get into that may annoy you, but could hurt your dog as well. Cigarette butts out of the ashtray, for example, can cause nicotine poisoning. Candle flames are fun toys and, of course, the kind that singe the fur. If you pour anti-freeze into your toilet to keep the pipes from freezing in winter, then lock the toilet lid. This, too, is extremely harmful to puppies.

Where you can remove certain toxins from the reach of your new puppy, there are some that you can't. Electrical cords, for example, pose a dangerous hazard to little dogs who like to chew, but unless you feel like living off the grid, you won't be able to keep these away from your pet. Instead, make the electrical cords taste terrible. Pet stores sell sprays that won't harm your pet but will deter her from gnawing on electrical cords. Of course, hot sauce works just as well. In the same way, make sure that insect and rodent traps don't catch your puppy instead of their intended target.

Here are few more tips to puppy-proof your home:

'Childproof' does not mean 'puppy proof.' Keep all medications and cleaners locked away.

Keep breakable Christmas tree ornaments off the lower branches, as well as light cords and anything else you don't want chewed. Presents will be best kept out of the way as well.

Upstairs windows and doors that lead to steps should be kept closed at all times. Puppies tumble just like toddlers.

Chicken bones and turkey bones are not good chew toys; dogs of all sizes choke on them. Instead, purchase bones for your puppy at the pet store.

Mend outdoor fences and check for spots where an industrious dog might dig their way out when you're not looking.

Gather together all the basics before you bring your new puppy home: dog food made for puppies, puppy treats, a cozy bed (or crate if you will be crate training), a leash and collar, tags with your address and phone number engraved on it, puppy toys and treats, and food and water dishes.

Melissa Steele is a freelance writer for PawDigs.com This site features Pet Essentials with Style including dog beds of all sizes and styles.

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