How can you keep your new puppy safe in your home?

It´s almost time to bring home your new puppy! What can you do to insure his introduction to your home is a safe one?

Bringing a new puppy home is like bringing home a new toddler. At least new parents get eased into toddlerhood! Start puppy-proofing days before you bring him home and continue to do so through his puppyhood. The following tips should help you make your home safe for your new puppy.

1. Look at thing from a puppy´s point of view. Get down on your hands and knees, crawl around your home and look for anything that could be a danger to little paws or little jaws. Are there loose electrical wires anywhere? Are there items anywhere within a puppies reach small enough to choke on? Are there any poisonous plants in the house? There are a lot of things to look for. Start this process days before your new puppy comes home.
2. Puppies chew! Sometimes, it is due to teething and sometimes it is just to play. Make sure you put up all items that may look appealing to the teething pooch. You will want to keep a bottle of repellant spray on anything that becomes a problem with your pooch. Even the most appetizing Italian leather shoes will taste woefully unappealing when sprayed with this spray
3. Don´t give your new pup the run of the house right away. Begin crate training him to keep him confined at night. Gate off any dangerous areas even when you are home. Puppies can be sly. You don´t want him getting into trouble while you have your guard down.

Don´t worry if you continue to find dangers in the home after you bring the new puppy home. It would be impossible to catch them all before hand. Continue to look, and observe your puppy closely as he will likely find them before you do.

You will be teaching your new puppy a lot of things over the coming months. Keep plenty of treats on hand for positive reinforcement. You will also want to keep lots of chew toys on hand to help those teething gums!