Are you thinking of getting a new dog but you have children? If the answer is yes, then you need to make sure that you are pet proofing your home as well as child proofing it. The principles of the two are pretty similar with a couple of differences. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the ways that you can pet-proof your home, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.
Train Your Pet
The first thing that you should be doing is getting your pet trained as soon as possible. If you’re struggling to do this yourself, then you can look into options such as dog boarding. Here, they stay for around two weeks and they are given the basic training that they need, or the behavior training that they need. You will find everything a lot easier to manage when your dog is properly trained!
Put The Toilet Seat Down
This one is two-fold. First, dogs love to drink from the toilet. It’s not a myth like some people claim it to be, dogs really do like to get their head in the bowl so make sure that the lid is down. As well as this, they might try to jump in the toilet bowl if you are not careful and don’t put the seat down. This can be a nightmare when you have a wet dog running through the house covered in water from the toilet.
Place Harmful Products Out Of Reach
The same as for children, any harmful products to your dog should be placed well out of reach. They should not be somewhere that your dog can jump onto something else to reach it, so ideally all their harmful products should be in locked cupboards or high up somewhere. Go through your home and look at things that you think could be dangerous, and then move them as soon as possible. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when you have a new friend running around.
Cover Cords & Wires
If you have a puppy that likes to chew its surroundings then you are better to cover your exposed wires. This is so your beloved puppy doesn’t get an electric shock or break your appliances. Training is the way to go with this, ensure you train your dog and tell them no every time they try to get your wires. You can cover wires using trunking, this is a hard plastic covering that contains your wires safe inside it.
Use A Stair Gate
Finally, if you are worried about your dog on the stairs then you can always use a stair gate to prevent them going up or coming down on their own. This is true for elderly dogs or very young dogs, you don’t want them getting injured on the stairs. Stairs can be very dangerous and can cause hip complications in dogs. If your dog is elderly and suffers from arthritis then you won’t want them using the stairs. There are stair gates specifically designed for dogs, they are higher and wider so they can’t jump over them.
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Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love (Paperback)George, Zak, Port, Dina Roth
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