Are you the proud owner of a new puppy, or planning to be? Well, then you should consider dog-proofing your house. Owning a puppy or a new, untrained dog is in many ways similar to having a toddler. Puppies are especially curious creatures and they love using their keen sense of smell to seek out all sorts of trouble. The average house is filled with potentially dangerous items and pitfalls for a puppy, which is why it needs to be dog-proofed, the same way a house needs to be baby-proofed before the arrival of a newborn.

Step 1. Give your Home a Walk through

Walk through your entire house and look at it from a puppy’s perspective (i.e., ground level). Keep in mind that the average puppy will chew on anything, and I do mean anything that it can fit in its mouth. So be on the lookout for electrical wires, cleaning products, valuables, and anything else that you think might be hazardous, or don’t want chewed up, that is within a puppy/dog’s reach.

Step 2. Your Backyard Can be Dangerous

Check your house for poisonous plants. That may sound a bit silly and extreme, but believe it or not, most common house plants are actually poisonous if swallowed. Some common plants that are poisonous to dogs include: elephant’s ear, philodendron, caladium, and dumb cane. If you have a green thumb and like to keep a lot of plants around the house, do some research on them before you get your puppy.

Step 3. Section off Areas

Consider keeping certain areas of your house “off limits,” and invest in some dog gates, which you can purchase at most pet supply stores. It’s strongly recommended that you don’t allow your puppy or new dog to have free rein of the house, at least until they’re well trained. It’s best to confine your puppy to 1 or 2 rooms of the house like, the kitchen and living room, by using gates to block entrance to the other rooms. That way you can sleep easy at night knowing your puppy can’t get into anything it’s not supposed to.

Additional tips to Protect your Puppy:

• Never leave “people food” lying around; your dog will try to get to it, and just might be successful. Most people already know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs, but the fact of the matter is that most foods that humans eat can be harmful to a puppy
  

• You probably wouldn’t think twice about giving a dog some nuts. After all, nuts are natural, so what would be the harm in letting your dog snack on a few? Well, Macadamia nuts are actually poisonous to some dogs, so if you love to snack on Macadamia nuts and keep a dish on the coffee table, reconsider.
  
• Keep your veterinarians phone number on the fridge, or even better yet, save it in your cell phone. You never know when an emergency might arise; the last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to find the vet’s number.
• As a general rule, keep anything that could harm your puppy on a high shelf or in a room the dog does not have access to.